The Sudanese Embassy in Juba has begun the process of issuing passports and birth certificates for Sudanese nationals domiciled in South Sudan.
Mohammed Abdulgadir, the head of the Passports and Immigration Administration Office at the Sudanese Embassy in Juba, announced the commencement of issuing Sudanese passports and other documents at the Sudanese Embassy buildings during working days.
“Passports for adults will cost USD 255. The Sudanese Ambassador made a great effort to open the passport office in Juba which makes the Juba embassy the fourth after Riyadh, Cairo, and Doha to issue passports. The Passport Office in the embassy in Juba will cover all East African countries,” he said. “The cost of a passport, according to the Sudanese Ministry of Finance, is USD 250 plus USD 5 for a stamp, which amounts to USD 255 for adults and children’s passport will USD 130 plus USD 5 for a stamp, bringing it to USD 135.
Abdulgadir stressed that the validity period of a passport for adults is ten years and five years for children because the latter’s features keep changing as they grow. He also announced the arrival of machinery to issue birth certificates to newly born Sudanese citizens in South Sudan at the cost of USD 23.
He said that reservations for obtaining identification papers can also be made through the website of the Sudanese Ministry of Interior.
The official stressed that the embassy is not currently issuing visas for travel to Sudan to the general public apart from travel certificates issued only to companies, businessmen, diplomats, and politicians.
A Sudanese national, Munir Ismail, who resides in Juba, said that the process of obtaining a passport at the Sudanese Embassy in Juba is easy and appealed to the members of the Sudanese community residing in South Sudan to expeditiously obtain identification papers so that they can live safely in the country.
“The relationship between Sudanese living in South Sudan and the host communities is very good. We interact well,” he said. “I have been in Juba for 7 years and I am now more South Sudanese than Sudanese.”
Another Sudanese national who lives in Jubdul Shafi’i Adam Ibrahim, confirmed that the process of obtaining a passport at the embassy is easy but said the USD 255 price tag is exorbitant.
For his part, Haitham Rahamtallah explained that he went to the embassy to obtain papers to process residency papers to live in South Sudan because he got work in Juba.
“Sudanese are feeling at home in South Sudan. The step taken by the Sudanese Embassy and the Immigration and Foreigners Affairs Authority to Issue passports in Juba has contributed greatly to solving the problems of the Sudanese community in Juba,” he stated. “If anything happens to the Sudanese, the embassy will be the closest institution that can help any Sudanese residing in Juba.”