Ali Al-Haimi, 70 years old, was planning to travel to perform Umrah rituals this year when one of his sons came across an advertisement for discounts on Umrah packages by a travel agency. The discounts were offered for three months (Jumada Al-Awwal, Jumada Al-Thani, and Rajab), with the total cost of the Umrah package amounting to 1300 Saudi Riyals, including housing, transportation, meals, and beverages.
The family was very enthusiastic about taking this step and seizing the opportunity of the discounts, fulfilling the father's wish 'to visit Mecca for Umrah before his passing away'. The first step towards this was obtaining a passport, which turned out later to be more challenging than the family expected.
However, they were shocked when they heard about the suffering of citizens in obtaining passports and the prolonged duration required for passport delivery. One of the sons contacted a travel agency office to inquire about the cost of acquiring a passport remotely, aiming to avoid traveling long distances that could strain the father's health, and to expedite the passport issuance within a short period, in order to catch the opportunity for Umrah offers. Yet, they were surprised by the price requested from them, which was 2000 Saudi riyals.
Consequently, they had no choice but to abandon this idea due to their limited income; they cannot afford such amounts. The idea of traveling to one of the governorates under the control of the internationally recognized government, applying for a passport there, and then waiting for an unspecified duration was deemed futile, according to one of Ali Al-Haimi's sons. Speaking to “Khuyut,” he expressed, "Even if my father managed to travel, we might receive the passport too late, after the offers that encouraged us to take this step have expired. Additionally, it is unreasonable that the total cost of Umrah is 1300 Saudi Riyals, while the urgent passport issuance costs 2000 Saudi Riyals. Therefore, the only solution was to cancel the idea and return to Sana'a."
“We have reached out to several officials at the Passport and Immigration Authority in both Marib and Aden to clarify the reasons behind the delays in passport processing and the inadequate supply of booklets currently available, which fails to meet the existing demand. Colonel Nasr Al-Shawish from the Passport Authority branch in Aden affirmed that this delay is attributed to the high population density and the commencement of the Hajj and Umrah season.”
Not only the elderly Ali and his family were affected by this situation and the exploitation occurring in the Immigration and Passport Authority facilities; there is not a single corruption story without victims. Here, one of the most critical crises facing Yemenis is embodied; obtaining a passport as a citizen is one of the most challenging things you can think of at the moment, despite the fact that the least right of a citizen is to have a Yemeni passport, proving his identity and belonging to his country.
Challenges Posed by Rough Roads and Long Distances
Residents of northern provinces under the authority of the Houthis, who intend to obtain passports, must travel to one of the internationally recognized government provinces to obtain a legitimate passport that is accepted at airports. This comes after a decision issued by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior in the Aden government, No. (91/12/W.D) in December 2018, which prohibits dealing with passports issued in Sanaa and areas not under its government's control.
This decision has exacerbated the hardship faced by citizens, especially the elderly and the sick. For instance, there is significant difficulty in traveling to Marib province, located northeast of the capital Sanaa, approximately 173 kilometers away. So, due to the closure of main roads leading to the province, citizens may have to take a route through the Al-Jawf desert, which could take at least 7 hours to reach the same province. This is compounded by the roughness of the road, lack of security, and the spread of bandits in those areas.
You may also be at risk of getting lost or stranded in the deserts if you are driving your personal vehicle. Alternatively, you would need to hire a guide, often referred to as a "Al-Dalil," at a cost ranging from 100 to 150 Saudi riyals.
Likewise, the road to Taiz has become significantly longer due to the closure of main roads since the outbreak of the war. Previously, the distance from Al-Hawban to the city center used to take no more than 30 minutes, but now requires a minimum of five hours. Additionally, the road to Aden, which faces similar challenges; it is extremely long for northern provinces, with many checkpoints controlled by conflicting parties along the route.
As for Ahmed Abdulilah, a 28-year-old young man married with a child, he graduated from the Faculty of Engineering at Ibb University. After graduation, he found the door to jobs and employment closed in his face, like many other youth in Yemen. He tells "Khuyut," "There are many architectural engineers, but on the other hand, there are not enough job opportunities to accommodate fresh graduates from universities."
This young man decided to distance himself from this reality, search for job opportunities outside the country, and migrate. He arrived in Aden on October 1st of the past year, 2023, after a full day of travel, intending to obtain a passport for himself and his family. The trip to Aden cost him around 80,000 Yemeni riyals (at the currency exchange rate in Sana'a, where the dollar is valued at 530 riyals, while the amount doubles at Aden's exchange rate, reaching over 1600 riyals for one US dollar) for the round-trip transportation. Additionally, housing cost him 150 Saudi riyals per night, along with other expenses totaling 100 Saudi riyals, in addition to the fee for each passport of 100 Saudi riyals. After four months now, the news of the passport issuance is still pending without any progress. This is the fate of every Yemeni citizen who takes rugged paths and follows the official legal procedures for obtaining a passport.
Thus, such instances of extortion and exploitation against Yemenis are diverse; priority is given to those who pay more. Ahmed Abdulilah, for instance, was asked to pay 500 Saudi Riyals to expedite his passport issuance. Despite the long wait and attempts to contact officials, this offer remains unchanged: "Your passport won't be printed until you pay 500 Saudi Riyals."
The lawyer and legal expert, Muath Al-Qirshi, a civil status lawyer, tells "Khuyut" that these amounts are unofficial and represent a black market for selling passports, exploiting people's needs.
