Tajikistan: Whether an individual can travel abroad with an internal passport

In 12 January 2006 correspondence to the Research Directorate, a Tajikistan-based representative of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the lead international organization focusing on migration issues (IOM n.d.), wrote that until May 2005, Tajik citizens were able to travel with their internal passport to certain countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which included Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and Russia (ISCCIS Stat n.d.; IOM 12 Jan. 2006). This representative continued that since May 2005, however, Tajik citizens must present an international travel passport in order to travel outside of Tajikistan (ibid.). News articles reported that this was the case for travel to Russia as of 1 January 2005, and explained that Tajik citizens could enter Russia only with an international travel passport, a sailor's passport or a certificate confirming loss of identification of documents (Khovar 28 Oct. 2004; ITAR TASS 22 Oct. 2004).

A December 2005 Institute for War and Peace Reporting article explained that in September 2005 Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov announced citizens of Tajikistan would be able to travel to Russia with their internal passport starting on 1 November 2005 (IWPR 3 Dec. 2005). However, in mid-November 2005, the Tajik Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the change announced by Fradkov had been reversed and that those persons purchasing air tickets to Russia "must be in possession of a full passport valid for foreign travel" (ibid.). According to the article, approximately one hundred passengers were prevented from boarding their flights to Russia, and in at least one case this was because the passenger did not have a "foreign passport" (ibid.). Avesta headlines in November 2005 reported this reversal: "Mutual Trips Between Tajikistan and Russia by Internal Passports Are Banned" was a headline on 18 November 2005, and "Passport Reshuffle. Air Tickets to Russia Are Sold to Foreign Passport Holders Only" was a headline on 21 November 2005 (Avesta Jan. 2006).

Country Reports 2004 stated that there is no law on emigration from Tajikistan, and that those persons who wish to emigrate to countries outside of the CIS "must obtain an immigrant visa to receive a passport," though the report does not specify which kind of passport one requires to travel abroad (28 Feb. 2005, Sec. 1d).

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 additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Avesta (Dushanbe). January 2006. "Tajikistan News: "Passport" Search Results." [Accessed 11 Jan. 2006]

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2004. 28 February 2005. United States Department of State. [Accessed 11 Jan. 2006]

Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). 3 December 2005. Artem Fradchuk. "Passport Chaos in Tajikistan." [Accessed 10 Jan. 2006]

International Organization for Migration (IOM). 12 January 2006. Correspondence from Lawyer.
_____. July 2003. Saodat Olimova and Igor Bosc. "Labour Migration from Tajikistan." [Accessed 10 Jan. 2006]
_____. N.d. "Mission Statement." [Accessed 12 Jan. 2006]

Interstate Statistical Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States (ISCCIS). N.d. "Database Statistics of the CIS." [Accessed 12 Jan. 2006]

ITAR-TASS. 22 October 2004. Svetlana Alikina and Valery Zhukov. "Russia, Tajikistan to Legalise 500,000 Tajik Migrants." (Factiva)

Khovar News Agency [Dushanbe, in Russian]. 28 October 2004. "Russian Envoy Details Ties with Tajikistan." BBC Monitoring Central Asia. (Factiva)

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sources, including: Amnesty International, Asia Plus (Tajikistan), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative, Eurasia Net, European Country of Origin Information Network, Human Rights Watch, International Crisis Group (ICG), International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), Relief Web, Travel Information Manual, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).