By Oketayot Santo
South Sudan’s Directorate of Civil Registry, Nationality, Passport and Immigration (DNPI) has announced the resumption of passport and nationality issuance following a prolonged shortage of travel and identity documents.
Addressing journalists in Juba, the Director General of DNPI, Maj. Gen. Elia Kosta Faustino, said new stocks of regular, diplomatic and official passports, as well as nationality certificates and national identity cards, have been received. He said issuance will officially resume on Monday, beginning with priority cases.
According to Maj. Elia, students awarded scholarships abroad, South Sudanese whose passports have expired while overseas, and patients referred for medical treatment outside the country will be given priority in the initial phase. He said students will be required to present official documentation from the Ministry of Higher Education, while cases from abroad will be processed through South Sudanese embassies.
Maj. Elia said the process will later be opened to the general public depending on availability, adding that the government has signed a contract with a supplier to ensure continuous provision of passport booklets and identity cards to avoid future shortages.
The directorate also announced the resumption of issuance of national identity cards, locally known as Bataka Shaksia. Maj. Elia explained that the ID card contains detailed personal information and will be required for services such as banking, court procedures and land transactions, while the nationality certificate (Jinsia) serves mainly as proof of citizenship.
He said ID cards will only be issued to adults aged 18 and above and that processing will take no more than two days once all requirements are met.
Maj. Elia further disclosed plans to introduce a nationwide registration of foreigners through a SIM-card-based system, under which residency permits will be linked to mobile phone usage and expire automatically when permits lapse.
According to DNPI figures, the directorate 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 national identity cards.
Meanwhile, the Inspector General of the South Sudan National Police Service, Gen. Said Shawul Lom, said the resumption of document issuance will help address challenges faced by students, elderly people and travellers who were affected by the shortages. He emphasised that nationality is a sovereign right that confirms citizenship and enables access to employment, land ownership and political participation.
