Afghanistan’s Taliban government announced a new visa policy on Monday. They will allow people with visas from the previous Western-backed government to stay in the country for now. However, these individuals cannot return without documents from a Taliban-approved diplomatic mission.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry made the announcement on the social media platform X. This clarified their earlier statement from July 30, which said they would no longer accept documents from consulates and diplomatic missions staffed by former government members.
This move is part of the Taliban’s strategy to control Afghanistan’s representation abroad since they returned to power in 2021. The Taliban’s blacklisting of diplomatic missions in Canada, Australia, and several European countries means that many people may have to travel great distances to get documents issued, renewed, or certified.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry stated that documents from missions in the UK, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Norway, Sweden, Canada, and Australia are invalid unless registered with the ministry in Kabul. They cited administrative corruption, lack of transparency, and lack of coordination as reasons for invalidating these documents.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry clarified that their acceptable diplomatic missions in Europe include the consulate general in Munich, Germany, and the embassies in the Netherlands, Spain, Bulgaria, and the Czech Republic.
A council representing ambassadors appointed by the previous government issued a statement last week. They said these missions remain committed to providing consular services in collaboration with host country authorities. The Coordination Council of Ambassadors and General Consulates of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan criticized the Taliban for creating problems for Afghan refugees and citizens living abroad.
The Taliban’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to questions about the number of Afghans affected by this decision. They also mentioned that online consular services are not yet available.
In March 2023, the Taliban stated they were attempting to take control of more Afghan embassies abroad. Their chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the administration had sent diplomats to at least 14 countries.
Many Taliban leaders are under sanctions, and no country recognizes them as Afghanistan’s legitimate rulers. Afghanistan’s seat at the United Nations is still held by the former government led by Ashraf Ghani, though the Taliban are seeking to claim that seat as well.
