GAROWE, Somalia – Passengers arriving at Garowe Airport this week found themselves paying for visas twice, after Puntland authorities refused to accept Somalia’s newly launched federal e-visa system—laying bare the deep political rifts between Mogadishu and the semi-autonomous region.
On Sunday, Somali travellers carrying foreign passports who had already secured the official $64 federal e-visa online were told they still had to buy a separate $60 visa issued by Puntland. Immigration officers declined to honor the federal document, leaving travellers in long queues and sparking outrage among those forced to dig into their wallets again.
One of them, Mohamed Keynan, described the experience as both “predatory” and unconstitutional.
“When I landed in Garowe, immigration demanded another $60. Long lines of passengers—confused and angry—were forced to pay twice,” he said.
Families were hit the hardest, witnesses added, with some spending hundreds of dollars just to come home. “This is not normal. This does not build society. It is predatory,” Keynan repeated, his frustration echoing that of many others.
At the heart of the dispute lies a clash of authority. The Somali constitution gives immigration powers to the federal government. However, Puntland’s stance has effectively created two competing systems—one national, one regional. For now, it is international visitors and diaspora Somalis with foreign passports who are bearing the cost.
The controversy erupted just days after Mogadishu officially rolled out its new E-VISA/ETAS system on September 1, 2025. The Immigration and Citizenship Agency hailed the digital platform as a “historic milestone,” promising it would modernise services, enhance security, and ensure revenues flow transparently into federal coffers.
Director General Mustafa Duhulow said the system put Somalia in line with global standards, while Interior Security Minister Abdullahi Sheikh Ismail Fartaag stressed that “all foreign visitors” must now apply online before arriving.
But Puntland has flatly rejected the change. By demanding a separate $60 visa on arrival, Garowe is not only asserting control over its own borders but also signalling its broader political defiance of Mogadishu on issues of autonomy, revenue, and power-sharing.
For travellers, though, politics is beside the point.
“This is not about who is right or wrong,” said Keynan. “The issue is the rights of ordinary citizens and diaspora families, who are being unfairly charged for political reasons.”
The row is particularly sensitive because most international passengers arriving in Garowe are Puntlanders returning from the diaspora. Instead of benefiting from the federal government’s modernised digital system, they find themselves paying twice—once for the $64 e-visa, and again for the $60 local permit.
For many, it feels like an unjust tax on their loyalty and ties to home. Families who have saved for months to visit loved ones are now burdened with unexpected costs and humiliation at the airport.
Rather than strengthening its hand, Puntland’s refusal to recognise the federal system risks alienating its own people—who are left carrying the financial and emotional weight of political disputes between Garowe and Mogadishu.