Mali passport and the AES passport

The AES passport

A communiqué dated 23 January 2025 and signed by General Assimi Goïta as President of the AES Confederation announced that AES passports would enter circulation from 29 January 2025 ¹. It said older passports stay valid until their expiry date and that holders of valid ECOWAS-logo passports may replace them under the applicable rules ¹.

Sidwaya reported on 4 January 2026, citing Burkina Faso's identification office, that the AES passport carries the words Confédération de l'Alliance des Etats du Sahel above the national coat of arms ². It reported an electronic chip and a polycarbonate data page for automatic reading at borders ².

The E-AES passport from October 2025

KOACI reported on 28 October 2025 that a ceremony at the passport processing centre in Bamako on 27 October 2025 marked the start of the biometric E-AES passport, with Security Minister General Daoud Aly Mohammedine present ³. It reported a chip storing fingerprints and photo, and said all new applications would be issued in the E-AES format ³.

Alwihda Info reported the same ceremony as the resumption of production and issuance of the e-Passeport AES, held at the border police directorate ⁴. It quoted the director general of SECU-PASS Mali on a starting capacity of 450 to 500 passports per day per printer ⁴. It reported that the minister said issuance would move to Malian missions abroad in the near term and asked applicants for patience during possible disruptions ⁴.

Who makes the passport: reports differ

The two reports of 28 October 2025 name different partners. This site found no official Malian statement naming the contractor.

Using Malian passports abroad

The ECOWAS Commission statement of 29 January 2025 asked authorities inside and outside ECOWAS to keep accepting national passports and identity cards with the ECOWAS logo held by citizens of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger until further notice ⁵.

For entry into Mali, the French foreign ministry says that since 14 January 2024 Franco-Malian dual nationals without a visa in their French passport must show a valid Malian passport, and expired Malian passports are no longer tolerated ⁶. The UK FCDO says entry is refused with a passport reported lost or stolen ⁷.

What is not confirmed

This site did not find an official fee or validity period for the AES or E-AES passport. Sidwaya reported that a separate AES biometric identity card started in Burkina Faso on 1 December 2025 at 3,500 F CFA, but that figure is for Burkina Faso ².