Somaliland has implicitly acknowledged that Somalia’s federal e-Visa system is being applied in practice during travel checks, even as Hargeisa continues to insist the visa does not operate in territories under Somaliland’s control. The admission came from Somaliland’s Minister of Civil Aviation and Airports, Fuad Ahmed Nur, who said passengers are being asked to present the e-Visa—signalling that the requirement has become embedded in parts of the travel process.

Speaking to the BBC while on a visit to the United Kingdom, Nur said no legal resolution has been reached in the separate, long-running dispute over the management of Somali airspace between Somaliland and the Federal Government of Somalia. He also said there is no agreement on the e-Visa issue, accusing Mogadishu of “misusing” a 2012 arrangement to portray itself internationally as the authority responsible for Somaliland’s airspace, and adding that Somaliland is pursuing legal avenues to contest that claim.

On the e-Visa, Nur argued that Somaliland does not recognise the measure as valid for entry into areas it administers, and said Somaliland is seeking to clarify that position to international partners. Asked why Somaliland has not been able to stop airlines and international airports from enforcing the requirement, he pointed to international aviation compliance standards under ICAO, which, he said, can oblige carriers to verify a traveller’s entry clearance—often framed as a “single visa” or “single country entry” requirement—during routine checks.

Somalia introduced the e-Visa system in early September, triggering political and technical pushback from Somaliland, while airspace tensions that disrupted some flights in early 2024 remain unresolved without a publicly announced settlement. Somaliland has previously said it would pursue legal action over alleged overreach in airspace administration, claims Mogadishu rejects as unfounded, maintaining that airspace management is a federal responsibility; the dispute resurfaced again in 2025 after international carriers reportedly began requiring foreign passport-holders on certain routes to carry Somalia’s e-Visa.