The U.S. State Department has added business formal dress code guidance to its Foreign Affairs Manual for the first time, establishing department-wide standards for employee attire in official settings.
The update applies to civil service and foreign service employees and sets expectations for how diplomats and staff present themselves in official engagements.
“Representing the United States of America is an honor — and this new policy ensures our diplomats project credibility, respect, and the dignity of the nation we serve,” Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson told Fox News Digital.
The policy states: “Appropriate attire and appearance will depend on the duties performed, the work environment, and the level of interaction with foreign interlocutors and other external stakeholders. For staff participating in meetings or other official engagements with foreign interlocutors, dress is Business Formal and personal appearance is polished and professional unless otherwise specified.”
A State Department official told Fox News Digital the change was driven in part by concerns that some diplomats had been dressing “pretty informally” in recent years.
“This should have happened a long time ago,” the official said.
The update follows other recent adjustments at the department, including revisions to hiring and promotion criteria for Foreign Service officers and the replacement of diversity, equity and inclusion-related benchmarks with a new core precept focused on “fidelity” to U.S. government policy and chain-of-command authority.
The change also comes after months of broader debate over dress and formality in official settings, including criticism that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy faced during his February 2025 White House visit for not wearing a suit, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
