diplomatic immunity

noun

1. exemption from taxation, searches, arrest, etc., enjoyed by diplomatic officials and their dependent families under international law, and usually on a reciprocal basis.

diplomatic immunity

noun

1. the immunity from local jurisdiction and exemption from taxation in the country to which they are accredited afforded to diplomats

diplomatic immunity

1. Exemption of diplomats — ambassadors and other representatives of a foreign nation — from the laws of the nation to which they are assigned.

Foreign representatives have sometimes gone unpunished for serious crimes after claiming diplomatic immunity. The main purpose of diplomatic immunity, however, is to protect diplomats from harassment or arrest by their host government.

Word History and Origins

Origin of diplomatic immunity¹

First recorded in 1910–15