Vatican City and Holy See passports

Contents

Vatican passports (Latin: syngraphus diplomaticus) and Holy See passports are issued by the Vatican City State and by the Holy See, respectively: ordinary passports for Vatican City citizens are issued under the name of the Vatican City State, whereas diplomatic and service passports are issued under the name of the Holy See.[1] The Holy See and the Vatican City State are two different subjects of international law, although both share many of the same institutions. They are both under the one sovereign jurisdiction of the Pope.

Citizenship

Of the approximately 800 residents of Vatican City, more than 450 have Vatican citizenship. These include the approximately 135 Swiss Guards. About the same number of citizens of the state live in various countries, chiefly in the diplomatic service of the Holy See.[2]

Categories of citizen

The Vatican City State law on citizenship, residence and access, which was promulgated on 22 February 2011, classifies citizens into three categories:

  1. Cardinals resident in Vatican City or in Rome;
  2. Diplomats of the Holy See;
  3. Persons residing in Vatican City because of their office or service.[3]

Only for the third category is an actual grant of citizenship required.[4]

Diplomatic passports

Diplomatic passports of the Holy See, not passports of the Vatican State, are held by those in the Holy See's diplomatic service.

Service passports

Service passports of the Holy See can be issued to people in the service of the Holy See even if not citizens of Vatican City.

Ordinary Vatican City passports

Vatican City passports are issued to citizens of the state who are not in the service of the Holy See.

Languages

Ordinary passports[5] issued by Vatican City and service passports issued by the Holy See[6] are in Italian, French and English; diplomatic passports issued by the Holy See are in Latin, French and English.[7]

Visa access

According to the Henley Passport Index released on January 8, 2025, a Vatican passport allows visa-free, visa-on-arrival, or e-visa entry to 155 countries and territories, ranking 26th in the world.[8]

References

  1. 1."Holy See and Vatican City State passports: General information" (PDF).
  2. 2."Vatican City State, Population". Archived from the original on 2012-05-25. Retrieved 2012-05-25.
  3. 3."Legge sulla cittadinanza, la residenza e l'accesso, art. 1" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  4. 4."Legge sulla cittadinanza, la residenza e l'accesso, art. 2" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  5. 5."Document: VAT-AO-01003". Council of the European Union - Public Register of Authentic travel and identity Documents Online (PRADO). Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  6. 6."Document: VAT-AS-01004". Council of the European Union - Public Register of Authentic travel and identity Documents Online (PRADO). Retrieved 4 October 2025.
  7. 7."Document: VAT-AD-01004". Council of the European Union - Public Register of Authentic travel and identity Documents Online (PRADO). Archived from the original on 12 July 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  8. 8."The World's Most (and Least) Powerful Passports in 2025". Henley & Partners. Retrieved 2025-01-09.