Royal Order of Civil Merit Real Orden del Mérito Civil | |
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![]() Grand Cross set of insignia of the Order | |
Awarded by the Spanish Monarch | |
Type | Order of merit, Knighthood |
Established | 1926 |
Royal house | House of Bourbon-Spain |
Motto | "Al Mérito Civil" For Civil Merit |
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 |
Post-nominals | OMC |
Former grades | Grand-Cross Commander by Number Commander Knight Silver Cross |
Precedence | |
Next (higher) | Order of Isabella the Catholic (sorted by year of inception) |
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; Abbr.: OMC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and the Order of Isabella the Catholic (established in 1815). Each of the three orders aims to reward a distinct type of achievement without one outranking the others, although they are sometimes sorted by their year of inception. The Order of Charles III primarily honors heads of state and high-ranking government officials, while the Order of Isabella the Catholic primarily rewards services that strengthen 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 rendered 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, Germany's Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, or Italy's Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.[3]