exequatur

law

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Last updated

June 26, 2026

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The term "exequatur" in law refers to an official recognition and authorization. It can be a written document issued by a government acknowledging and authorizing a consular officer to perform their duties. Alternatively, it can be permission granted by a sovereign power for a bishop to exercise their functions under papal authority or for papal bulls to be published.1

The word "exequatur" originates from Latin, meaning "let him perform" or "execute". This concept is related to the broader legal principle of the recognition and enforcement of judgments, where a judgment from one jurisdiction may need to be recognized and enforced in another. The term "exequy," which is related in etymology, refers to a funeral rite or ceremony.123

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Spain
Castile
…Ferdinand claimed the right of exequatur, according to which all papal bulls and breves (authorizing letters) could be published only with his permission. A letter from Ferdinand to his viceroy in Naples, written in 1510, upbraids the viceroy for permitting the pope to publish a brief in Naples, threatens that…
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…Ferdinand claimed the right of exequatur, according to which all papal bulls and breves (authorizing letters) could be published only with his permission. A letter from Ferdinand to his viceroy in Naples, written in 1510, upbraids the viceroy for permitting the pope to publish a brief in Naples, threatens that…
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consul
This permission, or exequatur, may be revoked at any time at the discretion of the government of the country in which he resides.
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This permission, or exequatur, may be revoked at any time at the discretion of the government of the country in which he resides.
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