African Union Passport Explained

Document Name:African Union passport
Date First Issued:July 17, 2016
Document Type:Passport
Purpose:Identification
Eligibility:Citizen of an African Union member state
Issuing Office:African Union

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]

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

    Other States

    See also

    Further reading

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: African Union launches all-Africa passport. Kieron . Monks. July 5, 2016. CNN. July 17, 2016.
    2. Web site: President Kenyatta arrives in Kigali for AU summit. rwandaeye.com. July 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160717152300/http://rwandaeye.com/?p=8360. July 17, 2016. dead.
    3. Web site: Africa: The Common Passport and Africa's Identity. July 17, 2016.
    4. Web site: AU Heads of State to launch African Union Passport during Kigali Summit. July 15, 2016. July 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160717210301/http://mgafrica.com/article/2016-07-15-au-heads-of-state-to-launch-african-union-passport-during-kigali-summit/. July 17, 2016. dead.
    5. Web site: Rwanda Ready to Issue African Common Passport KT PRESS. ktpress.rw. July 17, 2016.
    6. Web site: Kenyans welcomes AU's passport System introduction. Ghana News. July 12, 2016. July 17, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20180809030039/https://www.newsghana.com.gh/kenyans-welcomes-aus-passport-system-introduction/. August 9, 2018. dead.
    7. Web site: African Union passports to be rolled out by 2023 - THE AFRICAN COURIER . The African Courier.
    8. Web site: Single passport for Africa set to become reality in 2021. Philpot. Lorne. TheSouthAfrican.com. Blue Sky Publications. 8 January 2021. 9 January 2021. dmy-all.
    9. Web site: [Photos] The African passport with 5 language inscriptions Africanews]. AfricaNews. 2016-07-17. africanews.channel. 2016-07-18.
    10. Web site: Okonjo-Iweala: Like Dangote, AU passport didn’t give me visa-free entry into all African countries . live . https://archive.today/20240328195240/https://www.thecable.ng/okonjo-iweala-like-dangote-au-passport-didnt-give-me-visa-free-entry-into-all-african-countries . 2024-03-28 . The Cable.

    This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "African Union Passport".

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