Multi-stakeholder Pledge: Refugee Travel Documents – The 21st Century Nansen Passport
Multi-stakeholder Pledge: Refugee Travel Documents – The 21st Century Nansen Passport
Key outcomes
Commitments which form part of this multi-stakeholder pledge will contribute towards improved access to family reunification for refugees and additional complementary pathways, as well as increased economic inclusion, access to livelihoods, and expanded access to higher education.
This may include:
- States pledging to provide and accept machine-readable refugee travel documents which allow departure and return to the countries of asylum without risk of being refouled.
- Improvements to existing law and policy frameworks that incorporate additional best practices.
- Initiatives that may assist with legal and policy expertise, technological assistance, and other relevant areas.
Background
Like anyone, refugees need to be able to travel in their regions and beyond. Complementary pathways and family reunification offer them opportunities to secure their own future in safety. To take up such opportunities, refugees need easy, ready access to renewable travel documents.
While refugee travel documents are not new – the first refugee travel documents were issued by Fridtjof Nansen in 1922 through the League of Nations and various States have been issuing them since the 1940s, refugee travel documents require keeping in pace with modern requirements and upholding the standards on biometric passports regulated by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Pledge description
Refugee travel documents should allow departure and return to the countries of asylum without risk of being refouled, facilitation of visas, and to have travel plans considered on merit without discrimination based on their legal status or nationality.
Continuing the momentum from the countries pledging on travel documents at the GRF 2019, this umbrella pledge aims to have concrete commitments from at least 15 States to provide and accept machine-readable refugee travel documents that:
- Travel documents should be issued by the State where refugees or stateless persons lawfully reside, except in exceptional circumstances related to serious national security or public order concerns.
- The application, renewal, and replacement process shall be transparent, fair, efficient, and sensitive to protection needs, and documents should be renewable abroad through consulates or embassies.
- Travel documents shall be affordable (at or below the cost of national passports), and should be valid for at least five years, and allow unlimited journeys.
- They must be machine-readable, meet ICAO standards, and ensure protection against refoulement, including by recording nationality as refugee or stateless person or by omitting this field.
- Valid documents shall guarantee the right to return to the issuing state, and be recognized internationally for visas. It should permit travel to all states and territories.
For States already issuing and accepting machine readable travel documents, the pledge would also cover improvements to law and policy frameworks that incorporate additional best practices (e.g. increased validity length periods). For non-State actors, this pledge extends to initiatives that may assist with legal and policy expertise, technological assistance, and other relevant areas.
Pledges to Match
GRF-01768 – Kyrgyzstan – Set-up a national system to issue machine readable Convention Travel Documents (MRCTDs). Find out more about matching this pledge.
GRF-07191 – South Sudan – Production of digital IDs and MRCTD for refugees in the country. Find out more about matching this pledge.
GRF-07468 – Chad – Issuance of MRCTD for refugees in the country. Find out more about matching this pledge.
GRF-11073 – Cote d’Ivoire – Issuance of refugee travel documents at the same cost as for nationals. Find out more about matching this pledge.
Target 1 – Setting up Systems
- In 2025, Chile began issuing MRCTDs to refugees in line with standards from the 2017 joint UNHCR-ICAO guide.
- Mexico is providing State-issued MRCTD to refugees since late 2024.1
- Ethiopia introduced new identification documents, including an electronic machine readable convention travel document, Alien Passport and Emergency Travel Document, with expanded service centres improving nationwide access.
- In Chad, the rollout of biometric national ID cards is underway, with international donor support, establishing a foundation for future MRCTD issuance.
- Kyrgyzstan adopted amendments to the Law on Refugees in April 2023 introducing the concept of a refugee travel document, with implementation currently underway.
- South Sudan has taken necessary steps towards issuance of digital IDs and MRCTDs. The legal framework is in place including the (2024) Civil Registration and National Identification Regulations and a (November 2024) ministerial order No. 05/2024 extending the validity of CTDs to 5-years and enabling renewals abroad. Progress to the next steps depends on availability of funds.
1Mexico is not a formal pledging entity under the multi-stakeholder pledge on travel documents but submitted an aligned pledge that focuses on refugee inclusion by strengthening public policies to address refugees’ identity-related needs.
Target 2 – Improving Systems
- Burkina Faso fulfilled their pledge by extending their MRCTD validity period from 1 year to 5 years.
- In 2023/2024, Uganda introduced an online platform for issuing Convention Travel Documents, improving efficiency and predictability and resulting in a notable increase in applications by 2025.
- Côte d’Ivoire has authorized the issuance of refugee travel documents at the same cost as for nationals.
Target 3 – Partnerships, Funding and Capacity Building
- In Canada, an ongoing analysis is assessing gaps in the use of refugee travel documents to inform engagement with international partners and other States.
- New Zealand and Australia delivered the first milestone of their joint pledge through a 2024 Refugee Travel Document workshop in Bangkok, with Australia funding officials’ participation.
- IOM contributed to the 2024 Expert Roundtable on Travel Documents, helping develop recommendations on standardization and identity verification, and continued supporting related global initiatives on legal identity.
- Secure Identity Alliance participated in the UNHCR–University of Essex Expert Roundtable on Travel Documents in 2024, contributing to discussions on CTD standardization and joining the Working Group on Travel Documents.
Leadership
Working Group on Travel Documents
Contact details
DIPS Third Country Solutions Unit and Field Protection Service
Calendar
- December 2023: launch of the Multi-Stakeholder Pledge on Refugee Travel Documents at the Global Refugee Forum 2023
- October 2025: Webinar for pledging entities, details to be confirmed
- 15-17 December 2025: Global Refugee Forum Progress Review