Somali passport: cost, documents and where to apply

Who issues the Somali passport?

The Immigration and Citizenship Agency (ICA) of the Federal Government of Somalia issues the passport. Its headquarters are at Aden Abdulle International Airport in Mogadishu (ICA, ordinary passport). It issues three kinds: ordinary, service and diplomatic (ICA services). Most people need the ordinary passport.

What do you need first?

A national ID card comes first. On 6 August 2025 the ICA announced that a valid National Identity Card is "a mandatory requirement for all Somali passport applications", starting 1 September 2025 (ICA, 6 Aug 2025). People without one register with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) first. Dawan Africa reported in July 2026 that people can now register for the ID card at passport service centres (Dawan Africa, 2 Jul 2026). See National ID card (NIRA).

Which documents do you bring?

The ICA lists these for an ordinary passport (ICA, ordinary passport; ICA services):

• Your national ID card (or a citizenship certificate)
• A certificate of non-criminal record (police clearance)
• Two recent passport photos
• The completed application form
• Proof that you paid the fee

The government's own service directory also lists a written request letter and a birth certificate (somalia.gov.so, ordinary passport). For renewals, the ICA asks for a signed letter giving the reason. Passports with less than six months left, or with no free pages, can be renewed (ICA services).

How do you apply inside Somalia?

The ICA describes four steps (ICA, ordinary passport):

1. Prepare documents: national ID, police clearance and two photos.
2. Submit: at the headquarters in Mogadishu or at a regional immigration office.
3. Biometrics: give your fingerprints, digital photo and signature at an enrolment centre.
4. Collect: pick up the passport in person where you applied.

The government directory adds that you attend a personal interview and a check of your documents (somalia.gov.so). The ICA office is open Saturday to Thursday, 8 am to 4 pm. Its published contacts are phone +252 61 0555001, WhatsApp +252 61 446 5000, the short code 2000 and info@immigration.gov.so (ICA).

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

• Fee: the government's service directory lists US$180, paid by mobile money (somalia.gov.so, checked 12 Nov 2026). Fees have changed over time. In 2016 the fee was reported as US$83 (Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, SOM105248.E, 17 Mar 2016). Embassies set their own fees, which include consular charges.
• Time: the directory says about one week. After delays of about three months in 2026, ICA Director General Hussein Qasim Yusuf apologised and promised passports within seven days to applicants anywhere in the world (Dawan Africa, 3 Jul 2026).
• Validity: the biometric passport issued from 2013 was valid for five years (IRB Canada, 2016).

How do you apply from abroad?

Somali embassies take applications by appointment. The Embassy of Somalia in Washington, DC is an example of the current system (Embassy of Somalia, USA, passports):

• You must apply for the NIRA ID with the passport, through one combined appointment.
• Each person books their own slot. Walk-ins are not accepted.
• Payment is digital only. Money orders are no longer accepted.
• The embassy handles new passports and renewals of expired ones, not lost passports.

NIRA has also opened service centres inside Somali embassies, including in Nairobi and Pretoria (SONNA, Nairobi; SONNA, Pretoria). Check with the embassy that serves your country before you pay.

What is the new passport?

Somalia is replacing its passport with a third-generation one. In May 2025 the ICA and the Ministry of Finance began buying it with technical help from the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) (SONNA, 19 May 2025). The ICA said in January 2026 that the new passport would meet the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization, and that current passports stay valid (ICA, 15 Jan 2026). It has a polycarbonate data page and stronger anti-forgery features, and the ICA set October 2026 for its launch (Dawan Africa, 2 Jul 2026). The cabinet reviewed progress in August 2026 (AllAfrica, Aug 2026).

Why has the Somali passport been hard to use?

After 1991 most state records were destroyed, so there was no trusted register behind the documents. A 2016 Canadian government research response collected the official views: the US said many governments did not accept Somali passports because of widespread fraud, and Canada did not recognise them because there were "no credible or verifiable registrars" for the documents behind them (IRB Canada, 2016). The same report said biometric passports and new ID cards began in December 2013 (IRB Canada, 2016). Linking every passport to a biometric national ID is the government's answer to that problem (ICA, 2025).

Where can you travel with it?

The Henley Passport Index 2026 gives the Somali passport a score of 33, ranked 97th: you can enter 33 places without a visa arranged in advance (Gulf News, Jan 2026). Some reports for 2026 give 32 (Le360). The full current list is on the Henley Passport Index site. Rules change often, so check with the embassy of the country you are visiting.

Why it matters (Calankii)

A passport is the paper proof that you belong to one nation. For 131 years Somalis have carried the banner for one country that its people can be proud to show at any border. Young Somalis at home and abroad need papers that open doors, for study, work and family. Read the call.

Related pages

• National ID card (NIRA)
• Birth records
• Refugee papers and status
• Why so many Somalis have 1 January as their birthday

Sources

1. Immigration and Citizenship Agency. Ordinary passport. immigration.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
2. Immigration and Citizenship Agency. Services. immigration.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
3. Immigration and Citizenship Agency. "National ID card required for passport applications", 6 August 2025. immigration.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
4. Immigration and Citizenship Agency. "New Somali passport planned for 2026", 15 January 2026. immigration.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
5. Federal Government of Somalia. Ordinary passport (service directory). somalia.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
6. Embassy of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Washington DC. Passports. usa.mfa.gov.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
7. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. SOM105248.E, Somalia: passports, 17 March 2016 (via ecoi.net). ecoi.net. Checked 12 November 2026.
8. SONNA. "Somalia launches overhaul of national passport system", 19 May 2025. sonna.so. Checked 12 November 2026.
9. Dawan Africa. "Somalia to introduce new third-generation passport in October", 2 July 2026. dawan.africa. Checked 12 November 2026.
10. Dawan Africa. "Somalia says passport delays resolved, pledges one-week processing", 3 July 2026. dawan.africa. Checked 12 November 2026.
11. Gulf News. "World's weakest passports for 2026 revealed", January 2026. gulfnews.com. Checked 12 November 2026.