The Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service (ICS) says it issued more than 1.6 million passports during the concluded Ethiopian fiscal year ended July 7, 2026.
The announcement was made during the institution’s annual performance review meeting, where all directorates presented and discussed their reports on the implementation of the year’s work plan. According to the performance review, the institution successfully provided more than 1.6 million passports to Ethiopian citizens during the fiscal year.
Regarding visa services, the Service issued 1,046,286 visas during the same period. In addition, it provided 32,952 Ethiopian Origin ID Cards (Yellow Cards) and issued 21,163 temporary and permanent residence permits, achieving its planned targets.
The institution also reported generating more than ETB 42.7 billion in revenue from passport, visa, Ethiopian Origin ID Card, and other related services.
At Ethiopia’s air and land border crossings, immigration officers processed travel documents for 7,225,691 arriving and departing travelers in accordance with international standards.
In the area of civil registration, the institution registered more than six million births and other vital events during the fiscal year.
As part of its efforts to combat illegal activities, the Service took legal action against 433 foreign nationals and 4,450 Ethiopian citizens who were caught using fraudulent documents. Additionally, 21 individuals were prosecuted for engaging in illegal brokerage activities.
Furthermore, 174 individuals were found illegally submitting online urgent passport applications, resulting in legal action being taken against them. In connection with these activities, 24 premises were sealed.
To improve accessibility and service delivery, the Immigration and Citizenship Service expanded its passport service network. In addition to the existing 12 branches, it established 11 regional branches and two additional branches in Addis Ababa, bringing the total number of Immigration Service branches providing e-passport services to 23.
The institution also expanded services through the Mesob One-Stop Service Center, enabling citizens to access passports and other immigration services closer to where they live.
The Director General of the Ethiopian Immigration and Citizenship Service, Ms. Selamawit Dawit, stated that compared with the previous fiscal year, the institution recorded improved performance across all service delivery and regulatory functions.
She noted that a major contributor to this success was the complete replacement of the institution’s outdated information system. By completing network infrastructure across the headquarters and all branch offices, the Service successfully transitioned to a new digital system, significantly enhancing its operational capacity.
The Director General of ICS further emphasized that the digitization of work processes, the commitment of the leadership and professional staff, strengthened human resource capacity, and continuous training programs were key factors behind the institution’s successful performance.
In addition to reviewing the implementation of the 2018 Ethiopian fiscal year plan, the institution also discussed and approved its 2019 Ethiopian fiscal year operational plan.
