Passport to Nowhere

One intriguing, unusual problem that citizens of the breakaway republic of Somaliland face is which passport to carry. Under the Somaliland constitution they are required to travel on a Somaliland passport. But there is a snag: the international community has for the last 17 years refused to recognise Somaliland as an independent, sovereign State. In the eyes of international law this isolated, impoverished, yet relatively stable region of the Horn of Africa remains a part of Somalia. Present a Somaliland passport to any immigration officer and he will send you back in the direction you arrived.

I am told this is exactly what happened to President Dahir Rayale Kahin in the United States a couple of years back.

The other option is to hold a Somali passport. This however is illegal under Somaliland law. But a Somali passport is desperately easy to get hold of. At various roadside junctions in central Hargeisa currency vendors sit at battered metal containers piled high with brick-size wedges of Somaliland shillings, US dollars and Euros. Wedged into these stacks of cash are Somali passports.   

“We sell these passports because our government is not recognised, so if we want to do business outside Somaliland we have to use this document”, 26 year old Hussein told me flicking through the front pages of a pristine Somali passport. Adding ones details is no sweat – simply glue a photo over the box that says ‘picture’ and fill in your details by hand. A minister’s signature is required from Mogadishu – if indeed there is a Minister of Immigration -but that is easily circumvented.

“We just forge the signature”, Hussein said nonchalantly.
 
“And the Somaliland officials turn a blind eye?” I asked. “Of course they do”, smiled Hussein, “They have to travel on these passports too”.

So, should you want one, for $42 a Somali passport is yours on the streets of Hargeisa

Comments

[Yusuf Dahir]

It's true that Somaliland passport is not recognized of course as country we are not recognized,but, one thing am sure about it since i just left there in about a couple of months that Somaliland Government travels with the official Somaliland passport,you can find that th British Embassy in Ethiopia, about the president's trip to the States, him and his crew were using and traveled with the Somaliland passport. Journalist's like you Richard traveled around Europe with the Somaliland passport, Yusuf Abdi Gabobe of daily Haatuf newspaper with the Somaliland Times which comes on the weekends in English is one of them that carries Somaliland passport, you should meet also while you are there. We are not recognized yet but we are on the verge, patiently we are waiting no matter how many years it takes and Somaliland will never look back Somalia forget about uniting again.

[Rooble]

I used the Somaliland passport to go to France last year. I was rejected with the Somali passport first then the Somaliland one was more acceptable in the French embassy in Addis.

Other countries like UK, Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya and South Africa also recognize and accept the Somaliland passport. The number is increasing though.

[James]

Are these passports, as shown in picture, recogniced at all to date 2008?

[Bashir]

Somaliland passport is considered a "legitimate"
travel document in most parts of the world except in Arab countries. which created difficulty situation to the Somalilanders living in the Arab world such Saudi Arabia and rest of GCC countries who cannot travel with Somaliland passports and yet cannot enter somaliland with somali passport. AWKWARDNESS
i hope thing will sorted out soon because somali passport is not cool any more..

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[jaamac dhule]

all of you are talking silly topic which has nothing to do with somalia or somaliland. so as everybody knows somalia is a country and somaliland is part of somalia if somalilanders travel with somali passaport is it a big thing shame on you guys and close this topic..