The European Union has moved to tighten visa rules for Somali nationals, escalating a simmering dispute with Mogadishu over the return and readmission of Somalis who have been ordered to leave EU territory.

Under the new measures, Somali applicants will no longer be eligible for multiple-entry Schengen visas, a change that will particularly affect businesspeople, students, diaspora families and humanitarian workers who travel frequently between Somalia and Europe. Visa processing times will also be extended to up to 45 days, significantly slowing legitimate travel.

In a further hardening of policy, holders of Somali diplomatic and service passports will lose access to fee waivers and simplified procedures that are normally granted under EU rules. Somali officials and government delegations will now face the same costs and administrative hurdles as ordinary applicants.

EU officials say the decision follows what they describe as persistent non-cooperation by Somali authorities in accepting the return of their nationals who have exhausted legal avenues to remain in Europe. Member states have complained that travel documents are issued slowly or not at all, and that identification of returnees is frequently contested, making deportations difficult to carry out.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has publicly rejected the EU’s criticism, insisting that Somalia is prepared to receive its citizens. He argues, however, that a significant number of people presenting themselves as Somali in Europe are in fact nationals of other countries in the region who claim Somali identity to strengthen their asylum cases. According to Mogadishu, this complicates verification and fuels disputes over who is genuinely Somali.

The standoff highlights the tension between European efforts to step up removals of irregular migrants and the capacity and willingness of origin states to cooperate. Somalia, still grappling with insecurity, political fragility and limited administrative resources, faces pressure from both its large diaspora and European governments demanding faster readmissions.

The EU has previously used similar visa leverage against countries such as Ethiopia and The Gambia, measures that were later lifted after those governments improved cooperation on returns. Brussels is signaling that Somalia could see the restrictions reversed if it demonstrates more consistent acceptance of deported nationals and streamlines procedures for confirming identity and issuing travel documents.