Liberia: Information on obtaining a Liberian passport and U.S. non-immigrant visa

Query:

Please provide information on the procedure for Liberian nationals to obtain passports both inside and outside of Liberia. What offices must be visited, what documentation and security checks, if any, are required? Also, what procedures (documentary and otherwise) must a Liberian national seeking a U.S. (non-immigrant) visa meet?

Response:

An official at the Liberian Embassy in Washington, D.C., stated that the documentary requirements for obtaining a Liberian passport are the same for a person applying inside or outside of Liberia. Within Liberia, he indicated, application is made to the Foreign Ministry. Liberians living abroad apply for passports through Liberian embassies and consulates, which then forward the forms, photographs and fees to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the issuance of passports (Telephone Interview with Embassy of Liberia official, 5 January 2001).

Detailed information on requirements for obtaining a passport are contained on the website of the Liberian Embassy (Embassy of the Republic of Liberia, Washington, D.C., http://www.liberiaemb.org/visa.html). "Applicants must show valid proof of citizenship such as: passport; original Liberian National Identity Card; original copy of Liberian Naturalization Certificate; original copy of Liberian birth certificate." Applicants are also required to provide three passport size photographs, a money order for $100.00, a completed application in duplicate, and must be interviewed by the ambassador and Consular Section. The passport application requires information on name; previous name; sex; date and place of birth; name of parents, their nationality and country of origin; next of kin; proof of citizenship; permanent place of residence in Liberia; marital status; name and address of employer; information on previous passport held, if any; accompanying children; and way Liberian citizenship was obtained and, if naturalized, copy of naturalization certificate. The application also requires the names and addresses of two people who can vouch for the applicant's character and citizenship. The applicant must certify the truth of the information provided and is warned that providing false information provides grounds for prosecution for perjury and lifetime denial of Liberian travel document.

The Liberian Embassy website also provides information on the requirements for obtaining a laissez passer document, which is issued in the event a passport is lost, destroyed or invalid, and provides the passport and laissez passer applications online.

According to an official of the Bureau of Consular Affairs, Visa Services Division, at the U.S. State Department, for a Liberian national to obtain a U.S. non-immigrant visa the person would have to make an application at the U.S. Embassy and be able to demonstrate some ties to the home country that indicated that s/he was not intending to become an immigrant to the U.S. The official stated that there was nothing specifically required in the way of documentation, but that proof of owning a home and/or having a stable job would be the kind of evidence of intention to return that the consular official might look for in making the decision whether to issue a visa (Department of State official, Telephone Interview, 5 January 2001).

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RIC within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee or asylum status.

Embassy of the Republic of Liberia, Washington, D.C., Telephone Interview with Embassy official (5 January 2001).

Embassy of the Republic of Liberia, Washington, D.C, "New Passport Application Requirements." [Internet] URL: http://www.liberiaemb.org/visa.html

U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Visa Services Division, Washington, D.C., Telephone Interview with Consular Affairs official (5 January 2001).