The Sovereign Military Order of Malta – also known as the Knights of Malta – isn’t just a religious Catholic order with nearly 1,000 years of history. Nor is it just a multi-million-dollar-budget humanitarian aid organization, with operations including refugee camps and disaster relief programs in some 120 countries around the world.
It’s also a sovereign nation, with United Nations observer status and its own constitution, but, unusually, without any land. It issues car license plates – without having any roads to drive them on – and its own stamps, currency and passports.
The first passports were issued by the Order of Malta in the 1300s when its diplomats traveled to other states with documents attesting to their role as ambassadors. After World War II, the use of the diplomatic passport took on characteristics of passports used in other countries. Today, there are only around 500 of the diplomatic passports in circulation – making it the rarest passport in the world.
Interesting historical facts about the Order of Malta can be found here
