By Jerromie S. Walters
The U.S. Embassy near Monrovia has embraced the recent mandate by Liberia’s Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti, to ensure all diplomatic, official, and service passport holders meet official eligibility requirements.
In a recent statement, the Embassy noted: “U.S. Embassy welcomes the latest measure taken by the Government of Liberia to ensure all diplomatic, official, and service passport holders meet official eligibility requirements.”
In the view of the U.S. Embassy, the Foreign Minister’s commitment to address the issue of fraudulent travel documents advances not just Liberia’s national security but that of the international community. “Thank you Foreign Minister Sara Beysolow Nyanti!”
Mid Monday, March 18, 2024, Liberia’s Foreign Minister, Sara Beysolow Nyanti, issued a directive requiring all Liberian citizens, and none Liberians who are not eligible for diplomatic, official, and service passports, to return the passports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, starting tomorrow, March 19, 2024. According to the Foreign Minister, failure to comply by April 8, 2024, will result in the passports being deemed invalid and unusable.
However, she says the reissueing of diplomatic and service passports, will be based on eligibility. “Reissuing of diplomatic and service passports will be based on eligibility. The cost of the replacement of said passports will be free of charge to our citizens,” Minister Nyanti.
“All Liberian citizens, and none Liberians who are not eligible for diplomatic, official, and service passports, should kindly return the passports to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regardless of the duration of the validity period. Those passports. Those passports will be canceled with immediate effect.”
She stressed, “All those with multiple diplomatic, official, and service passports, are hereby informed that those extra passports will be canceled with immediate effect.
Moreover, the Foreign Minister announced the suspension of the July 2023, revised passport regulations, and reinstate the March 2016 passport regulation, with immediate effect.she disclosed: “Due to National Security concerns, the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hereby suspend with immediate effect, the July 2023, revised passport regulations and reinstate the March 2016 passport regulation.”
The Foreign Minister emphasized, “All those bearing diplomatic, official, and service passports as privileged passports with the duration of more than two years, are hereby requested to return them to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs beginning tomorrow, March 19, 2024, and this exercise will end on April 8, 2024.”
