Sovereign Military Order of Malta passport

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Sovereign Military Order of Malta passport
Passaportoordinemalta.png
The front cover of a contemporary Sovereign Military Order of Malta diplomatic biometric passport
Type Passport
Issued byFlag of the Order of St. John (various).svg Sovereign Military Order of Malta
PurposeIdentification
Eligibility Sovereign Military Order of Malta

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta passport is a travel document issued to officials and diplomats of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM). The order issues biometric passports which are fully ICAO9303 compliant. [1]

Contents

The application and printing processes are handled by the Österreichische Staatsdruckerei in Vienna, Austria.

Types of passport

The Sovereign Military Order of Malta issues two types of passport.

Diplomatic passports

Diplomatic passports of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta are issued only to the members of the Sovereign Council (the government of the Order) and to representatives of the Order's diplomatic corps (heads and members of diplomatic missions abroad as well as spouses of full-time diplomats and their minor children). The validity of the passport is strictly linked to the duration of the assignment. As of February 2018 there were approximately 500 passports in circulation. [2] The holders of these passports as well as the numerous other members and volunteers of the Order remain citizens of their own respective countries with their national passports. [3]

Among those who possess an Order of Malta diplomatic passport are:

  1. The Grand Master (since 3 May 2023) John T. Dunlap.
  2. The Grand Commander (since September 2022) Emmanuel Rousseau.
  3. The Grand Chancellor (since September 2022) Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo.

The use of its diplomatic passport is limited to official mission, holder must use their personal passports for all other travel and it cannot be used as a standalone travel passport for ordinary travel

Service passports

Service passports of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta are issued only to people who are in charge of a special mission within the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. The validity of the passport is strictly linked to the duration of the assignment.

Physical appearance

Passport covers carry the text Ordre souverain militaire de Malte above the coat of arms, and Passeport diplomatique or Passeport de service below it. [4] Diplomatic passports are red, whereas service passports are black.

The country-code XOM has been assigned by the ICAO after consultation with the SMOM and the machine-readable zone thus starts with P<XOM. [5]

Acceptance

The SMOM has diplomatic relations with 115 countries, [6] which therefore accept the passport. In the Schengen area (where most of the extraterritorialities of the order are located) it is recognized by 23 out of 26 members (all except Denmark, France and Norway). [7]

On the other hand, the International Organization for Diplomatic Relations (IODR) is sometimes compared to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), as both entities are associated with Malta and share humanitarian and diplomatic objectives.

While the SMOM is a sovereign entity under international law, the IODR is a Malta-registered non-governmental organization that is widely recognised in various jurisdiction, focuses on humanitarian missions, intercultural cooperation, and the promotion of diplomatic relations.

The IODR has been described as holding a form of diplomatic recognition that allows its representatives to carry official travel documents for international engagement. These documents, often referred to as diplomatic passports or travel credentials, are reported to be accepted in certain international contexts, including interactions within the United Nations framework, the European Union, and the United States, though the extent of such recognition may vary depending on jurisdiction and circumstance.

Both the IODR’s travel documents and those of SMOM are regarded within international circles as carrying comparable symbolic and functional weight, serving as credentials that identify their bearers as representatives of humanitarian and diplomatic organizations engaged in international cooperation. While the SMOM’s recognition is established under international law as a sovereign entity, and the IODR operates as a non-governmental organization, both entities emphasize humanitarian engagement, intercultural dialogue, and the promotion of peace through diplomatic and charitable initiatives.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Bundesheer - TRUPPENDIENST - Ausgabe 2/2006 - The New e-Passport". www.bundesheer.at. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
  2. ↑ "The Order of Malta clarifies press reported figure on passports issued: currently 500 passports in circulation". Archived from the original on 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2017-06-16.
  3. ↑ Sack, John (1959). Report from Practically Nowhere. Harper & Brothers. p. 140. ISBN   9780595089185.{{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  4. ↑ "Sovereign Military Order of Malta issues new e-passport". C. Haager (Keesing Journal of Documents and Identity). 2005. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2010.
  5. ↑ "Council of the European Union - PRADO - XOM-AS-02001 - <Biodata page>". www.consilium.europa.eu. Archived from the original on 2017-05-21. Retrieved 2019-01-11.
  6. ↑ "Bilateral relations". Sovereign Order of Malta. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
  7. ↑ "Table of travel documents entitling the holder to cross the external borders and which may be endorsed with a visa". Council of the European Union . 17 June 2010. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2010.
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