The Somali passport ( so, baasaboor) is a
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 personal ...
issued to citizens of
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐; ar, ุงูุตูู
ุงู, aแนฃ-แนขลซmฤl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
for international travel. Green Passports were formerly used, which have since been replaced with
biometric
Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify in ...
passports to ensure authenticity. The passports are regulated by the federal government of Somalia.
Overview
![Passport of Somalia nonbimetric](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Passport_of_Somalia_nonbimetric.jpg)
Somalia's former
socialist government originally used to issue a non-
biometric
Biometrics are body measurements and calculations related to human characteristics. Biometric authentication (or realistic authentication) is used in computer science as a form of identification and access control. It is also used to identify in ...
''Green Passport''. This travel document still remained in use after the collapse of former President
Siad Barre
Mohamed Siad Barre ( so, Maxamed Siyaad Barre, Osmanya script: ; ar, ู
ุญู
ุฏ ุณูุงุฏ ุจุฑู; c. 1910 โ 2 January 1995) was a Somali head of state and general who served as the 3rd president of the Somali Democratic Republic from 1969 to 199 ...
's regime.
In response to widespread counterfeit Somali passports that subsequently flooded the black market, the
Transitional National Government
The Transitional National Government (TNG) was the internationally recognized central government of Somalia from 2000 to 2004.
Overview
The TNG was established in AprilโMay 2000 at the Somalia National Peace Conference held in Arta, Djibouti. ...
opened a new office in the 2000s to issue official state-approved passports. According to then Foreign Affairs Minister Muhammad Mahmud Shiil, the government would continue issuing old Somali passports with a new dry seal to prevent forgery or duplication, and passports already in circulation would a stamp with the new seal.
The government announced in 2006 that it would issue a new machine-readable document to further ensure authenticity.
Since 2007, the
Transitional Federal Government
The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) ( so, Dowladda Federaalka Kumeelgaarka, ar, ุงูุญููู
ุฉ ุงูุงุชุญุงุฏูุฉ ุงูุงูุชูุงููุฉ) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Republic of Somalia from 14 October ...
(TFG) of Somalia has issued an
e-passport
A biometric passport (also known as an e-passport or a digital passport) is a traditional passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip which contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of the p ...
to comply with stricter international rules. In November 2010, the TFG opened a new passport-making facility in
Mogadishu
Mogadishu (, also ; so, Muqdisho or ; ar, ู
ูุฏูุดู ; it, Mogadiscio ), locally known as Xamar or Hamar, is the capital and List of cities in Somalia by population, most populous city of Somalia. The city has served as an important port ...
, the nation's capital. Printing of the travel documents had previously been conducted in the
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, ุงูููุฅูู
ูุงุฑูุงุช ุงููุนูุฑูุจูููุฉ ุงููู
ูุชูุญูุฏูุฉ ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, ุงูููุฅู
ูุงุฑูุงุช ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
, which reportedly engendered a backlog in passport issuance. The repatriated printing facilities are believed to offer a more responsive passport delivery process. Officially issued by the Somali Immigration Department, the passports now contain built-in security features comparable with other countries.
In September 2011, the Transitional Federal Government officially banned use of Somalia's old Green Passport. According to Somali Immigration Officer, General Abdulaahi Gaafow Mohamoud, the identification document would no longer be accepted for business trips or travel by the end of the month. He added that the Green Passport would be replaced with a new blue model of e-passports that are particularly difficult to forge.
In December 2013, the Deputy Director-General of Somali Immigration and Naturalization Abdullahi Hagi Bashir Ismail announced that the
Federal Government
A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
officially launched Somalia's new e-passport. Part of a broader initiative to strengthen security, the passport is issued by the
Ministry of Interior
An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs.
Lists of current ministries of internal affairs
Named "ministry"
* Ministry ...
's Department of Immigration. Citizens are eligible for the e-passport upon production of government-issued national identity documents and birth certificates.
The Somali passport is not considered as valid travel document by Canada. Canada considers any passport issued by Somalia as unreliable document.
Visa requirements
As of 1 January 2017, Somali citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 30 countries and territories, ranking the Somali passport 100th in terms of travel freedom according to the
Henley visa restrictions index.
See also
*
Visa policy of Somalia
The visa policy of Somalia dictates the use and acquisition of visas in Somalia. In accordance with the law, citizens of all countries require a visa to visit Somalia.
Visa on arrival
Holders of passports issued by any country can obtain a vis ...
*
Visa requirements for Somali citizens
Visa requirements for Somali citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Somalia by the authorities of other states.
As of 2 July 2019, Somali citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 30 countries and territori ...
References
External links
{{Somalia topics
Passports by country
Government of Somalia