Diplomatic Law and the Vienna Convention
The rules governing diplomatic relations, immunity, and the inviolability of embassies under the 1961 Vienna Convention.
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations
The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) codifies the rules governing diplomatic missions and is one of the most successful international treaties ever negotiated. Ratified by 193 states, it provides the legal framework for how countries interact through embassies and diplomatic staff. Its rules on immunity, inviolability, and privileges existed as custom for centuries but were systematized and clarified for the first time.
The Convention establishes that diplomatic agents (ambassadors and their staff) enjoy immunity from the criminal jurisdiction of the host state. They cannot be arrested, detained, or prosecuted. This immunity exists not as a personal privilege but to ensure that diplomats can perform their functions without interference. The diplomatic premises (the embassy) are inviolable: host state officials may not enter without the mission's consent, even in emergencies.