The Directorate of Civil Registration and Immigration says it has no mandate to issue diplomatic passports and print them without the approval of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Lieutenant Colonel, Philip Kuch Manyuom Assistant Director for Finance was reacting to the Council of Ministers’ Friday directive stopping the issuance of diplomatic and special passports to unauthorized persons.

The decision was reached after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it observed that some individuals without any official titles are possessing diplomatic and special passports.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Deng Dau Deng appealed to the cabinet to enforce the order.

He said the unauthorized issuance of the documents has caused inconveniences during their international travels.

Responding to the decision, Colonel, Philip Kuch Manyuom who is the Assistant Director for Finance at the immigration department says, the documents were approved by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they were only verified before printing.

Kuch says after printing, the passports are then sent back to the ministry for stamping and handed to their rightful owners.

“When somebody is applying for a diplomatic passport they must have a letter from their work institution,” said Kuch.

“It is not our jurisdiction as the Department of Immigration,” he said.

“When they write the letter, they write it for Foreign Affairs. And then Foreign Affairs will verify and approve that this person is legible to be given a diplomatic one,

“A diplomatic passport is not for everyone, it is mainly for government officials, ambassadors, and the minister’s diplomats, and it is approved by the Department of foreign affairs, then it will be sent to us,

“We verify all documents page by page, and if meet all the criteria, then we will be sent back again to the minister of foreign affairs to stamp it. So, ours in terms of diplomatic is just only printing.”

In a video conference on May 21, 2023, Acting Foreign Minister Deng Dau Deng said the ministry would not renew invalid passports for former diplomats in a bid to flush out special passports in the hands of undeserving individuals.

Deng Dau spoke in a 10-point program meant to regain the international community’s respect.