Der findes i mange lande–og desværre også i Danmark–en række rent private organisationer, der anvender navnet “Johanniterordenen” eller “Malteserordenen” e.l., uden at disse har noget med de anerkendte grene af Johanniterordenen at gøre. I Danmark drejer det sig bl.a. om disse:

• “Komturi Aros” og “Komturi Dagmar” af “Malteser-Riddernes Hospitalsorden”
• “Storprioratet Dacia” af “The Sovereign Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller”
• “Grand Priory of Scandinavia” af “The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, Knights Hospitaller”
• “Det Autonome Priorat Dacia” af “Den Geistlige Ridderlige Malteserorden”
• “The Scandinavian Priory” af “The Orthodox Order of St. John”

Tidligere har også eksisteret lignende selvbestaltede organisationer med navne som “Den Danske Johanniterorden”, “Den Danske Malteserorden” o.l. Flere af disse organisationer har således brugt (eller bruger) navne og symboler hentet fra andre, desuagtet at ingen af dem er tilknyttet, dele af eller identiske med de anerkendte grene af Johanniterordenen.

I flere lande (bl.a. Tyskland, Frankrig og Italien) er det ved lov forbudt at bære sådanne ikke-anerkendte “ordener”.  Der gives heller ikke i Danmark kgl. bæretilladelse til sådanne dekorationer.

De internationalt og gensidigt anerkendte ordener udsendte i 2000 sammen denne erklæring om sådanne selvbestaltede organisationer:

The Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of St John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, generally known as the Order of Malta, and the four Orders of St John of Jerusalem which co-operate in the Alliance of the Orders of St John are united by a common historical tradition and a unique vocation: the care of the sick and the poor. These Orders have established a joint committee to investigate and deal with the ever increasing number of organizations which misuse the symbols and emblems of the orders of St John, causing confusion in the minds of the public and impeding the welfare and hospitaller activities of the national and international bodies of the Order of Malta and of the Alliance Orders.

The Sovereign Order of Malta is unique in combining the nature of a Religious Order with an Order of Chivalry and is widely recognized as a sovereign entity of International Law. Confraternities were created after the Reformation which have legitimately conserved the institutional aims and emblems of the Order in their different Christian traditions and which the Sovereign Military Order of Malta recognizes.

The four Order of St John of Jerusalem associated in the Alliance are recognized by the sovereign authorities in the countries in which they are based. These are:

• Die Balley Brandenburg des Ritterlichen Ordens Sankt Johannis vom Spital zu Jerusalem (Der Johanniterorden) based in Berlin, the head of which is H.R.H. Prince Oskar of Prussia.
• The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem based in London, the head of which is H.M. Queen Elizabeth II.
• De Johanniter Orde in Nederland based in The Hague, the Head of which was H.R.H. the late Prince Bernhard of The Netherlands; H.M Queen Beatrix is Commander of Honour.
• Johanniterorden i Sverige based in Stockholm, under the High Patronage of H.M. King Carl XVI Gustaf.

De fem anerkendte ordener, som har en fælles hjemmeside, har etableret et eget organ til at beskæftige sig med selvbestaltede “ordener”, der misbruger deres navne og/eller symboler, den såkaldte “Committee on the Orders of Saint John”.