Taliban Foreign Ministry Launches Provincial Document Authentication Services

The Taliban-run Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the process of authenticating citizens’ documents will now be available at its provincial offices (known as zones), allowing residents of Afghanistan’s provinces to send their documents through local Afghan Post branches to these regional offices.

According to the ministry, the move is aimed at facilitating easier access to authentication services without requiring citizens to travel to Kabul or other provinces. Upon submission, documents will be reviewed and certified either in Kabul or at one of the provincial representations of the Taliban foreign ministry.

Currently, the ministry has active offices in six provinces: Herat, Balkh, Kandahar, Paktia, Kunduz, and Nangarhar.

While the launch of these services may reduce travel burdens and crowding at the Kabul office, the limited number of regional offices and a lack of transparency in service delivery have raised concerns about equal access for all Afghans.

Additionally, longstanding public mistrust toward the transparency and functioning of institutions under Taliban control has sparked questions about the legal validity of these certifications abroad.