Due to the division plaguing Yemen due to the ongoing conflict since 2015 and the difficulties of travel, brokers from the market players have become active, exploiting all these security conditions.
Al-Qirshi adds, "Every Yemeni has the right to obtain a passport, provided that the required conditions are met, and the legally prescribed fees are paid, as stipulated by the law, which were set at five thousand Yemeni Riyals. Those are the fees you need to obtain your passport. However, the country's current circumstances have led to this dire situation."
On the other hand, we have reached out to several officials at the Passport and immigration Authority in both Marib and Aden to clarify the reasons behind the delays in passport processing and the inadequate supply of booklets currently available, which fails to meet the existing demand. Colonel Nasr Al-Shawsh from the Passport Authority branch in Aden affirmed that this delay is attributed to the high population density and the commencement of the Hajj and Umrah season.
Remote Passport Issuance: High Costs Involved
In the context of needing to obtain a passport, Iman Abdulkarim's fiancé, who has been living outside Yemen for a long time, contacted her father, stressing the urgency of completing the marriage contract to begin the process of her entry into the country where he resides. This prompted the girl's father to opt for obtaining the passport remotely through one of the travel agencies in Sana'a, at a cost of approximately 1800 Saudi Riyals, in exchange for receiving the passport within a period of up to 30 days, all to expedite the passport issuance and complete the marriage contract.
This type of procedure and transactions (remote passport issuance) has emerged recently due to the political, economic, institutional, and geographical divisions in Yemen, as well as the difficulty of travel and mobility between governorates.
“Regarding the amounts required for issuing a passport remotely, those working in this field confirm that it includes the passport's cost and the fees for obtaining it. However, citizens perceive these costs differently. They consider the process from another perspective, as traveling to one of the governorates affiliated with the internationally recognized government requires full time, expenses, transportation fees, and travel risks amidst the current division. This situation, which some offices and brokers take advantage of, is not in compliance with the laws applicable in Yemen.”
As a result, several travel agencies have become active, offering their services to citizens who cannot travel and attend personally for passport procedures. This service is called "remote passport services," where the person is required to provide all necessary documents for passport processing, personal photos, and a fee that can reach up to 2,500 Saudi riyals.
Al-Qirshi wonders about the legality and safety of remote passports issuance, especially in the context of Yemen's exceptional situation due to war, conflict, and the division in the country. This challenging reality has resulted in citizens bearing the brunt of its consequences.
The closure of Sana'a airport has led to the problem of non-recognition of passports issued from Sana'a and some provinces under the control of the Houthi group. Consequently, Yemeni citizens have faced the dilemma of needing a passport accepted in internationally recognized government areas. This has resulted in the widespread and active presence of agencies providing passports, sometimes requiring the individual's presence and other times not, with the primary focus being on providing the correct personal document copies to obtain the passport.
Al-Qirshi says, "In Yemen, there is the 'Passports and Immigration Authority,' which is responsible for issuing passports to citizens through its main center and branches across the governorates. However, the current division is what stands behind the emergence of the passport issuance problem. He points out that what regulates the process of passports issuance is the law and the regulations governing the work of the Immigration and Passport Authority."
In Yemen, there is Law No. 7 of 1999 regarding passports; however, there are no regulations at all governing the process of obtaining passports remotely. According to Al-Qirshi, this is in violation of the law, as the principle is for the citizen to personally attend to obtain the passport after submitting the required documents for issuance.
Regarding the amount required for issuing a passport remotely, those working in this field confirm that it includes the passport's cost and the fees for obtaining it. However, citizens perceive these costs differently. They consider the process from another perspective, as traveling to one of the governorates affiliated with the internationally recognized government requires full time, expenses, transportation fees, and travel risks amidst the current division. This situation, which some offices and brokers take advantage of, is not in compliance with the laws applicable in Yemen.
Further, "Khuyut," which reached out to several officials in the Passports and Immigration Authority, did not receive any response regarding the legality and safety of the procedures for obtaining passports remotely.
Options and Arduous Distances
We contacted several travel agencies specializing in travel, Umrah, and Hajj services to inquire about the prices and procedures for obtaining passports remotely. The average total cost for one passport ranged from 1800 to 2200 Saudi Riyals.
Adel Salem (a pseudonym), a travel agency director, tells "Khuyut": "We offer two services for passport issuance; the first one requires the person's presence and costs 600 Saudi Riyals, including transportation, housing, passport fees, and an amount for those working in passport services, aiming to expedite the printing of the passport booklet within a period ranging from one month to two months."
When we inquired about the time it takes to obtain a passport if a person travels and follows all the procedures performed by such offices without paying any amount outside the official passport fees, he replied, "No passport booklet is printed unless a specific amount is paid to them."
The other option is remotely; in which the person provides all valid documents, including the national ID card, birth certificate if they are a child, the father's passport or his ID card, or the marriage contract if the applicant is female, and then the passport is issued within a period of up to ten days, according to the director of this office.
Many are puzzled by the decision not to recognize passports issued from Sana'a and other provinces in northern Yemen, aiming to prevent the Houthi authorities from issuing numerous genuine passports and committing forgery. Nevertheless, national identity cards issued by the Civil Status Authority in Sanaa are considered valid for passport applications, although they originate from an entity under Houthi control.
In light of the exploitation and heightened suffering, some believe that remote passport issuance is a good solution, away from the exploitation faced by citizens. However, it remains the only solution for some patients, especially those unable to travel and endure all those long and rugged distances imposed on Yemenis."
