Somalia: Information on the procedures for obtaining passports before the civil war broke out in late 1990
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1997 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM25993.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Information on the procedures for obtaining passports before the civil war broke out in late 1990, 1 March 1997, SOM25993.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abde4.html [accessed 4 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 Country Reports 1985, the Somali government issued passports to all Somali citizens but restricted the issuance of exit visas to members of the population it considered suspect, such as young men of military age (1986, 286). Country Reports 1989 stated that government officials also denied passports to former detainees and political prisoners (1990, 328). Government regulations regarding foreign travel ceased with the advent of the civil war and the disintegration of the government in 1991 (Country Reports 1991 1992, 349).
An August 1987 brief sent to the Refugee Status Advisory Committee by Canada's Department of External Affairs (DEA) states that the Somali Immigration Department of the Ministry of the Interior was the government agency responsible for issuing passports (ibid.). According to the same source the sex, age or clan affiliation of an individual did not affect or change the passport (ibid.). The same document stated in 1987 that a passport cost 310 Somali shillings; an illegal passport could also be obtained for 3,000 to 10,000 Somali shillings (US$30 to US$100) (ibid.). According to a 1990 report by Radio Mogadishu, the official cost of a passport had increased to 30,000 shillings (30 July 1990).
The August DEA brief also reported that the Somali Ministry of Finance and Treasury, the Central Bank and the Bureau of Immigration planned to open 15 passport offices in the Banadir region, around Mogadishu (External Affairs). According to Colonel Nur Hassan Loyan Nur Bidar, the Somali immigration bureau officer at the time, the extra offices were intended to facilitate the process of obtaining passports and alleviate some of the problems that faced the single passport-issuing office (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. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1991. 1992. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1989. 1990. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1985. 1986. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.
Department of External Affairs, Ottawa. August 1987. Brief sent to the Refugee Status Advisory Committee, Ottawa.
Radio Mogadishu [Mogadishu, in Somali]. 30 July 1990. "Somalia More Offices to be Opened for Issuance of Passports." (BBC Summary 1 Aug. 1990/NEXIS)
Attachment
Radio Mogadishu [Mogadishu, in Somali]. 30 July 1990. "Somalia More Offices to be Opened for Issuance of Passports." (BBC Summary 1 Aug. 1990/NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
African Confidential. 1985-1991.
Africa Research Bulletin: Political, Social and Cultural Series. 1988-1991.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada, International Services Group (ISG), Hull. 1995-1996.
DIRB Somalia Country Files. 1985-1991.
The Europa World Yearbook 1990.
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Daily Reports. 1985-1991.
Indexed Media Review. 1992-1996.
The Indian Ocean Newsletter. 1990-1991.
On-line searches of news articles (NEXIS).
