African Union Passport

Last updated
African Union passport
African Union passport cover.png
The front cover of an African Union diplomatic passport
McHenry Venaani's AU Passport.jpg
The picture page of an African Union diplomatic passport
TypePassport
Issued byFlag of the African Union.svg  African Union
First issuedJuly 17, 2016
PurposeIdentification
EligibilityCitizen of an African Union member state

The African Union Passport is a common passport document that is set to replace existing nationally issued African Union member state passports and exempt bearers from having to obtain any visas for all 55 states in Africa. [1] [2] [3] It was launched on July 17, 2016, at the 27th Ordinary Session of the African Union that was held in Kigali in Rwanda by Rwandan President Paul Kagame and the late Chadian President Idriss Déby. [4] [5] [6] As of June 2018, the passport was planned to be rolled out and ready for use at borders worldwide by 2020, [7] however the rollout has since been delayed into 2021. [8]

Contents

Types

There are three types of African Union passport that will be issued:

Ordinary passport
These passports are issued to citizens and are intended for occasional travel, such as vacations and business trips. They contain 32 pages, and are valid for 5 years.
Official/Service passport
These passports are issued to officials attached to government institutions who have to travel on official business.
Diplomatic passport
Issued to diplomats and consuls for work-related travel, and to their accompanying dependents.
Temporary passport
These passports are issued to travelling citizens or natives of African countries that cannot get hold of their passports due to various reasons including robbery, theft or accidents. They may last for 6 months to a year.

Design

The passport has inscriptions in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese, and Swahili. [9] The African Union anthem's lyrics are printed on the page immediately after the picture page.

Recognition and acceptance

African Union Member States

StateVisa RequiredETA Required
Flag of Algeria.svg  Algeria
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola Yes [10]
Flag of Benin.svg  Benin
Flag of Botswana.svg  Botswana
Flag of Burkina Faso.svg  Burkina Faso
Flag of Burundi.svg  Burundi
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
Flag of Cape Verde.svg  Cape Verde
Flag of the Central African Republic.svg  Central African Republic
Flag of Chad.svg  Chad
Flag of the Comoros.svg  Comoros
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo
Flag of the Republic of the Congo.svg  Republic of the Congo
Flag of Djibouti.svg  Djibouti
Flag of Egypt.svg  Egypt
Flag of Equatorial Guinea.svg  Equatorial Guinea
Flag of Eritrea.svg  Eritrea
Flag of Eswatini.svg  Eswatini
Flag of Ethiopia.svg  Ethiopia No [10]
Flag of Gabon.svg  Gabon
Flag of The Gambia.svg  Gambia
Flag of Ghana.svg  Ghana No [10]
Flag of Guinea.svg  Guinea
Flag of Guinea-Bissau.svg  Guinea-Bissau
Flag of Cote d'Ivoire.svg  Ivory Coast No [10]
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Flag of Lesotho.svg  Lesotho
Flag of Liberia.svg  Liberia
Flag of Libya.svg  Libya
Flag of Madagascar.svg  Madagascar
Flag of Malawi.svg  Malawi
Flag of Mali.svg  Mali
Flag of Mauritania.svg  Mauritania Yes (on the spot) [10]
Flag of Mauritius.svg  Mauritius
Flag of Morocco.svg  Morocco
Flag of Mozambique.svg  Mozambique
Flag of Namibia.svg  Namibia
Flag of Niger.svg  Niger
Flag of Nigeria.svg  Nigeria
Flag of Rwanda.svg  Rwanda No [10]
Flag of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.svg  Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Flag of Sao Tome and Principe.svg  São Tomé and Príncipe
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal
Flag of Seychelles.svg  Seychelles
Flag of Sierra Leone.svg  Sierra Leone
Flag of Somalia.svg  Somalia
Flag of South Africa.svg  South Africa
Flag of South Sudan.svg  South Sudan
Flag of Sudan.svg  Sudan
Flag of Tanzania.svg  Tanzania No [10]
Flag of Togo.svg  Togo
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda
Flag of Zambia.svg  Zambia No [10]
Flag of Zimbabwe.svg  Zimbabwe

Other States

See also


Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travel visa</span> Authority to enter, stay in, or exit a territory

A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on the duration of the foreigner's stay, areas within the country they may enter, the dates they may enter, the number of permitted visits, or if the individual can work in the country in question. Visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a territory and thus are, in most countries, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country. In each instance, a visa is subject to entry permission by an immigration official at the time of actual entry and can be revoked at any time. Visa evidence most commonly takes the form of a sticker endorsed in the applicant's passport or other travel document but may also exist electronically. Some countries no longer issue physical visa evidence, instead recording details only in immigration databases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East African Community</span> Intergovernmental organisation for African countries

The East African Community (EAC) is an intergovernmental organisation composed of eight countries in East Africa. The member states are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Federal Republic of Somalia, the republics of Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda and Tanzania. Salva Kiir Mayardit, the president of South Sudan, is the current EAC chairman. The organisation was founded in 1967, collapsed in 1977, and was revived on 7 July 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biometric passport</span> Traditional passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip

