The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM) is a sovereign entity maintaining diplomatic relations with 115 sovereign states (including the Holy See). Additionally, it has observer status or representation at multiple intergovernmental organisations. The Order has non-diplomatic official relations with six more states: France, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Canada and the United Kingdom. The Order exchanges ambassadors with the European Union and the State of Palestine.
Some states recognize SMOM as a sovereign state, rather than a sovereign subject of international law. For example, the Republic of San Marino in 1935 recognized SMOM as a sovereign state in its own right. As Italy recognizes, in addition to extraterritoriality, the exercise by SMOM of all the prerogatives of sovereignty in its headquarters, Italian sovereignty and SMOM sovereignty uniquely coexist without overlapping.
Bilateral relations
Diplomatic relations
| # | Country | Date |
|---|---|---|
| — | Holy See | February 1930 |
| 1 | Romania | December 1932 |
| 2 | Spain | 19 November 1938 |
| 3 | Haiti | 1947 |
| 4 | Panama | 2 August 1948 |
| 5 | Argentina | 7 June 1951 |
| 6 | Brazil | 6 December 1951 |
| 7 | El Salvador | 1951 |
| 8 | Colombia | 28 January 1953 |
| 9 | Peru | 15 April 1953 |
| 10 | Ecuador | 29 July 1953 |
| 11 | Chile | 24 February 1956 |
| 12 | Italy | 12 June 1956 |
| 13 | Lebanon | 1956 |
| 14 | Costa Rica | 8 August 1957 |
| 15 | Nicaragua | 12 September 1957 |
| 16 | Austria | 6 December 1957 |
| 17 | Dominican Republic | 1957 |
| 18 | Paraguay | 10 January 1958 |
| 19 | Guatemala | 23 June 1959 |
| 20 | Cuba | 29 July 1959 |
| 21 | Honduras | 1959 |
| 22 | Liberia | 1959 |
| 23 | Cameroon | 4 July 1961 |
| 24 | Somalia | 28 November 1961 |
| 25 | Bolivia | 15 June 1962 |
| 26 | Portugal | 19 December 1962 |
| 27 | Gabon | 1963 |
| 28 | Uruguay | 1 April 1965 |
| 29 | Philippines | 24 April 1965 |
| 30 | Senegal | 1965 |
| 31 | Malta | 27 June 1966 |
| 32 | Venezuela | 3 August 1970 |
| 33 | Niger | 9 January 1971 |
| 34 | Ethiopia | February 1971 |
| 35 | Benin | 1972 |
| 36 | Ivory Coast | 1972 |
| 37 | Togo | 5 September 1973 |
| 38 | Burkina Faso | 1973 |
| 39 | Mauritania | 3 March 1977 |
| 40 | Mauritius | 18 July 1978 |
| 41 | Egypt | 1980 |
| 42 | Central African Republic | 1981 |
| 43 | Comoros | 1981 |
| 44 | Thailand | 4 September 1984 |
| 45 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 1984 |
| 46 | San Marino | 4 March 1986 |
| 47 | Guinea | 24 June 1986 |
| 48 | Mali | 1986 |
| 49 | Morocco | 1986 |
| 50 | Chad | 1989 |
| 51 | Czech Republic | 8 June 1990 |
| 52 | Hungary | 15 June 1990 |
| 53 | Poland | 9 July 1990 |
| 54 | Madagascar | 1990 |
| 55 | Lithuania | 9 July 1992 |
| 56 | Slovenia | 15 July 1992 |
| 57 | Russia | 7 August 1992 |
| 58 | Croatia | 22 December 1992 |
| 59 | Republic of the Congo | 1992 |
| 60 | Cambodia | 1992 |
| 61 | Sudan | 1992 |
| 62 | Slovakia | 1 January 1993 |
| 63 | Seychelles | June 1994 |
| 64 | Albania | 14 July 1994 |
| 65 | Liechtenstein | 7 November 1994 |
| 66 | Bulgaria | 11 November 1994 |
| 67 | Latvia | 15 August 1995 |
| 68 | Belarus | 30 April 1996 |
| 69 | North Macedonia | 12 July 1996 |
| 70 | Equatorial Guinea | 16 July 1996 |
| 71 | Cape Verde | 1996 |
| 72 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 31 January 1997 |
| 73 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | February 1997 |
| 74 | Federated States of Micronesia | 12 November 1997 |
| 75 | Guinea-Bissau | 1997 |
| 76 | Mozambique | 1997 |
| 77 | São Tomé and Príncipe | 1997 |
| 78 | Armenia | 29 May 1998 |
| 79 | Georgia | 24 July 1998 |
| 80 | Suriname | 30 April 1999 |
| 81 | Guyana | 19 May 1999 |
| 82 | Eritrea | 1999 |
| 83 | Saint Lucia | 1999 |
| 84 | Belize | 1999 |
| 85 | Afghanistan | 1999 |
| 86 | Kazakhstan | 26 April 2001 |
| 87 | Moldova | 5 May 2001 |
| 88 | Serbia | 11 May 2001 |
| 89 | Tajikistan | 1 June 2001 |
| 90 | Marshall Islands | 3 May 2002 |
| 91 | Kiribati | 2002 |
| 92 | Jordan | 29 June 2003 |
| 93 | Angola | 13 December 2005 |
| 94 | Montenegro | 5 September 2006 |
| 95 | Timor-Leste | 18 September 2006 |
| 96 | Kenya | 14 September 2007 |
| 97 | Monaco | 18 October 2007 |
| 98 | Turkmenistan | 30 October 2007 |
| 99 | Ukraine | 9 February 2008 |
| 100 | Bahamas | 11 November 2008 |
| 101 | Sierra Leone | 28 November 2008 |
| 102 | Namibia | 31 March 2009 |
| 103 | Antigua and Barbuda | 20 October 2009 |
| 104 | Cyprus | 6 June 2012 |
| 105 | South Sudan | 14 November 2014 |
| 106 | Grenada | 6 November 2015 |
| 107 | Germany | 15 November 2017 |
| 108 | Nauru | 5 October 2018 |
| 109 | Estonia | 11 March 2020 |
| 110 | Greece | 2 December 2021 |
| 111 | Lesotho | 7 December 2021 |
