New / Old Rule

Some of you may or may not know of this rule in Libya that your passport must be translated into Arabic . The rule was relaxed for a while but due to new developments , it was revised this week . Read the below article from A.F.P. news service .

Libya refuses to compromise on travel restrictions

1 day ago

TRIPOLI (AFP) — Libya on Tuesday confirmed it will turn away Western visitors to the north African nation unless they provide Arabic translations of their passports.

"Libya will not reverse its decision, nor will it take into consideration the international reaction" and uproar triggered by the new restrictions, a Libyan official told AFP.

"The West demands that we translate our passports into English and therefore we must act in kind. It is only normal," said the official.

"Travellers arriving with foreign language passports are perturbing officials at border posts and airports because they don't know foreign languages," he added.

On Sunday Libya turned back scores of passengers on a flight from Paris because they failed to provide Arabic translations of their passports.

The official insisted that the rule was not new.

"Libya adopted Arabic as the country's sole language since the revolution but in a bid to encourage tourism it scrapped the measure" in 2005, before reviving it this month.

"We must defend our Arabic language. There will be no compromise," he said.

The measure is in response to a decision to prevent Libyans with visas for the EU's Schengen border-free zone from entering certain European countries, notably France and Britain, a Libyan aviation official said.

The current Schengen zone nations include France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Norway and Iceland, but not Britain or Ireland.