Order of Civil Merit

Royal Order of Civil Merit Real Orden del Mérito Civil
Grand Cross set of insignia of the Order
Awarded by the Spanish Monarch
Type	Order of merit, Knighthood
Established	1926; 98 years ago (1926)
Royal house	House of Bourbon-Spain
Motto	Al Mérito Civil
Eligibility	Spanish and Foreign citizens
Awarded for	Extraordinary services for the good of the Nation
Status	Currently Constituted
Grand Master	King Felipe VI
Grand Chancellor	José Manuel Albares, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Chancellor	Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs
Grades	Collar Grand-Cross Commander by Number Commander Officer Cross Cross Silver Cross
Former grades	Grand-Cross Commander by Number Commander Knight Silver Cross
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Isabella the Catholic
Next (lower)	Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise
- The Ribbons of the Order

The Royal Order of Civil Merit (Spanish: Real Orden del Mérito Civil) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (est. 1771) and the Order of Isabella the Catholic (est. 1815). Each order was established during different periods of Spain's history, and each of the three aims to reward distinct types of achievements. The Order of Charles III primarily honors heads of state and high-ranking government officials, while the Order of Isabella the Catholic has traditionally been a conduit for strengthening diplomatic relations across the former Spanish Empire. In contrast, the Order of Civil Merit was created by King Alfonso XIII of Spain in 1926, to recognize "the civic virtues of the officials in the service of the State, as well as the extraordinary services of Spanish and foreign citizens for the good of the Nation." It was, therefore, founded as a modern order of merit, dedicated to acknowledging exceptional deeds for the benefit of civil society.^[1]

Today, the Order is regulated by Royal Decree 2396/1998, of November 6, 1998. In accordance with this law, the Order seeks to “reward merits of a civil nature, acquired by officers of any of the public Administrations [...], or by persons outside the Administration, who provide or have provided relevant services to the State, with extraordinary work, charitable initiatives, or with exemplary perseverance in the fulfillment of their duties." The Order "may also be granted to people of foreign nationality, provided that they have provided distinguished services to Spain or notable collaboration in all matters that benefit the Nation.”^[2]

The great prestige that the Order of Civil Merit enjoys in Spain and abroad is due to several reasons. First, like the Order of Isabella the Catholic, it has become a powerful instrument of international relations, with awardees inducted from all over the world. Second, it is a highly selective and rare honour – since its creation, a relatively small number of people worldwide have received the Order of Civil Merit, compared to similar national Orders of Merit, such as UK's Order of the British Empire, France's Legion of Honour, or Germany's Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.^[3]