Even you can be a citizen of the Vatican state

Yesterday, we learnt about the size of the Vatican City State whose head, Pope Francis, is visiting Uganda next week.

Today, we continue with the Vatican citizenship

Vatican City is the smallest internationally recognised independent state in the world by both area and population.

It has about 800 people, of whom over 450 have Vatican citizenship, while the rest have permission to reside there, either temporarily or permanently, without the benefit of citizenship.

About half of the Vatican’s citizens do not live inside

Vatican City. Many live in different countries around the world mostly as diplomatic personnel.

The Vatican citizenry consists of two groups: clergy, most of whom work in the service of the Holy See, and a very few as officials of the state; and the Swiss Guard.

Most of the 2,400 lay workers who comprise the majority of the Vatican workforce reside outside the Vatican and are citizens of mainly Italy and other nations.

Thus all the citizens are Catholics. Vatican City has no formally enacted official language.

The Holy See uses Latin for the authoritative version of its official documents. The Vatican City uses only Italian in its legislation and official communications. Italian is also the everyday language used by most of those who work in the state. In the Swiss Guard, German is the language used for giving commands, but the individual guards take their oath of loyalty in their own languages: German, French, Romansh or Italian.

Vatican City’s official website Languages are Italian, English, French, German and Spanish.

Unlike citizenship of Uganda, which is based on birth, descent and naturalisation, Vatican citizenship is granted usually on the grounds of appointment to work in a certain capacity in the service of the Holy See.

It usually ceases upon cessation of the appointment. Citizenship is extended also to the spouse, parents and descendants of a citizen.

The Holy See, not being a country, issues only diplomatic and service passports, whereas Vatican issues normal passports for its citizens.