The Immigration, Nationality & Vital Events Agency has reopened the gates of the Ethio-Djibouti border that were closed for the last five months due to the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19). The border was opened up following approval by the Council of Ministers. The government of Djibouti was asking to open up the border due to the economic significance of the route to both countries, according to Mujib Jemal, director-general of the Agency. Currently, there are three routes to the border including Dewele, Belho and Afar. The Agency will also resume issuing and renewing passports through an online system, according to the director. The new system is expected to cut the time to obtain a new passport down to a month from the current two and a half months. It will also process urgent passport needs within five days, while the time for renewal of passports will be slashed to a month from the previous three months.
Loading your updates...