The holders of the rarest passport in the world are elected representatives of the so-called "non-state subject of international law." What exactly does this mean and who can have such a passport?
When we talk about the rarest passport in the world, most of you probably think of a particularly small country. In this case, however, it is not a "real" nation that issues its citizens the rarest passport in the world. Nevertheless, this document is accepted for entry to over 100 countries without an additional visa.
The rarest passport in the world is issued by the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
You probably already know that the Sovereign Military Order of Malta is a Roman Catholic religious order. According to the official website, it is even the oldest "nursing order in Christianity." The origins of the community date back to a hospice founded in Jerusalem in 1048, and the "first knights from the West" joined the brotherhood in 1099. The order was recognised by the Pope in 1113. Today it operates mainly as an aid organisation and maintains diplomatic relations with 113 countries.
Its name is not accidental. The "Sovereign" Order of Malta is considered a sovereign subject of international law. As such, it has its own constitution and, incidentally, its own badges and car license plates - although it has no land transport of its own. The Order has not had a seat in Malta since 1798 and has had extraterritorial status since 1869. Nevertheless, it issues its own travel document, although not in large numbers.
Who receives a rare travel document?
This secular religious order is approximately 13,000 years old with members around the world. However, not all of them receive a crimson travel document with a printed coat of arms and gold letters. By the way, it reads "Ordre Souverain Militaire de Malte" (translated from French: "Sovereign Military Order of Malta").
"A total of approximately 500 diplomatic passports of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta are currently in circulation," the website reads.
According to the website, they are issued only to members of the Sovereign Council and heads of diplomatic missions, as well as members of their families. The exception to this rule, as you can read on the website, are several high-ranking figures entrusted with special tasks and people conducting important activities in the Grand Magistrate.
However, as the Sovereign Military Order of Malta further explains, it issues a second type of passport. Only 50 of them are currently in use. We are talking about so-called service passports for humanitarian staff of the Order of Malta. They are also issued to officials working for the Order in dangerous areas.
A relatively powerful passport
According to the website, both Sovereign Military Order of Malta diplomatic and service passports have been biometric since 2005 and are therefore compliant with International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards.
ALSO READ: Here are various colours of passports and what they mean
Regarding the mentioned issue of power, both types of the world's rarest passport are above average. The previously mentioned Henley Passport Index also showed that the average number of countries to which you can travel without an additional visa in the case of international passports is 111.
In 2006, this average was much lower and amounted to 58. In turn, the Order's passport is accepted as an entry document by all 113 countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations.
*
This article was originally published on Onet Travel.