Just 500 qualify for special passport

Passports are regularly ranked by their power to provide visa-free access to foreign lands, but a new report by CNN has now revealed the world's most exclusive travel document. With just 500 in circulation, the diplomatic passport of the Knights of Malta has been declared the rarest on the planet. A sovereign nation without any land, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta — as it's officially known — issues its own currency, passports, stamps and even car licence plates, though it has no roads for driving. Deep crimson in colour and embossed with gold lettering, the diplomatic document resembles many other passports but is reserved for members of the Sovereign Council of the Catholic order, CNN said. It can also be carried by leaders of diplomatic missions and their families. Daniel de Petri Testaferrata, the Malta-based president of the Order, told the network: “The Order grants passports to members of their government for the duration of their mandate.” Its scarcity can cause amusement at border posts, the Order's former communications director said. “They've likely never seen one before,” Eugenio Ajroldi di Robbiate explained. “Once when I arrived at the Bangkok airport, a crowd of operators at passport control wanted to see my rare passport and take a selfie with it.” The Order, now headquartered in Rome, began issuing informal travel passes in the 1300s to allow its errant knights to travel the globe and collect alms. They began to resemble modern passports after the Second World War.