The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cancelled 701 Diplomatic and Service Passports, rendering them invalid for international travel due to the holders’ failure to comply with earlier directives to return them.
According to the Ministry, the affected passports have been placed on a Stop-List and will be confiscated if the holders attempt to travel with them.
“Consequently, owing to the failure or refusal of the holders to comply with the directive, the underlisted 341 unreturned Diplomatic and 360 Service Passports bearing the specified serial numbers have hereby been CANCELLED with immediate effect, on the instructions of the Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs. All affected passports have been placed on the Stop-List and shall be confiscated from any person attempting to travel with them,” the statement rea.
The cancellation was necessitated by the holders’ failure to comply with the Ministry’s deadline of March 17, 2025, for the return of the passports. Diplomatic and Service Passports issued under the erstwhile government and not returned were 341 and 360 respectively.
In a statement issued on May 6, 2025, the Ministry confirmed the cancellation of the listed passport numbers.
“Further to its Public Announcements of 15th January, 2025, and 10th March, 2025, on the recall of Diplomatic and Service Passports, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to announce that, effective today, 6th May, 2025, Diplomatic and Service Passports issued to the underlisted category of persons have been CANCELLED and are NOT valid for international travel,” it stated.
As of May 6, 2025, a total of 407 holders of Diplomatic Passports and 403 holders of Service Passports had returned them in compliance with the Ministry’s directives.
This implies that three additional Diplomatic Passports were returned after the March 10 directive, which had recorded 404 submissions to the Legal and Treaties Bureau.
Additionally, 16 Service Passports were returned after the initial 387 were recorded following the directive.
The Ministry had issued separate directives recalling all Diplomatic and Service Passports on January 15, 2025, and March 10, 2025.