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IMPACT – MEDIUM
What is the change? A pan-Africa passport was unveiled Sunday at the African Union summit in Kigali. The electronic passport will eventually allow African nationals to travel visa-free within the continent.
What does the change mean? The African Union passport will first be available to diplomats and is expected to be issued to regular travelers by 2020.
Background: The African Union passport, an idea first proposed in 2014, aims to foster intra-African trade, integration and social development by facilitating the free movement of people, goods and services.
In a symbolic act during an assembly of African Union heads of state on Sunday, the first passports were handed to the current chair of the African Union, President H.E. Idriss Déby Itno of Chad and to President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, which is hosting the summit. It is expected to take two to four years for the 54 member countries to issue the passports to regular travelers with the aim of making visa-free African travel a reality by 2020.
BAL Analysis: The move toward a common passport is consistent with efforts to ease or eliminate visa requirements by individual African countries and regional blocs on the continent, including Ghana’s new policy of allowing all African Union nationals to obtain visas upon arrival. An African Union passport will significantly reduce bureaucratic hurdles for African citizens traveling and conducting business throughout Africa.
This alert has been provided by the BAL Global Practice group. For additional information, please contact your BAL attorney.
Copyright © 2016 Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. All rights reserved. Reprinting or digital redistribution to the public is permitted only with the express written permission of Berry Appleman & Leiden LLP. For inquiries please contact copyright@bal.com.
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