Thursday August 22, 2024
Somali Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre, center with sunglasses, lays the foundation stone for a new passport issuance center in Mogadishu's Boondheere district, Thursday. Flanking Barre are Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag, left, Ahmed Said Mohamed, right, and Yusuf Madaale, far right. The center, supported by the Danish Government, aims to enhance passport services throughout Somalia. Photo Credit: SONNA
Mogadishu (HOL) — Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre launched the construction of a new passport issuance center in Mogadishu on Thursday. The facility, supported by the Danish Government, is located in the Boondheere district and is expected to streamline passport delivery.
"Building this modern, accessible facility is pivotal for all Somali citizens," Barre stated during the inauguration.
Ahmed Said Mohamed, Director General of the Immigration and Citizenship Agency, said his office is committed to extending service delivery nationwide.
The ceremony was attended by key figures, including Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag, Minister of Internal Security, and Yusuf Madaale, Governor of Benadir Region and Mayor of Mogadishu.
The new passport center in Mogadishu is designed to streamline the application and renewal processes for passports, ensuring compliance with international standards to facilitate global travel for Somali citizens. To apply, individuals must meet several criteria, including submitting a formal request letter, providing recent passport photos, and obtaining a birth certificate and a non-criminal record certificate. Additionally, the application process involves fees, including $15 for the birth certificate, $10 for the non-criminal record certificate from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), and $108 for the passport itself. A payment receipt for these fees must be presented as part of the application process.
The inauguration of a new passport issuance center in Mogadishu represents another step in Somalia's efforts to enhance access to essential services for its citizens. This initiative is aligned with the implementation of a national digital identification system, which was a focal point of high-level discussions in Mogadishu this week. Led by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), the digital ID system is the first of its kind in Somalia in over three decades, with plans to issue up to 15 million biometric IDs by the 2026 elections.