Namibian citizen Phillip Luhl holds one of his twin daughters as he speaks to his Mexican husband Guillermo Delgado via Zoom meeting in Johannesburg,

Namibia has issued travel documents to twin infant daughters of a gay couple who have been in a legal fight to take them home from South Africa where they were born.

Namibia’s home affairs ministry, which confirmed issuing the documents, however said the move did not confer citizenship on the twins.

Phillip Lühl, a Namibian, and his Mexican husband Guillermo Delgado have been battling for Namibian citizenship for their daughters, who were born in March to a surrogate in South Africa.

The twins were refused entry to Namibia in April – with the authorities requiring that Mr Lühl prove a genetic link that he was the father of the children.

However a new minister appointed in April, Albert Kawama, studied the earlier documents and “authorised the issuance of emergency travel certificates applied for”.

The couple have welcomed the decision, but noted that it had been disruptive to the family.

Namibia forbids sexual contact between males but the law is rarely enforced.