Somalia’s eVisa Requirement Is Disrupting Travel to Somaliland: The Diaspora Must Be a Priority

Somaliland Diaspora Council (SLDC) | 26 September 2026

People travelling home to Somaliland should be able to know exactly what documents they need before they buy a ticket. Instead, some airlines require passengers bound for Somaliland to obtain a Somali eVisa before boarding. This creates confusion, additional costs and the risk of being turned away from a flight. It affects families planning holidays, entrepreneurs considering investments and young people seeking to reconnect with their homeland.

The Somaliland Diaspora Council strongly opposes requiring travellers whose destination is Somaliland to pay for an authorisation issued by Somalia that Somaliland does not recognise as permission to enter its territory. This is more than an administrative inconvenience. For many Somalilanders, the memory of the atrocities committed against their people remains deeply personal. They should not have to pay the Somali government simply to travel home.

The Somaliland government has already stated that its visa-on-arrival policy remains in effect.

Yet a policy announced in Hargeisa cannot resolve the problem if a passenger is prevented from boarding abroad. The measure of progress is whether travellers to Hargeisa and Berbera receive clear guidance that airlines apply consistently at booking and check-in. Current UK travel guidance acknowledges this gap: an airline may ask a Hargeisa-bound passenger for a Somali eVisa to board, although that eVisa is not valid for entry on arrival in Hargeisa.

We call on the President, Vice President and Government of Somaliland to treat this as an urgent national priority. The relevant ministries and immigration authorities should:

1. Publish clear, regularly updated travel requirements for passengers flying to Hargeisa and Berbera.

2. Engage airlines directly to resolve how their staff apply boarding requirements to Somaliland-bound passengers.

3. Work with aviation authorities and governments in departure countries to correct the travel information airlines rely on.

4. Establish a channel for diaspora travellers to report extra charges, delays and denied boarding, and publish the number and nature of cases received.

5. Give the public regular updates on actions taken, progress made and obstacles that remain.

Somaliland’s diaspora supports families, businesses, construction, employment and investment across the country. If travel becomes more costly or unpredictable, visits and investment plans may be put at risk. The economic impact should be measured and reported; travellers’ immediate difficulties deserve action now.

SLDC stands ready to support practical steps that protect travel to Somaliland. Our support for the government also carries a duty to speak plainly. If the government fails to deliver a clear, workable plan and report its progress, we will publicly criticise that failure and intensify our call for action.

The people who return home, support their families and invest in Somaliland must be a first priority. They need a prompt response and a solution that works at the airport—not only on paper.

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