Prime Minister Hun Sen on Tuesday issued a sub-decree to clarify the eligibility for diplomatic passports and granted the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation the power to issue the passport.

Those who are eligible for the passport are the royal family, prime minister, deputy prime ministers, ministers, senior government officials; president, vice-president, and senior members of the Senate and National Assembly; president and senior members of the Constitutional Council; National Bank of Cambodia chairman; Supreme Court president and General Prosecutor of the Supreme Court; General Commander of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF); National Police chief; adviser to the King, and all dignitaries holding the ‘Samdech’ honourific.

The Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia in both sects, top monks holding the Samdech honourific, and monks ranking from deputy head in each province are also eligible for the passport.

The passports will also be issued to government officials on foreign missions abroad.

“The validity of a diplomatic passport is no more than five years and is non-renewable. Diplomatic passport holders whose mission is completed, titles expired, job terminated, retired, or suspended, and those on leave without pay for longer than six months are not entitled to use the passport,” the sub-decree said.

“Some countries in Asean do not require a visa for those holding this type of passport for the duration of one month,” said ministry spokesperson Koy Kuong.

The sub-decree said the ministry has the power to revoke all passports that are not used correctly.