Missing ID: An assessment of the challenges in obtaining travel documents for migrants in Libya (April 2024)

The findings of this study confirm that lacking travel documents is a contributing and exacerbating factor driving vulnerability among migrants in Libya. The data points to migrants’ experiences including whether they are able to obtain a work permit or a passport being strongly influenced by a range of factors including the conditions in the country of origin (e.g. ease of access to government-recognised ID), migration drivers (e.g. war and conflict hindering migrants’ ability to obtain the necessary travel documents), migration intentions (e.g. those who do not intend to stay in Libya are less likely to possess a travel documents) and means of transportation used to reach Libya (e.g. those having traveled by air are more likely to possess travel documents).

Overall, nine in ten migrants interviewed by DTM in November and December 2023 in Libya were without a work permit. Moreover, nearly two thirds of migrants did not possess a passport, a key precondition in obtaining a work permit.