Information on the requirements to obtain a passport, and whether a political opponent of the Honduran government would be denied a passport [HND28330.E]

The information that follows was provided during a 15 December 1997 telephone interview with an officer at the embassy of Honduras in Ottawa.

To obtain a passport, a Honduran national must submit to the authorities an original copy (issued by the authorities) of his or her birth certificate; if the Honduran is abroad, an original copy can be obtained by a third party and sent to the applicant. In addition to the birth certificate, the person must submit his or her identity card (cédula de identidad) which is issued to every citizen and passport-sized photographs, fill out an application form, and pay a US$25 fee. If the passport is being requested to replace another, the applicant must also submit the older, expired passport or a police report attesting to its loss or theft. If the application is made abroad, the Honduran embassy or consulate officials submit the application to the Chancellery in Honduras, where the case is reviewed and approved or rejected. The process, from application to issuing of a passport abroad, can take approximately one month. The applications are reviewed individually, and the decision to issue a passport rests with the Chancellery.

Information on denial of passports to political opponents could not be found among the sources consulted. However, please find attached copies of sections from the Constitution of Honduras dealing with nationality and citizenship, which include articles describing the cases in which citizenship can be lost or suspended (articles 41 and 42).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.

Reference


Embassy of Honduras, Ottawa. 15 December 1997. Telephone interview with official.

Attachment


Constitutions of the Countries of the World. March 1997. "Honduras". Edited by Gisbert H. Flanz. Dobbs Ferry, NY: Oceana Publications, Inc., pp. 8-13.

Additional Sources Consulted


Central America NewsPak [Austin, Tex.]. Fortnightly.

Central America Report [Guatemala City]. Weekly.

Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS) Reports. Daily.

Human Rights Watch World Report. Yearly.

Keesing's Record of World Events [Cambridge]. Monthly.

Latinamerica Press [Lima]. Weekly.

Latin American Regional Reports: Central America & the Caribbean [London]. Monthly.

News from Americas Watch [New York]. Monthly.

Material from the Indexed Media Review (IMR) or country files containing articles and reports from diverse sources (primarily dailies and periodicals) from the Weekly Media Review.

Newspapers and periodicals pertaining to the appropriate region.

Electronic sources: IRB databases, Global NewsBank, NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD (UNHCR database), World News Connection.

Note:

This list is not exhaustive. Country-specific books available in the Resource Centre are not included.