Afghanistan: The words contained in the seal that overlaps the passport bearer's photograph on page 3 of the Afghan passport; whether these words vary from one passport to the next; places commonly listed under Place of Issue for passports issued in Kabul
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Publication Date | 20 July 2010 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | AFG103542.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Afghanistan: The words contained in the seal that overlaps the passport bearer's photograph on page 3 of the Afghan passport; whether these words vary from one passport to the next; places commonly listed under Place of Issue for passports issued in Kabul, 20 July 2010, AFG103542.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4dd0fee72.html [accessed 29 May 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. |
In a telephone interview with the Research Directorate on 12 July 2010, an official at the Embassy of Afghanistan in Ottawa stated that the upper part of the seal, which overlaps the passport bearer's photograph, is the same for all Afghan passports and states, "Islamic Republic of Afghanistan"; the lower part of the seal states the place in which the passport was issued and can vary from one passport to another. The Official explained that the information in the seal is written in Dari or Pashto, both of which use the same script, as well as in English (Afghanistan 12 July 2010). He stated that for passports issued in Kabul, there are three possibilities for the place of issue: the department of police in Kabul; the Interior Ministry; and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (ibid.). The Official explained that the police in Kabul issue ordinary passports only to residents of Kabul, the Interior Ministry issues ordinary passports to citizens from anywhere in Afghanistan, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs issues only diplomatic and service passports (ibid.). The Official was not aware of the exact wording on the seal for these three locations and noted that the wording sometimes has mild variations (ibid. 13 July 2010). According to the Official, provinces outside Kabul also issue passports (ibid. 12 July 2010).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Afghanistan. 13 July 2010. Embassy of Afghanistan in Ottawa. Telephone interview with the Consul.
_____. 12 July 2010. Embassy of Afghanistan in Ottawa. Telephone interview with the Consul.
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: Factiva, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan.
