Somali nationals carrying passports issued by the Horn of Africa nation will have reason to smile after Norwegian government accepted to recognize Somali passports thanks to a meeting between officials from both countries in Mogadishu.
"The Norwegian ambassador stated that she had started arrangements to reopen a permanent diplomatic office in Mogadishu to facilitate official and service work,” the statement reads in part. ".....revealing that the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration recognized the Somali passport, and expressed her country's support for the electoral process in Somalia.”


According the statement, the state minister affirmed Somalia's keenness to strengthen its relationship with Norway, where a large Somali community resides, which has a developmental and constructive vision.

The minister also noted the importance of expanding the strategic partnership to achieve the common interests of the two friendly countries.

In 2019, Belgium's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had officially recognized the diplomatic and service passports issued by Somalia.

Since the collapse of Somalia's central government in the early '90s, many countries refused to recognize the legitimacy of Somalia's passports. The lack of authority made forging passports rampant.