Sudan: Information on whether a Sudanese woman can travel without her husband but use his passport, in which she is listed as the accompanying wife
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 June 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SDN17565.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Sudan: Information on whether a Sudanese woman can travel without her husband but use his passport, in which she is listed as the accompanying wife, 1 June 1994, SDN17565.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aae638.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to an official of the Sudanese embassy in Ottawa, Sudanese women have their own passports and can travel unaccompanied by their husbands, thus a Sudanese woman can travel without having to use her husband's passport in which she is listed as the accompanying wife (9 June 1994).
An editor with the Sudan Newsletter, a quarterly on Sudanese affairs published in Lansing, Michigan, stated that the Sudanese passport in which family members are listed as accompanying the husband or father is called the family passport (9 June 1994). The source explained that a married woman cannot travel without being accompanied by her husband, a relative of the husband or her brother. A married woman travelling unaccompanied is "extremely rare" in the Sudan. According to the editor, should the need arise for a married woman to travel alone, she must be specifically exempted by the Sudanese authorities from being accompanied. For instance, a woman scheduled to attend a foreign university or a conference may be exempted from the travel requirement. Nonetheless, she must carry the family passport (ibid.). The source speculated that if the husband wants to travel during the period his wife is abroad, he may have to wait for her return. A specialist on Sudanese affairs at York University in Toronto corroborated the information provided by the Newsletter editor (9 June 1994).
A specialist in African affairs at the Brookings Institute in Washington, DC who is familiar with the current socio-political situation in the Sudan corroborated the information provided by the Newsletter editor and the specialist in Toronto (9 June 1994). However, he added that according to Sudanese practice a married Sudanese woman cannot leave the country without her legal guardian, meaning the husband, his relative or her brother (ibid.). According to the specialist, this requirement is based on the 1991 Sudan Penal Code, which some observers believe is primarily influenced by the Shari'a (Islamic law) (ibid.). The source stated that should a married woman wish to travel alone, she must prove to the authorities that she has the consent of her legal guardian in order to obtain the required exit visa. However, she can leave the Sudan only with the family passport.
A Sudanese doctoral student in history at Michigan State University (MSU) at Lansing, Michigan who is familiar with the political conditions in the Sudan corroborated the information provided by the last three sources (10 June 1994). The source added that if a Sudanese woman travels unaccompanied by a legal guardian, it must be under special circumstances, but those special circumstances do not exempt her from the requirement to carry the family passport. Circumstances under which she may travel alone outside the Sudan include pursuing foreign studies on a scholarship approved by the government, or attending a conference in a foreign country, again approved by the government (ibid.).
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Editor with the Sudan Newsletter, Lansing, Mich. 9 June 1994. Telephone interview.
Embassy of the Republic of The Sudan, Ottawa. 9 June 1994. Telephone interview with official.
Specialist on African affairs, Brookings Institute, Washington, DC. 9 June 1994. Telephone interview.
Specialist on Sudanese affairs, York University, Toronto. 9 June 1994. Telephone interview.
Sudanese doctoral student in history, Michigan State University (MSU), Lansing, Mich. 10 June 1994. Telephone interview.
