A representative of the Embassy of Ethiopia in Washington, DC, stated that to the best of his knowledge, Ethiopian passport numbers contained the letter P followed by five digits from 1978 until 1989 or 1990 (16 Apr. 1996). After 1990 they contained the letter E followed by six digits (ibid.). A representative of the Embassy of Ethiopia in Ottawa was able to confirm that an Ethiopian passport contained a letter followed by six digits as of 1989, but could not provide information for the years prior to 1989 (16 Apr. 1996). According to the Passport Handbook to Check the Authenticity of Passports, an Ethiopian national passport contains six digits preceded by a letter (1995).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB 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.

Embassy of Ethiopia, Ottawa. 16 April 1996. Telephone interview with representative

Embassy of Ethiopia, Washington, DC. 16 April 1996. Telephone interview with representative.

Passport Handbook to Check the Authenticity of Passports (with current amendments). 1995. Supplement 6. Utrecht: Kluwerpers.