Turkey Suspends Visas for Somali government Employees With Service Passports

GOOBJOOG NEWS | MOGADISHU: The Turkish government has said it will no longer issue visas to Somali government civil servants holding service passports.

In a statement released Sunday, Hamza Adan Hadow, the Permanent Secretary of the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the directive came following a letter from the Turkish Embassy in Mogadishu.

Hodow added that the directive will take effect as from July 18, 2024.

“All Ministries and Government Agencies are hereby informed that the Turkish Embassy has stopped issuing tourist visas for holders of Service Passports, effective from 18.07.2024. Therefore, in consideration of diplomatic customs, all Ministries and other Government Agencies are notified of this change and are expected to inform their staff accordingly,” reads the statement.

Hadow emphasized that the change requires Somali government ministries and agencies to promptly inform their employees about it in accordance with diplomatic protocols.

Somali citizens have in the past faced challenges in obtaining visas for tourism, education, and medical purposes from the Turkish Embassy.

Sources say the directive may be related to migration issues as some individuals from some African countries, including Somalia, have reportedly been using Turkey as a transit route to Europe.