| 112 | Gambia | 20 September 2023 |
| 113 | Burundi | 25 October 2024 |
| 114 | Andorra | 16 June 2025 |
Other countries
| # | Name | Diplomatic relations established | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ecuador | 29 July 1953 | On 10 February 2012, President Rafael Correa issued a decree to withdraw recognition and initiate the process of cancelling relations. Later on, the relations were restored by President Lenín Moreno on 24 September 2019. |
| – | European Union | 1987 | Ambassador level relations. |
| 2 | Italy | 12 June 1956 | The Supreme Court of Cassation decreed on 6 June 1974 that, "the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Malta constitutes a sovereign international subject, in all terms equal, even if without territory, to a foreign state with which Italy has normal diplomatic relations, so there is no doubt, as already this Supreme Court has warned, that it has the legal treatment of foreign states". As Italy recognizes, in addition to extraterritoriality, the exercise by SMOM of all the prerogatives of sovereignty in its headquarters, Italian sovereignty and SMOM sovereignty uniquely coexist without overlapping. |
| – | Palestinian Authority | Ambassador level relations. |
Official relations
| Name | Official relations established | Region | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 1960 | Europe | |
| Switzerland | 1960 | Europe | |
| France | 1982 | Europe | France does not recognise the SMOM as a subject of international law. |
| Luxembourg | 1995 | Europe | |
| Canada | 4 June 2008 | North America | Canada established official relations in June 2008, with its Ambassador to the Holy See accredited to the Order of Malta. |
| United Kingdom | 9 October 2024 | Europe | The Sovereign Military Order of Malta established official relations with the United Kingdom on 9 October 2024. |
Unofficial relations
The Order of Malta has unofficial relations with Taiwan through the Embassy of the Republic of China to the Holy See in Rome (Italy).
Countries without established relations
Countries with which the Order currently has no established relations:
- Europe: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands (recognises as a knightly order), Norway, Sweden, Switzerland
- Africa: Algeria, Botswana, Djibouti, Eswatini, Ghana, Libya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
- Asia: Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Indonesia, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia (accepts its stamps), Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, People's Republic of China, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Turkey, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen
- Oceania: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu
- The Americas: Barbados, Dominica, Jamaica, Mexico, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America
Intergovernmental organizations
The Order of Malta has observer status at the following organizations:
| Organization | observer since | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization | ||
| Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations | ||
| International Atomic Energy Agency | ||
| United Nations General Assembly | ||
| International Fund for Agricultural Development | ||
| United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific | ||
| United Nations Environment Programme | ||
| United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights | ||
| United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | ||
| United Nations Industrial Development Organization | ||
| World Food Programme | ||
| World Health Organization |
The Order of Malta has delegations or representations to the following organizations:
| Organization | participates since | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Council of Europe | ||
| International Institute for the Unification of Private Law | ||
| Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission | ||
| Inter-American Development Bank | ||
| International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property | ||
| International Committee of Military Medicine | ||
| International Committee of the Red Cross | ||
| International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies | ||
| International Institute of Humanitarian Law | ||
| International Organization for Migration | ||
| Latin Union |
See also
- List of diplomatic missions of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- List of diplomatic missions to the Sovereign Military Order of Malta
- List of permanent observers of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta to the United Nations
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