European Union Imposes Visa Restrictions on Somali Citizens

The European Union imposed visa restrictions on Somali citizens after member states approved the measures Thursday. The action followed a European Commission assessment that Somalia's cooperation on readmitting nationals refused the right to stay in Europe was insufficient. Under the new rules, EU member states can no longer issue multiple-entry visas to Somalis.

The fee waiver for holders of Somali diplomatic passports has been removed, and the standard processing time for visa applications has been extended from 15 to 45 days. The suspension has no fixed end date. Somalia's President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud addressed the measures at an Independence Day event Thursday.

“We haven’t rejected our people; they own this country. And we cannot reject them,” he said. ” Mohamud noted that people across the Horn of Africa share a similar appearance and that some present themselves as Somali to claim asylum in Europe.

“If they are Somali, then we’ll take them. If they aren’t, we’ll help you find out where they are from, and you can send them there,” he said. ” The EU previously imposed similar restrictions on The Gambia in 2021 and on Ethiopia in 2024, lifting the Ethiopian measures in May after determining cooperation had improved.

The visa restrictions add to existing travel limits for Somalis. The United States imposed a sweeping travel ban in 2025 covering citizens of a dozen countries, including Somalia. This month, Somali referee Omar Abdulkadir Artan, named Africa’s referee of the year in 2025, was denied entry to the United States despite holding a valid visa and could not officiate at the World Cup.