Taliban diplomats said Thursday that passport issuance for Afghan citizens had resumed at Afghanistan’s consulate in Bonn after a prolonged pause following the transfer of the mission from diplomats of the former republic government.
The consulate said in a post on X that about 4,000 passports are currently being printed and will soon be ready for distribution to applicants.
Consular services at Afghanistan’s many diplomatic missions of abroad were disrupted after the collapse of the former government in 2021 and the Taliban’s return to power.
Some embassies and consulates continued operating under diplomats appointed by the former government, while others gradually came under the control of Taliban diplomats.
The uncertainty has led to delays in services such as passport issuance and document processing for Afghans living overseas.
The transfer of the consulate services in Bonn to Taliban diplomats has faced backlash by many critics and Afghan nationals who have said they would not feel safe to apply for a passport at the consulate.
Some Afghan citizens living abroad say they still face difficulties completing administrative procedures at Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions, particularly in parts of Europe and the US.
They say that restarting passport issuance alone is not enough and that full consular services — including document certification and civil registration — should be restored to address the needs of the Afghan diaspora.
No country, except Russia, has recognized the Taliban rule. The international community has said that any normalization would be dependent on respect to the rights of women and girls.
