Admission into the Legion of Honor is based on clear principles and well-established procedures. However, it rewards an abstract, highly subjective, multifaceted and nevertheless unifying notion: "outstanding merit".
Condition of admission
To enter the Order of the Legion of Honor, two prerequisites must be fulfilled:
- Nationality: only French citizens may be admitted into the Order. Foreigners can be recognized with the Order of the Legion of Honor, but they are not members.
- Good repute: future holders of the Legion of Honor must have clean criminal records and good character. An inquiry is conducted to ensure the admissibility of candidates on these two points.
Outstanding merits
La Légion d’honneur est la récompense des mérites éminents acquis au service de la nation soit à titre civil, soit sous les armes.
What is "outstanding merit"? There is no theoretical definition or exhaustive list. It is the mandate of the Council of the Order to determine, based on the career description provided and the precedents of the Order, whether or not there is outstanding merit.
Merit takes on the most diverse forms, since every new case involves assessing the action of a human being, the richness of a life path, an act of courage or generosity, or an action in support of the national ideals.
Proposed members are therefore evaluated within their field of activity.
Nevertheless, a series of commonly accepted criteria are taken into account, backed by two centuries of precedents:
- Eminence of services: the ability to show quality of service, of actions, or of demanding and measurable commitments.
- The common benefit: having served the good of the nation rather than solely one’s own interest (e.g., creating jobs, developing education, supporting the underprivileged, technological or medical innovation, artistic creativity, etc.).
- Public awareness of merits: recognition for one’s merits, standing out as a role model of civic engagement for fellow citizens, participating in France's renown abroad (whether through military action, athletic prowess or economic influence).
- Length of service: a minimum of 20 years of activity is required to enter the Order of the Legion of Honor.
Promotion to a higher rank shall be granted if the Legion of Honor holder has demonstrated new merit, and after a minimum number of years:
| From the rank of Knight to that of Officer | 8 years |
| From the rank of Officer to that of Commander | 5 years |
| From the rank of Commander to the title of Grand Officer | 3 years |
| From the title of Grand Officer to that of Grand Cross | 3 years |
Annual cohorts
The Legion of Honor has four cohorts per year, published in the Journal Officiel:
- two for civilian cohorts:
- January 1
- July 14
- two for military cohorts:
- June/July for military personnel on active duty
- November for reserves and veterans
“Special cohorts” can also be applied at the time of historical commemorations (e.g., Liberation of France) or particular events like the Olympic Games.
See the latest cohorts
Exceptional nomination
Every year, some twenty Legion of Honor nominations depart from these rules. These nominations are granted “in exceptional circumstances,” on short notice, to reward deserving persons without delay.
These include persons who have risked their lives in the line of duty, such as military personnel killed or wounded while serving, firefighters, rescuers and police officers.
Some careers unfold over very short periods of time, and exceptional achievements can warrant an exception to the rule of 20 years of service. This applies for instance to Olympic gold medalists who are rewarded for contributing to the fame of France around the world.