Commission ( document ) A commission is a formal document issued to appoint a named person to high office or as a commissioned officer in a territory ' s armed forces . Commissions are typically issued in the name of , if not signed by , the Head of State . In Commonwealth Realm s other than the United Kingdom , they are signed by the Governor - General who is also Commander - in - Chief in and over that Realm . Terminology . Because the word " commission " can also refer generally to an individual ' s duty , the more specific terms commissioning parchment or commissioning scroll are often used to specify the commissioning document . However the document is not usually in the form of a scroll and is more often printed on paper instead of parchment . In Canada , there is a differentiation in terminology according to rank ; officers are accorded commissioning scripts whereas Chief Warrant Officer s are accorded " scrolls " . Examples of military and naval commissions . Canada . Here is an example from Canada : Canadian Commissioning Scripts , as they are properly called by NDHQ , are signed by the Governor General of Canada and countersigned by the Minister of National Defence , on behalf of the Queen of Canada . Here is an example of the Royal Canadian Navy ' s Commission from pre - 1968 : Sweden . Officers in the Swedish Armed Forces have not received written commissions since 1982 when a new employment structure was instituted by law . They are nowadays hired on contracts , as in any other civil service position . Prior to 1982 all officers received written certificates of commission , each signed by the King of Sweden . The wording used prior to 1982 in translation would be ; United Kingdom . The following is typical of the wording of a British commission , and comes from the Royal Naval Reserve : The above would be signed by the Queen ( although a facsimile signature may be used ) and countersigned by two members of the Admiralty Board . Royal Navy pre - 1964 . Before the Board of Admiralty were merged into the Ministry of Defence in 1964 , with the title of Lord High Admiral reverting to the Crown , the naval officer ' s commission was signed not by the Sovereign but by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty , executing the office of Lord High Admiral . The naval officer ' s commission was worded as follows : Similarly the following is the wording of a Lieutenant ' s Commission from 1800 : It was signed by two Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty and a Secretary , i . e . a quorum of the Board of Admiralty . United States . Commissions of officers in the U . S . Armed Forces are issued in the name of the President , although officers at and below the rank of Captain ( Lieutenant in the Navy and Coast Guard ) are actually appointed by the Secretary of Defense or , for the Coast Guard , the Secretary of Homeland Security . The commission of a newly commissioned officer would read : The certificate is signed by the Secretary of the Military Department concerned ( Secretary of the Army , Secretary of the Navy & Secretary of the Air Force ) , or the Secretary of Homeland Security for the Coast Guard , and attested by the officer in charge of personnel of the service concerned ( e . g . , Adjutant General of the Army , Chief of Naval Personnel , etc . ) Commissions of officers in the U . S . Foreign Service are issued in the name of the President . The commission of a newly commissioned officer reads : The commission is also signed by the Secretary of State , and the singular Great Seal of the United States , entrusted to the Department of State as the senior federal department , is affixed .