Wednesday October 21, 2026
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somali federal aviation authority announced Monday that a dispute with Somaliland over the country’s electronic visa system (eVisa) had been resolved, but a senior Somaliland official later denied that the two sides had reached a new agreement.
Ahmed Ma’allin Hassan, director general of the Somali Civil Aviation Authority, told BBC Somali that obstacles surrounding the eVisa system had been addressed and that businesses across Somalia, including travel agencies based in Hargeisa, could participate in the system.
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“The recent dispute concerning the eVisa has been resolved, and there is now a mutual understanding regarding the implementation of the system,” Hassan said.
He described the system as nationwide and said travel agencies and other businesses in Hargeisa could use payment arrangements connected to airlines and travel services.
Hassan also dismissed concerns that implementation would disadvantage Somaliland-based businesses, arguing that the system could instead create commercial opportunities for Somali operators regardless of where they are located.
But Somaliland’s Civil Aviation Minister Fu’aad Ahmed Nuuh rejected the claim that a new agreement had been reached with Mogadishu.
“There is nothing, because if it had been agreed, their visa would have worked in Somaliland, and it does not work,” Nuuh told BBC Somali, according to local reports.
Nuuh said travelers arriving at Hargeisa airport with a Somalia-issued electronic visa would still be required to obtain a Somaliland visa.
Somaliland’s official travel guidance also states that visas or electronic travel authorizations issued by Somalia are not accepted for entry and that international passengers can obtain visas on arrival at Hargeisa and Berbera airports.
The conflicting accounts underscore the continuing dispute between Mogadishu and Hargeisa over immigration, aviation and control of Somalia’s internationally recognized borders.
Somalia introduced its Electronic Travel Authorization System in September 2025, requiring foreign travelers to obtain authorization online before traveling. The federal Immigration and Citizenship Agency describes it as a unified national entry system.
Somaliland, which declared independence from Somalia in 1991, rejected application of the federal system within territory it controls and continued operating its own visa-on-arrival arrangements.
Somaliland authorities have repeatedly instructed airlines and travelers that Somalia-issued electronic visas are not valid at Hargeisa airport. In November 2025, Somaliland’s aviation minister told BBC Somali that travelers arriving with such documents would still be subject to Somaliland’s own immigration requirements.