South Sudan’s Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration (DNPI) said it has resumed issuing passports and nationality documents after months of shortages, with priority given to students and patients seeking treatment abroad.
Speaking to journalists in Juba on Friday, DNPI Director General Maj. Gen. Elia Kosta Faustino said the directorate has received new stocks of regular, diplomatic and official passports, as well as nationality certificates and national identity cards.
“From Monday, we are going to start issuing passports and nationality,” Elia said. He said the initial phase will prioritize students on foreign scholarships, South Sudanese whose passports expired while they were abroad, and patients referred for medical treatment outside the country.
Students will be required to present official confirmation from the Ministry of Higher Education, while applications from South Sudanese abroad will be processed through the country’s embassies, Elia said. Patients must provide medical referral documents.
Issuance will later be opened to the general public, depending on availability, he said, adding that shortages would not recur following the signing of a contract with a supplier to ensure the continuous provision of passport booklets and cards.
DNPI also announced the resumption of personal identity card issuance, known as Butaka Shakhsia. Elia said the personal ID card — rather than the nationality certificate, known as Jinsia — will now be required for services including banking, land transactions and court processes.
“The nationality only proves that you are a South Sudanese, but the personal ID contains full personal details,” he said, noting that new ID cards will be issued only to adults aged 18 and above.
Elia also revealed plans to launch a nationwide registration of foreigners in South Sudan using a SIM-card-based system that links residency permits to mobile phone usage, with SIM cards expiring automatically when permits lapse.
According to DNPI, it currently holds 10,050 regular passports, 4,404 diplomatic passports, 2,810 official passports, 27,592 special passports, about 35,000 nationality certificates and 380,000 personal ID cards.
Elia said processing of ID cards will take no more than two days once applications are completed. Students who have already applied will be assigned specific days to collect their passports, he added.
Meanwhile, Inspector General of the South Sudan National Police Service Gen. Said Shawul Lom welcomed the resumption of passport and identity document issuance, saying prolonged shortages had affected students, elderly people and travelers, with some missing university opportunities and family reunions.
He thanked President Salva Kiir for supporting the passport administration, which he said enabled the availability of passports, nationality certificates and personal IDs.
Shawul stressed that nationality is a sovereign right that confirms citizenship and enables access to employment, land ownership and political participation.
He added that all categories of passports — including regular, diplomatic, official, special and commercial — are now available, urging citizens to safeguard their documents, which he described as essential for identification, banking and legal transactions.