A biometric passport is a traditional passport that has an embedded electronic microprocessor chip, which contains biometric information that can be used to authenticate the identity of the passport holder. It uses contactless smart card technology, including a microprocessor chip and antenna embedded in the front or back cover, or centre page, of the passport. The passport's critical information is printed on the data page of the passport, repeated on the machine readable lines and stored in the chip. Public key infrastructure (PKI) is used to authenticate the data stored electronically in the passport chip, supposedly making it expensive and difficult to forge when all security mechanisms are fully and correctly implemented.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa requirements for Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens</span> Administrative entry restrictions

Visa requirements for Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rwandan passport</span>

The Rwandan passport is issued to Rwandan citizens for international travel. Rwanda started issuing East African CommunityBiometric Passport also known as E-Passport(With which entry to all east African countries is visa-free) in June 2019 replacing the old ones that will only stay valid until June 2021, The new passports are valid for five years and ten years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa requirements for Hungarian citizens</span> Administrative entry restrictions

Visa requirements for Hungarian citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Hungary by the authorities of other states.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa requirements for Albanian citizens</span> Administrative entry restrictions

Visa requirements for Albanian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other nations placed on citizens of Albania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa requirements for Croatian citizens</span> Administrative entry restrictions

Visa requirements for Croatian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Croatia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa requirements for Emirati citizens</span> Administrative entry restrictions

Visa requirements for Emirati citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa requirements for Indonesian citizens</span> Administrative entry restrictions

Visa requirements for Indonesian citizens are administrative entry restrictions imposed on citizens of Indonesia by the authorities of other states.

Visa requirements for Cameroonian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Cameroon. As of 2 July 2019, Cameroonian citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 46 countries and territories, ranking the Cameroonian passport 96th in terms of travel freedom (tied with passports from Burundi, Congo and Liberia according to the Henley & Partners Passport Index.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa requirements for Comorian citizens</span> Administrative entry restrictions

Visa requirements for Comorian citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Comoros.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Rwanda</span> Policy on permits required to enter Rwanda

The Republic of Rwanda, a member of the East African Community, allows citizens of all countries that are not visa-exempt to obtain a visa on arrival. In addition, they may also obtain an e-Visa online before departure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">India–Rwanda relations</span> Bilateral relations

India–Rwanda relations are the foreign relations between the Republic of India and the Republic of Rwanda. India is represented in Rwanda through its High Commission in Kigali which opened on 15 August 2018. Rwanda has been operating its High Commission in New Delhi since 1999 and appointed its first resident High Commissioner in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Kenya</span> Policy on permits required to enter Kenya

Kenya has abolished visa requirements for all foreign visitors from 1 January 2024, and instead implemented an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Visa policy of Ghana</span> Policy on permits required to enter Ghana

Visitors to Ghana must obtain a visa from one of the Ghanaian diplomatic missions unless they come from one of the countries or territories that are either visa exempt or whose citizens may obtain a visa on arrival.

Visa requirements for Central African citizens are administrative entry restrictions by the authorities of other states placed on citizens of Central African Republic. As of 2 July 2019, Central African Republic citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 49 countries and territories, ranking the Central African passport 94th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley Passport Index.

Visa requirements for crew members are administrative entry restrictions imposed by countries on members of the crew during transit or turnaround.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">African Continental Free Trade Area</span> Free trade area founded in 2018 with trade commencing as of 1 January 2021

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is a free trade area encompassing most of Africa. It was established in 2018 by the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, which has 43 parties and another 11 signatories, making it the largest free-trade area by number of member states, after the World Trade Organization, and the largest in population and geographic size, spanning 1.3 billion people across the world's second largest continent.

References

  1. Monks, Kieron (July 5, 2016). "African Union launches all-Africa passport". CNN. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  2. "President Kenyatta arrives in Kigali for AU summit". rwandaeye.com. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  3. "Africa: The Common Passport and Africa's Identity" . Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  4. "AU Heads of State to launch African Union Passport during Kigali Summit". July 15, 2016. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  5. "Rwanda Ready to Issue African Common Passport | KT PRESS". ktpress.rw. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  6. "Kenyans welcomes AU's passport System introduction". Ghana News. July 12, 2016. Archived from the original on August 9, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
  7. "African Union passports to be rolled out by 2023 - THE AFRICAN COURIER". The African Courier.
  8. Philpot, Lorne (8 January 2021). "Single passport for Africa set to become reality in 2021". TheSouthAfrican.com . Blue Sky Publications. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  9. AfricaNews (2016-07-17). "[Photos] The African passport with 5 language inscriptions | Africanews". africanews.channel. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Okonjo-Iweala: Like Dangote, AU passport didn't give me visa-free entry into all African countries". The Cable. Archived from the original on 2024-03-28.

Further reading