This is the rarest passport and you may have not even heard of it

Some passports are more powerful than others, like the Japanese passport, which grants entry into 194 countries without a visa. There are some, nevertheless, that are rare. The Sovereign Military Order of Malta is known to be the world’s rarest passport. It is so exclusive that just a few hundred people worldwide can obtain the document. Let’s take a closer look. About the Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Catholic order is one of the earliest institutions in Christian civilisation, having its sovereignty verified by Pope Paschal in 1113. It is sometimes referred to as the Knights of Malta and possesses its constitution in addition to UN observer status. It is an entirely apolitical, neutral organisation that focuses mostly on humanitarian problems. According to CNN, the Sovereign Order of Malta is currently working in 120 countries, providing medical, social, and humanitarian services to those in need. The Order employs 25,000 medical professionals, 80,000 volunteers, and approximately 13,500 knights, dames, and chaplains. This military order’s sovereign territory has been limited to two extraterritorial properties in Rome since it lost the island of Malta in 1798. It is from these properties that it issues its own passports, coinage, and postage stamps, reported The Independent. The earliest passports were issued by the Order of Malta in the 1300s, when its ambassadors travelled to other countries bearing official credentials attesting to their position. Following World War II, the diplomatic passport changed to include features from other passport types. An exclusive document The Order’s crimson passport—possibly representing the blood of Christ—is reserved for Sovereign Council members and heads of foreign missions, as well as their families. According to CNN, it has a crest and gold text that reads “Ordre Souverain Militaire de Malte,” the organisation’s name in French. These 44-page passports have a watermark of the Maltese cross on them but no other decorations, such as pictures or quotes. “The Order grants passports to members of their government for the duration of their mandate,” de Petri Testaferrata says. As of right now, there are just about 500 diplomatic passports in use worldwide, making it the rarest passport type. The grand master, deputy grand master, and chancellor of the order are among the select few who have the valuable passport in their possession. The current Grand Master is Fra’ Matthew Festing, only the second Englishman to occupy the role. [caption id=“attachment_13683902” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Pope Francis (R) exchanges gifts with Fra’ Matthew Festing (L), 79th Prince and Grand Master of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, during a private audience at the Vatican, 20 June 2014. Reuters[/caption] Its validity Grand Masters have the longest passport validity—ten years—because they are elected for two terms and must retire by the age of 85. In contrast, other passports are only used for diplomatic missions and have a four-year validity period. According to De Petri Testaferrata, two-thirds of Schengen members recognise the diplomatic passport, and the Order maintains close ties with a number of nations even in the lack of official diplomatic connections, such as France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. “We provide rapid medical and humanitarian supplies to victims of conflict or natural disasters. We run hospitals, ambulance corps, medical centres, homes for the elderly and the disabled, soup kitchens and first aid posts,” de Petri Testaferrata explained to CNN. Not legitimate in a few countries Some countries do not recognise a passport as a legitimate form of identification for travel, according to Travel & Leisure. The passport is not accepted in the United States, the United Kingdom, or New Zealand. Still, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Malta, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, and Slovenia do. With inputs from agencies