The Federal Government of Somalia has unveiled the country’s new passport design, following Somalia’s formal accession to the East African Community (EAC)—a regional organization comprising several African nations.
The new passport features the name “East African Community” at the top, signifying Somalia’s official membership in the regional bloc.
As with previous versions, the new passport comes in three categories: official (service), diplomatic, and ordinary.
Both the cover and the interior pages contain text and symbols indicating that Somalia is a member of the East African Community; it will be used for travel in the same manner as passports from other member states of the organization.
Last week, the Director of the Somalia Immigration and Nationality Agency, Hussein Qasim Yusuf (Iidow), stated in an exclusive interview with the BBC that the first batch of the new passports would be issued in early December of this year.
“Somalia is introducing a new, modern passport—one that complies with international standards for contemporary passports,” said Director Hussein Iidow. The fee to be charged to those wishing to obtain the new passport has not yet been announced, and the Federal Government is expected to provide further details on this matter in the coming months.
