Postage stamps and postal history of Somalia

First stamps

The first stamps of Somalia were issued for Benadir by the Italian authorities in 1903.

Governor Maurizio Rava created the first system of postal service stations in Italian Somalia, that was fully enlarged in 1937.

British Somaliland and Italian Somaliland

From the late 1800s to 1960, northwestern present-day Somalia was administered as British Somaliland, while the northeastern, central and southern part of the country were concurrently administered as Italian Somaliland. In 1960, the two territories were unified as the Somali Republic.

Stamps were issued for the British area first as British Somaliland, and later as the Somaliland Protectorate. Until independence, stamps were issued for the Italian area as Italian Somaliland.

Somali Republic

Following the establishment of the Somali Republic, the first stamps of the nascent country were issued on 26 June 1960.

After the 1969 military coup, the country and its stamps were renamed the Somali Democratic Republic.

Traditional postage

In early 1991, the Somali Postal Service had 100 post offices, with a total staff of between 1,665 to 2,165 personnel. The national postal infrastructure was later completely destroyed during the civil war, with Somali Postal officially suspending operations in October 1991. Residents subsequently had to turn to traditional methods of dispatching parcels and letters. They also communicated via handwritten letters sent through acquaintances and mobile and email messaging services.

Postage stamps continued to be produced illegally internationally during the war, although their subject matter suggests they were designed for external collectors.

Somali Postal Service

In November 2013, international postal services officially resumed. The Universal Postal Union is now assisting the reestablished Somali Postal Service to develop its capacity, including providing technical assistance and basic mail processing equipment. In October 2014, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications also relaunched postal delivery from abroad. The postal system is slated to be implemented throughout the country via a new postal coding and numbering system. According to the Minister of Posts and Telecommunications Mohamud Ibrihim Adan, the relaunch's next phase will enable local residents to send letters to acquaintances overseas.