Legion of Honour served France or the ideals it upholds may receive the honour. Foreign nationals who live in France are subject to the same requirements as the French. Foreign nationals who live abroad may be awarded a distinction of any rank or dignity in the . Foreign heads of state and their spouses or consorts of monarchs are made Grand Cross as a courtesy. American and British veterans who served in either World War I on French soil, or during the 1944 campaigns to liberate France, may be eligible for appointment as Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, provided they were still
Bien mérité de la Patrie "Bien mérité de la Patrie". These resolutions were published in "Le Moniteur Universel", in a manner similar to being mentioned in dispatches. The practice was pursued under the French Consulate, which furthermore instituted the award of Weapons of Honour for the military, and scarfs of honour to civilians. These were replaced by the Legion of Honour, founded by Bonaparte on 9 May 1802, morphing the award back into an order of chivalry (however, the Legion was awarded without reference to the distinction between noble and non-noble). The term ""bien mérité de la Patrie"", or the close ""bien mérité du pays"",