Afghan passport

Last updated
Afghan passport
AfgPass.png
Front cover of an Afghan passport. New passports continue to carry this design despite the overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in 2021.
Type Passport
Issued by General Directorate of Passports [1]
First issued1880
PurposeIdentification; international travel [2]
Eligibility Afghan citizenship
Expiration5-10 years [3]
Cost5,000-10,000 afghanis (AFN) [4]

Afghan passports are international travel documents issued by the Ministry of Interior or sometimes by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to nationals and citizens of Afghanistan. [1] Every person with a valid electronic Afghan identity card (e-Tazkira) can apply for and receive an Afghan passport, [5] [6] which is renewable every 5–10 years. [3]

Contents

The Afghan passport was introduced by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan in 1880. The country began issuing biometric passports in September 2011 to diplomats and public servants, and in March 2013 for the general public. [7] [8] Abdul Karim Hasib is the current director of the General Directorate of Passports. [9] [10] His predecessor was Alam Gul Haqqani. [11] [12]

As of 2018, the cost of an Afghan passport is 5,000 afghanis (AFN) for a five-year validity and 10,000 afghanis for a ten-year validity. [4] [13] In April 2023, it was reported that up to 10,000 passports could be issued daily. [14] This number was expected to reach up to 15,000. [15]

The Afghan passport has been labelled by the Henley Passport Index as the least powerful passport in the world, with its holders only able to visit 25 destinations visa-free. [16]

History

The Afghan passport was introduced by Emir Abdur Rahman Khan in 1880.[ citation needed ]

In September 2011, Afghanistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs began issuing two types of biometric passports (e-passports) for Afghan diplomats and public servants. These were produced in the United Kingdom. [7] [17] The standard e-passports began being issued to the general public in March 2013. [18] [8] According to then-spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Janan Musazai, "on the photo page, there are 16 security codes." [7] Issuance of national electronic Afghan identity cards (e-Tazkiras) were also discussed. [19] These changes were intended to prevent fraud in future elections and government corruption as well as to improve the overall security of Afghanistan.

In 2017, a new five-year Afghan passport was reported to cost 5,000 AFN. [4] Previously, passports had been hand written based on information found on paper Afghan ID cards, which are no longer accepted. [20] A ten-year passport later became available for 10,000 AFN. By January 2016, nearly one million of the new computerized Afghan passports have been issued. [21]

Passport distribution centers exist in many provinces of Afghanistan, [22] [23] [24] with the main ones located in Kabul Province. [25] A total of four different locations within Kabul are believed to be distributing passports. [26] The General Directorate of Passports stated that it issued 500,000 passports in one year and collected over 4.2 billion AFN in processing fees. [1] [14] [27] In addition to being a travel document, the passport can also be used to purchase a SIM card; send or receive money through MoneyGram or Western Union; open bank accounts; rent a house; or stay in hotels. [2]

The Afghan embassies and consulates also provide Afghan passports to the Afghan diaspora around the world. [28] [29] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] After a pause following the Taliban takeover of the government in August 2021, [35] distribution of passports resumed before the end of that year. [36] Though it was reported in March 2022 that the Taliban had introduced a new design bearing the name "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan", [37] Shirshah Quarishi, deputy director of the Passport Department, said in August 2022 that passports would not carry a new design, which was likely a practical decision taken to ensure they would be accepted for travel by other countries, all of which continue to recognize the previous regime. [38]

Visa requirements

Visa requirements for Afghan citizens for holders of regular Afghan passports .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} Afghanistan Visa free access Visa on arrival eVisa Both visa on arrival and eVisa available Visa required Visa requirements for Afghan citizens.svg
Visa requirements for Afghan citizens for holders of regular Afghan passports
  Afghanistan
  Visa free access
  Visa on arrival
  eVisa
  Both visa on arrival and eVisa available
  Visa required

As of April 2025, Afghan citizens have visa-free or visa on arrival access to 25 countries and territories, [39] ranking the worst passport in the world according to the Henley Passport Index. [40] [41] Because the ruling Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is not internationally recognized, it is continuing to issue passports bearing the name of the former, internationally-recognized government, the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, which are accepted for international travel. However, obtaining foreign visas from within Afghanistan is difficult as many embassies in Afghanistan have closed in the wake of the Fall of Kabul on 15 August 2021. [36]

