The government is preparing to introduce a green-coloured service passport for public servants and state officers who travel abroad on official assignments but are not eligible for diplomatic passports.

Immigration and Citizen Services Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang disclosed the plan on Thursday, November 5, 2026, while appearing before the National Assembly Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security.

Kipsang told lawmakers that the documents had already been printed but could only be issued after the government completes the regulations governing their use.

The proposed passport will provide an additional category of travel document alongside Kenya’s ordinary and diplomatic passports. It is intended for officials undertaking authorised government assignments outside the country whose positions do not meet the existing requirements for diplomatic passports.

The announcement signals a planned expansion of the service passport category, which has previously been used by members of disciplined services, including police and military personnel, when travelling abroad on official duties.

The new arrangement is expected to cover a wider group of public officers whose responsibilities require international travel on behalf of the government.

The proposed document targets public servants and state officers who are required to undertake official foreign assignments but fall outside the categories recognised for diplomatic passports. However, the government has not yet published the final eligibility criteria, meaning it is not yet clear which specific offices, job grades or categories of public servants will qualify.

The regulations are expected to provide the framework for determining who can receive the document, the circumstances under which it may be issued and the conditions governing its use.

The fact that the passports have already been printed does not mean they are immediately available to applicants. Their issuance remains dependent on the completion of the required regulatory process. The government has also not announced a specific date for the commencement of distribution or provided details of the application process.

The proposed service passport is intended to address the gap between ordinary travel documents and diplomatic passports. Ordinary passports are issued to Kenyan citizens for general international travel, including personal, business, educational and other journeys.

Diplomatic passports, on the other hand, are reserved for designated state officials and other categories recognised under the law. They facilitate travel connected to official duties and diplomatic functions.

Under the existing Kenya Citizenship and Immigration Regulations, 2012, diplomatic passports are available to specified office holders and their eligible family members. The regulations also give the Cabinet Secretary responsible for immigration discretion to authorise the issuance of a diplomatic passport to someone outside the listed categories where considered necessary.

Kipsang told the committee that diplomatic passports must be issued carefully, taking into account the responsibilities of the office holders concerned.

“The diplomatic passport is an official travel document intended to facilitate travel in connection with official duties and diplomatic functions. Its issuance must therefore be undertaken with due consideration and caution, taking into account the mandate and functions of the office bearers,” he said.

The service passport would therefore provide another option for government officials travelling on authorised assignments without automatically expanding the group entitled to diplomatic passports.

The immediate next step is the completion of the regulations required to operationalise the service passport. Once the rules are finalised, the Immigration Department will be in a position to clarify the categories of officials eligible for the document and the procedures for its issuance.

For now, public servants who regularly travel abroad for government work will have to wait for the formal guidelines before knowing whether they qualify.

The proposed service passport is part of a wider discussion on how Kenya manages official international travel and determines which public officers should receive different categories of government-issued travel documents.

Although the passports have already been printed, their rollout will depend on the completion of the regulatory process. The government has yet to announce when the first documents will be issued.