Former ministers, Members of Parliament and other public officials who have left government service have been urged to surrender their official passports and obtain ordinary passports for personal travel.
The call was made by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which says many former government officials are still holding onto passports that were issued to them solely because of the positions they once occupied.
Speaking on the matter, the ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Simon Mundeyi, said compliance has remained low despite repeated reminders from authorities. He explained that official passports are government property and are only meant to be used by individuals actively serving in designated public offices.
According to Mundeyi, the fact that an official passport may still have several years before it expires does not give a former office holder the right to continue using it after leaving government service.
He warned that former officials who travel with such passports could face awkward situations at foreign immigration points, where they may be required to explain their current government role and the official purpose of their travel.
“If a person is no longer serving in government, questions may arise about why they are travelling on an official passport and what duties they are carrying out on behalf of Uganda,” Mundeyi said.
He added that returning the documents is not only a legal requirement but also helps travellers avoid unnecessary scrutiny when entering other countries.
The ministry clarified that Uganda issues different types of passports depending on a person’s status and purpose of travel.
Diplomatic passports, which are red in colour, are reserved for senior government leaders and diplomatic representatives such as the President, Vice President, Prime Minister, Cabinet ministers, ambassadors and other officials representing Uganda abroad.
Official or service passports are issued to public servants, Members of Parliament and government employees travelling on state assignments. These passports are linked directly to government employment and must be returned once the holder leaves office.
Ordinary passports, commonly used by Ugandan citizens for tourism, business, education and personal travel, remain valid regardless of a person’s employment status and are the appropriate documents for former public officials.
Uganda also issues Convention Travel Documents to recognised refugees, allowing them to travel internationally in line with international refugee protection agreements.
