Regional, Departmental or Communal Medal of Honor (MHDRC)

Verified 30 April 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)

You want obtain the regional, departmental or communal medal of honor (MHDRC), know what are the conditions, how to make the demand ? We'll give you the information you need. This medal reward the professional competence and the dedication of elected local representatives or public officials of local and regional authorities and their establishments.

Warning  

There is a specific medal of honor for the performance of the duties of a firefighter (professional or voluntary).

The regional, departmental or communal medal of honor can be awarded if you are in one of the following situations:

  • Territorial agent (official or contract)
  • Elected local (unless he is also a Member of Parliament or a Senator)
  • Member of the regional economic, social and environmental committee
  • Public Housing Authority (OPH) official
  • Officer of a municipal credit union (a manager or accounting officer cannot obtain the medal)

The medal can be awarded to you if you have been admitted to retirement or if you have ceased your activity or if your elected office has ended.

A foreigner who works in a local government and meets the criteria for the medal of honor can also be awarded this award, in recognition of his commitment and dedication to public service.

Duration of services performed

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General case

The medal of honor has 3 levels:

  • Silver, granted for 20 years of completed service
  • Vermilion, granted for 30 years of service
  • Gold, granted for 35 years of service

These steps are assigned successively.

A period of one year must elapse before the next higher step is awarded.

Underground Sewer System or Insanitary Services Officer

The medal of honor has 3 levels:

  • Silver, granted for 15 years of completed service
  • Vermilion, granted for 25 years of completed service
  • Gold, granted for 30 years of service

These steps are assigned successively.

A period of one year must elapse before the next higher step is awarded.

The Medal of Honor may be awarded posthumously, within 5 years of the date of death, to the person who met the conditions for obtaining it.

The gold medal may be awarded without conditions of service to a person killed in the line of duty.

Services Considered

The services covered are as follows:

  • Services performed in the course of the duties for which the medal is awarded
  • Services performed in a decentralized State service
  • Maternity, adoption or parental leave (up to 1 year)
  • National Service

These services may be performed either within the same community (and its establishments) or successively within several communities (and their establishments).

Periods of part-time work shall not count as periods of full-time work. They shall be taken into account in proportion to working time.

Periods of sick leave and leave on personal grounds shall not be taken into account in the calculation of the length of service. The same shall apply to periods of secondment to the home country or to posts of origin.

Warning  

Years spent in the private sector are not considered for the award of this medal.

In most departments, the process can be done online only. In some departments, it has to be done by mail.

General case

You must use the following online service:

Request for a departmental, regional or communal medal of honor

You must have the following proof:

  • Certification of services by the employer
  • Photocopy of an ID (double-sided)
  • Reasoned opinion of the hierarchical authority on the award of the medal
  • For persons who have performed military (or similar) services, attestation of services performed under the national service or photocopy of the military booklet
  • Excerpt 2 from the criminal record

Please note

All the supporting documents must be scanned.

Hautes-Alpes, Côte d'Or, Lozère, Savoy, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, French Polynesia, New Caledonia

If you meet the conditions, you must submit your request by mail to the territorial authority.

The community is a file that it sends to the prefecture for review.

This folder contains the following documents:

  • Request for medal form, available on the website of the prefecture
  • Photocopy of the applicant's identity document
  • Status of the applicant's civilian and military services
  • Detailed report on the applicant's activity, drawn up by the hierarchical authority

FYI  

An extract No. 2 from the criminal record must be requested by the prefecture (not by you) and added to the file.

The medal of honor is awarded by order of the prefecture.

The award takes place twice a year: the 1er January and July 14.

The person who receives the medal also receives a diploma that recalls the services for which he is rewarded.

The metal medals are struck and engraved at the expense of the beneficiary or his employer (if the latter agrees), by order addressed to the Monnaie de Paris or to a private manufacturer.

The medal of honor shall be automatically withdrawn in the event of revocation of French nationality or dismissal from public service.

It may be withdrawn by prefectural decree upon conviction or following a penalty for disciplinary misconduct.

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