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EU Imposes New Visa Restrictions on Somali Citizens
BRUSSELS, June 25, 2026 — The European Union has temporarily tightened visa rules for Somali citizens, citing insufficient cooperation from Somalia in the readmission of its nationals who are staying illegally in EU member states. According to an official EU document obtained by Shabelle Media Network, member states have been instructed to suspend the issuance […]
The European Union has temporarily tightened visa rules for Somali citizens, suspending multiple-entry visas and extending processing times due to insufficient cooperation from Somalia on the readmission of its nationals.
What was announced
- The EU has instructed member states to suspend the issuance of multiple-entry visas to Somali citizens.
- The processing period for visa applications from Somali nationals has been extended from 15 days to 45 days.
- The measures are intended to encourage the Somali government to improve collaboration on the repatriation of its citizens.
Context
The EU's decision follows an assessment of Somalia’s cooperation on the return and readmission of irregular migrants, which was deemed unsatisfactory.
“The restrictions are temporary and do not have a specified end date.”
Why this matters: Somali travelers seeking business, educational, family, and tourism visas to the EU will be significantly affected by these new restrictions.
Original report with a saved translation · English
English · Machine translated · Not human reviewed
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BRUSSELS, June 25, 2026 — The European Union has temporarily tightened visa rules for Somali citizens, citing insufficient cooperation from Somalia in the readmission of its nationals who are staying illegally in EU member states.
According to an official EU document obtained by Shabelle Media Network, member states have been instructed to suspend the issuance of multiple-entry visas to Somali citizens. The restriction does not apply to holders of diplomatic and official service passports, including senior government officials.
The EU has also extended the standard processing period for visa applications submitted by Somali nationals from 15 days to 45 days, significantly increasing waiting times for applicants.
European authorities said the measures were adopted following an assessment of Somalia’s cooperation on the return and readmission of irregular migrants. Brussels concluded that progress in this area had not met expectations, prompting the bloc to activate provisions under its visa policy framework.
Source noteWhy this story appears
This report is shown because it came from Warkasta’s monitored source network and matches the current section, recency, and coverage labels.
Why this story appears
This report is shown because it came from Warkasta’s monitored source network and matches the current section, recency, and coverage labels.
- Source count
- 1
- Sources used
- Shabelle Media
- Language mix
- English
- Translation status
- Shown in its original language
- AI synthesis
- No AI synthesis is used for this story panel
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