It was established on 13 April 1993 and is awarded to military and civilian members of the Belgian Armed Forces who participated in operations or missions outside of the territory of Belgium.

The medal is circular and is struck from bronze, the obverse bears the Escutcheon-only version of the Coat of arms of Belgium under the royal crown and surrounded by the text Missions ou opérations à l'étranger - Buitenlandse opdrachten of operaties.

The ribbon is adorned with an Arabic numeral that denotes the number of operations or missions the recipient has participated in.

The Commemorative Medal for Foreign Operations or Missions is awarded to military and civilian members of the Belgian Armed Forces who participated in good standing, in humanitarian, peacekeeping, peace enforcement or international security operations or missions outside the territory of Belgium for a minimum duration of one month.

The list of the operations for which the medal is awarded is included in a separate Ministerial Decree (see references), which is amended on a regular basis.