Sovereign_Military_Order_of_Malta_passport
Sovereign Military Order of Malta passport
Passport
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]
| Sovereign Military Order of Malta passport | |
|---|---|
The front cover of a contemporary Sovereign Military Order of Malta diplomatic biometric passport | |
| Type | Passport |
| Issued by |  Sovereign Military Order of Malta |
| Purpose | Identification |
| Eligibility | Sovereign Military Order of Malta |
The application and printing processes are handled by the Österreichische Staatsdruckerei in Vienna, Austria.
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 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:
- The Grand Master (since 3 May 2023) John T. Dunlap who also has a Canadian passport).
- The Grand Commander (since September 2022) Emmanuel Rousseau who also has a French passport).
- The Grand Chancellor (since September 2022) Riccardo Paternò di Montecupo who also has an Italian passport).
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. Currently[when?], ten service passports are in use.
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]
The SMOM has diplomatic relations with 113 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 24 out of 26 members (all except Denmark and Norway).[7]
- "Bundesheer - TRUPPENDIENST - Ausgabe 2/2006 - The New e-Passport". www.bundesheer.at. Archived from the original on 2021-04-18. Retrieved 2021-04-18.
- "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.
- Sack, John (1959). Report from Practically Nowhere. Harper & Brothers. p. 140. ISBN 9780595089185.
- "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.
- "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.
- "Bilateral relations". Sovereign Order of Malta. Retrieved 2022-09-19.
- "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.