Corruption

In 2015, Afghanistan's TOLOnews reported that a number of citizens of Iran and Pakistan have fraudulently obtained Afghan passports. [42] [36] It was reported recently "that a number of counterfeiters abroad had prepared passport booklets, smuggled them into the country and distributed them to the public." [43] [44] [45] It was also reported that some people pay hundreds of US dollars for fake emergency medical documents, which allow them to obtain Afghan passports expeditiously. [46] According to KabulNow, in 2023 middlemen quoted fees of US$2000-US$3000 for a passport, with much of the money going to Taliban officials. [47]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Passport Dept Chief Says 3 New Centers to Open in Kabul". TOLOnews. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  2. 1 2 "Only e-IDs or passports accepted for SIM card purchases". Ariana News. July 19, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  3. 1 2 "Applicants above 15 to get 10-year passports". Pajhwok Afghan News. April 18, 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  4. 1 2 3 "Afghanistan: Requirements and procedures to obtain, renew, and replace a biometric passport, both within and outside the country; validity period of passport; whether the 'place of birth' noted in the passport is the same as the one listed on the tazkira, and whether it refers to the place of birth of the owner of the passport or their father's (2015-January 2017)". Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. February 20, 2017. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  5. ↑ "Passports to be issued only on e-ID cards". Pajhwok Afghan News. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  6. ↑ "Online Application for Passport Resumes in Kabul". Khaama Press. April 9, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  7. 1 2 3 Meer Agha Nasrat Samimi, ed. (September 17, 2011). "Foreign ministry issues computerised passports". Pajhwok Afghan News. Archived from the original on 2013-04-10. Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  8. 1 2 "Modernising the Afghan Passport Office". Khaama Press. November 5, 2014. Retrieved 2022-08-24.
  9. ↑ "Exclusive interview with Abdul Karim Hasib, head of General Directorate of Passports". Ariana News. July 26, 2024. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  10. ↑ "Afghanistan issues 2 million passports in one year, daily distribution at 'unprecedented level'". TOLOnews. July 16, 2024. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  11. ↑ "Alam Gul Haqqani appointed Passport Department head". Pajhwok Afghan News. September 20, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  12. ↑ "Taliban govt resumes issuing Afghan passports in Kabul". Agence France-Presse. France 24. 18 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
  13. ↑ "Requirement for obtaining Afghan passport". Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Canberra, Australia. 2018. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  14. 1 2 "Over 500,000 Passports Issued Last Solar Year: Officials". TOLOnews. 2 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  15. ↑ "15,000 Passports Distributed Each Day: Spokesman". TOLOnews. 9 April 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-12.
  16. ↑ "Afghanistan's passport ranks last globally once again". Ariana News. July 24, 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  17. ↑ "Foreign ministry issues computerised passports (Video)". Pajhwok Afghan News. September 18, 2011. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved 2011-10-18.
  18. ↑ "Machine-readable passport system put in place". Pajhwok Afghan News. March 24, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
  19. ↑ "14m Afghans to get computerised ID cards in a year". Pajhwok Afghan News. February 24, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-31.
  20. ↑ "Gov't initiates distributing passports on electrical IDs". Khaama Press. March 10, 2021. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  21. ↑ "Afghanistan Launches Online Passport Application Service". TOLOnews. 14 January 2016. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  22. ↑ "Over 65,000 Passports Issued in Nangarhar This Year". TOLOnews. 20 January 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  23. ↑ "Thousands of People Rush Passport Department in Herat". TOLOnews. August 25, 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
  24. ↑ "Passport offices to open in another 14 provinces: IEA". Ariana News. December 5, 2021. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  25. ↑ "Passport Distribution Begins in Kabul, Other Provinces". TOLOnews. 2 March 2023. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  26. ↑ "Officials Say 4 Passport Distribution Centers Will Be Opened in Kabul". TOLOnews. 23 August 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  27. ↑ "Passport Office generates over 4b afs revenue in a year". Pajhwok Afghan News. August 23, 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  28. ↑ "Fitrat: Passport Distribution Active in 27 Countries". TOLOnews. 2 July 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  29. ↑ "Afghan Embassy in Ankara Resumes Passport Services After 4 Years". TOLOnews. 14 June 2025. Retrieved 2025-07-24.
  30. ↑ "Afghanistan's de facto consulate in Mumbai starts issuing passports". Ariana News. November 11, 2024. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  31. ↑ "Afghanistan's embassy in Beijing starts distributing passports". Ariana News. February 5, 2024. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  32. ↑ "Afghanistan embassy in Pakistan starts distributing passports to refugees". Ariana News. September 20, 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-12.
  33. ↑ "Passport distribution to Afghans in Termez begins". TOLOnews. 11 October 2023. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  34. ↑ Afghan Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. "Passport: Requirements For Obtaining Afghan Passport". Embassy of Afghanistan in Ottawa. Archived from the original on 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2021-03-01.
  35. ↑ "Current National IDs, passports valid, will change in future: Taliban". Khaama Press. September 25, 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  36. 1 2 3 Amy Cheng; Haq Nawaz Khan (6 October 2021). "Hundreds of Afghans gather outside passport office as Taliban resumes issuing travel documents". The Washington Post. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  37. ↑ "Afghan diplomats under pressure from Taliban regime". Agence France-Presse. France 24. 14 March 2022. Retrieved 21 April 2022. New passports issued in Kabul now refer to the country by the Taliban's name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan
  38. ↑ Dawi, Akmal (August 24, 2022). "Taliban Make Millions From Passports Issued to Fleeing Afghans". Voice of America. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  39. ↑ "The Official Passport Index Ranking". Henley & Partners. Retrieved 2025-04-01.
  40. ↑ "The Henley Passport Index - Global Passport Ranking". Ariana News. April 1, 2025. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  41. ↑ Henley & Partners (5 October 2021). "The Henley Passport Index: Q4 2021 Global Ranking" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-10-05. Retrieved 2021-12-09.
  42. ↑ "Fraud in Passport Office Revealed After Iranian National Got Afghan Passport". TOLOnews. 22 August 2015. Retrieved 2021-07-28. It is now said many Iranians and Pakistanis seek out Afghan passports in order to get easier access to the UAE.
  43. ↑ "Officials: 3 Million Passport Booklets to Arrive in 2 Weeks". TOLOnews. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  44. ↑ "Group involved in printing fake passports arrested". Pajhwok Afghan News. 23 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-23.
  45. ↑ "Afghan passports up for grabs in black market". Pajhwok Afghan News. 17 September 2021. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  46. ↑ "Some people get passports on fake illness documents". Pajhwok Afghan News. 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
  47. ↑ Ehsan, Kazim (25 January 2023). "How Taliban officials have turned the world's weakest passports into the most expensive". KabulNow . Retrieved 2025-08-31.
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