A Vatican passport is a passport issued by the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of Rome ...

or by

Vatican City State Vatican City (), officially the Vatican City State ( it, Stato della Città del Vaticano; la, Status Civitatis Vaticanae),—' * german: Vatikanstadt, cf. '—' (in Austria: ') * pl, Miasto Watykańskie, cf. '—' * pt, Cidade do Vati ...

. The state can issue normal passports for its citizens; the Holy See (see

Legal status of the Holy See The legal status of the Holy See, the ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, both in state practice and according to the writing of modern legal scholars, is that of a full subject of public international law, with rights an ...

) issues personal, diplomatic and

service passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that contains a person's identity. A person with a passport can travel to and from foreign countries more easily and access consular assistance. A passport certifies the persona ...

s. Of the approximately 800 residents of Vatican City, over 450 have Vatican citizenship. These include the approximately 135

Swiss Guards Swiss Guards (french: Gardes Suisses; german: Schweizergarde; it, Guardie Svizzere'')'' are Swiss soldiers who have served as guards at foreign European courts since the late 15th century. The earliest Swiss guard unit to be established on a p ...

. About the same number of citizens of the state live in various countries, chiefly in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. The Vatican City State law on citizenship, residence and access, which was promulgated on 22 February 2011, classifies citizens in three categories: # Cardinals resident in Vatican City or in Rome; # Diplomats of the Holy See; # Persons residing in Vatican City because of their office or service. Only for the third category is an actual grant of citizenship required. 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 of the Holy See can be issued to people in the service of the Holy See even if not citizens of Vatican City. Vatican City passports are issued to citizens of the state who are not in the service of the Holy See. Passports issued by Vatican City are in Italian, French and English, those issued by the Holy See are in Latin, French and English.

References

{{Passports

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

Government of Vatican City Foreign relations of the Holy See

See also

References