Just a few hundred people on the planet can hold the rare passport of the world's smallest state, with which they can travel to 155 countries without a visa. They are the citizens of the Vatican, a special nationality not based on blood (ius sanguinis) or soil (ius soli), granted or withdrawn according to their job and residence.
According to the official government figures, in 2019 there were 673 Vatican citizens. Only 458 of them lived within the Leonine walls, representing a bit more than half the population of the small territory (which stood at 764 in 2023).
In practice, one is not born a citizen of the Vatican. Citizenship — which is therefore always a second nationality with respect to someone’s nationality of origin — is based on criteria of work or stable residence in Vatican City, as laid down by law since the Lateran Accords almost a century ago (1929).
Requirements
Vatican law, updated in 2011, stipulates three different categories for becoming a Vatican citizen. First, cardinals residing in the Vatican or Rome are eligible. In 2023, 64 cardinals were eligible, including nine living outside of the Vatican.
The second category: Vatican diplomats working in nunciatures — embassies — on all the continents. These include nuncios, as well as nunciature counselors who have attended the Ecclesiastical Academy in Rome.
Finally, Vatican nationality is granted to those whose functions require them to reside permanently in the Vatican. The Swiss Guards, numbering around 130, live in the barracks to the right of St. Peter's Basilica, and represent a large proportion of these citizens.
In addition, the Pope, who of course holds Vatican citizenship, can also grant it on request to persons authorized to reside permanently in the Leonine City.
It should be noted that the spouse and children of a Vatican citizen can also obtain nationality if they reside with him or her. This prerogative has been reduced over time, as prior to 2011, parents and siblings of the citizen could also apply.
155 countries accessible without visa
Armed with their passports adorned with the keys of St. Peter and the papal tiara, all these people can travel to 155 countries without having to apply for a visa in advance. This figure is on the rise — 21 countries more than in 2016 — and ranks the Vatican passport 26th in the world in terms of freedom of travel.
Open destinations include European Union countries and many other destinations such as Australia, Brazil, Canada, and Ukraine. Vatican citizens can also cross the borders of numerous countries whose official religion is Islam, such as Mauritania, Uzbekistan, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, and Qatar.
On the other hand, they do not have visa-free access to the USA, India, Israel, Japan, China (except for the autonomous regions of Macao and Hong Kong), Russia, Vietnam, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, or many African countries such as Nigeria, Libya, Mali, Ethiopia, and South Sudan.
Loss of citizenship
Just as it is granted as needed, Vatican citizenship is lost on cessation of the required conditions. If a cardinal no longer resides at the Vatican or in Rome, or when diplomats leave their posts, their nationality is withdrawn. The same applies when employees leave their jobs or authorized persons leave their Vatican residence.
A citizen's children lose their nationality when they turn 18. Furthermore, in the event of divorce, the spouse who acquired citizenship by marriage also loses it.
In any case, Vatican citizens do not need to apply for a permit at the customs office to circulate within the ultra-protected precincts, as visitors do. And they do not incur the severe penalties — one to four years' imprisonment and a fine of 10,000 to 25,000 euros (currently equivalent to about the same amount in dollars) — that offenders attempting to break into the small state risk.
