State Department adds formal dress code to policy manual for first time

FIRST ON FOX: The State Department has added business formal dress code guidance to its internal policy manual for the first time, establishing department-wide standards for employee attire.

The changes, implemented in recent days in the Foreign Affairs Manual — the department’s central repository for policies — mark the first time the agency has formally codified expectations for how diplomats and staff should dress in official settings.

“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 updated policy applies broadly across the department for both civil service and foreign service employees.

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The move underscores a broader recalibration at the State Department, where Trump administration officials have sought to impose clearer standards around discipline, appearance and adherence to policy. 

A State Department official said 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 formal dress code represents a shift away from Biden-era personnel policies that prioritized flexibility and cultural inclusivity, toward a more uniform and prescriptive standard for how U.S. diplomats present themselves.

“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,” reads the manual, viewed by Fox News Digital now reads. “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.”

The dress code update follows other recent changes to how the State Department evaluates and manages its workforce, including revisions to hiring and promotion criteria for Foreign Service officers. 

Earlier in 2026, the department replaced diversity, equity and inclusion-related benchmarks with a new core precept focused on “fidelity,” emphasizing adherence to U.S. government policy and chain-of-command authority.

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Under the updated guidance, mid- and senior-level diplomats are expected to demonstrate loyalty by “zealously executing U.S. government policy” and resolving ambiguity in favor of leadership direction, according to internal documents previously reported by Fox News Digital.

Those changes came alongside broader efforts to restructure the department’s workforce, including plans to reduce staffing and consolidate offices, signaling a shift toward more standardized expectations for diplomatic personnel. The addition of a formal dress code marks the latest step in that direction.