Emergency passports available in specific urgent cases

Algerians living abroad and people living in Algeria who must travel quickly can apply for an emergency passport in certain urgent cases, DNAlgerie reported.

An expired, lost or unusable passport can disrupt a trip abroad, especially when a family event or an administrative duty requires fast travel. The emergency passport is a travel document created by executive decree No. 16-58 of 3 February 2016.

Who can apply

Algerians registered with a consulate abroad can ask for the document when they do not have a valid biometric passport and must travel urgently outside their country of residence. The accepted reasons are family, professional, administrative or medical.

The rules also cover Algerians abroad who lose their passport while in another country, or have it stolen or damaged. In that case, the document can allow them to continue their journey or return to their country of residence.

Algerians who are not registered with a consulate can also apply. This applies when the authorities of the host country have already accepted their request to make their stay legal, but they need a valid passport to complete the process.

Algerians living abroad who are temporarily in Algeria are covered too. This applies if they lose their passport, have it stolen or damaged, or see it expire, and they must return to their country of residence.

People living in Algeria can apply when a family, professional, administrative or medical reason obliges them to leave the country quickly.

Checks by the consulate

Having an urgent reason does not automatically mean the passport will be issued. Consular posts and administrative bodies must assess the circumstances presented and decide whether they justify this procedure.

Fawzi Dib, consul of Algeria in Nice, said in the consular podcast of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the head of the diplomatic or consular post assesses urgency. Each request must be supported by documents that show the situation is real.

In Algeria, it can be made at the wilaya or at the authorised services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, depending on the applicant's situation.

Documents needed

Guidance from the Ministry of the Interior says the file depends on the applicant's situation and place of residence. The form must be filled in and signed by the applicant.

For minors, the legal representative completes this step.

The applicant must also provide a copy of the old passport or, if it was lost, stolen or damaged, the matching declaration.

People registered with a consulate must attach a copy of their consular registration card.