Under the new rules, Somali citizens are no longer eligible to receive multiple-entry Schengen visas. Additionally, standard visa application processing times will stretch to 45 days, and diplomatic passport holders will lose their fee exemptions and simplified application procedures.

Brussels enacted the measures after accusing the Somali government of failing to cooperate on the readmission and return of its nationals deported from EU member states.

Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud strongly contested the EU's criticism.

He clarified his country's position, saying "Mogadishu will accept all Somalis."

However, the president pointed to a broader issue of identity fraud among asylum seekers.

He stated that "many people claiming to be Somali were nationals from other countries, posing as Somali in order to be granted asylum in Europe."

This punitive visa measure is not unprecedented for Brussels. The EU previously targeted Ethiopia and The Gambia with identical restrictions, though those measures were eventually lifted after cooperation regarding deported citizens improved.