Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria

Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic
Grand Star and Sash of the Order
Awarded by  Austria
Type	State decoration with 15 Grades
Awarded for	Meritorious service to the Austrian nation
Description	National Order of Merit
Statistics
Established	2 April 1952
Precedence
Next (higher)	None
Next (lower)	Austrian Decoration for Science and the Arts
Ribbon of the Order

The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria or Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic (German: Ehrenzeichen für Verdienste um die Republik Österreich) is a national honour awarded by the Republic of Austria.

The Order comprises 15 grades and is Austria's highest national honour.

The "Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria" was established by the National Council in 1952. It is conferred by the Republic of Austria to honour people (from Austria and abroad) who have rendered meritorious services to the country. Recipients are selected by the government, the awards are made by the President in accordance with the respective laws. The President of Austria automatically receives the "Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria" by being elected to the office and holds this honour for life. The decoration should not be confused with other decorations in the Austrian honours system such as the "Austrian Decoration for Science and Art".

The Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria is divided into the 15 classes as follows:

The "Gold Medal for Services to the Republic of Austria" may also be conferred as "Gold Medal with Red Riband" awarded for bravery and lifesaving.

See also List of Austrian Honours awarded to Heads of State and Royals

Below a list with names of all Grand Star recipients and other notable recipients, in chronological order with the year of award in brackets: