List of recipients of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

The President of the Federal Republic of Germany is conferred with the Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Sonderstufe des Großkreuzes) upon entering office as the ex-officio Grand Master of the order.

• 12 September 1949: Theodor Heuss, President (1949–1959)
• 13 September 1959: Heinrich Lübke, President (1959–1969)
• 1 July 1969: Gustav Heinemann, President (1969–1974)
• 1 July 1974: Walter Scheel, President (1974–1979)
• 1 July 1979: Karl Carstens, President (1979–1984)
• 1 July 1984: Richard von Weizsäcker, President (1984–1994)
• 1 July 1994: Roman Herzog, President (1994–1999)
• 1 July 1999: Johannes Rau, President (1999–2004)
• 1 July 2004: Horst Köhler, President (2004–2010)
• 30 June 2010: Christian Wulff, President (2010–2012)
• 18 March 2012: Joachim Gauck, President (2012–2017)
• 19 March 2017: Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President (2017–present)

• Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa
• Amha Selassie
• Empress Kōjun
• Adolf Schärf
• Luis Somoza Debayle
• Ahmed Sékou Touré
• Héctor Trujillo
• Suharto
• Siti Hartinah
• Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson
• Martti Ahtisaari
• Qaboos bin Said
• Hassan II of Morocco
• Baudouin of Belgium
• Princess Joséphine-Charlotte of Belgium
• Paul Biya
• Gustaf VI Adolf
• Margrethe II of Denmark
• Ingrid of Sweden
• Park Chung Hee
• Olav V of Norway
• Makarios III
• Raúl Alfonsín
• Paul VI
• John XXIII