Anyone may nominate someone else for an honour or decoration. There are then six steps before an honour is conferred. The last step is when the King signs a royal decree.
Step 1: The municipal official
An application form plus supporting documents are submitted to a municipal official in the place the nominee lives.
Step 2: The mayor
The mayor drafts a recommendation, focusing on any special services performed by the nominee and suggesting a suitable occasion for awarding the honour.
Step 3: The King’s Commissioner
The mayor’s recommendation is forwarded to the King’s Commissioner in the province concerned, together with the form and supporting documents. The King’s Commissioner also issues a recommendation.
Step 4: The Civil Honours Council
All documents are then sent to the Chancery of the Netherlands Orders in The Hague, where the Civil Honours Council makes a final recommendation.
Step 5: The minister
The minister responsible receives the final recommendation and decides whether the nominee’s name is put forward to His Majesty the King.
Step 6: The King
The ministry draws up a royal decree and presents it to the King. Without the King’s signature, no honours can be awarded.