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The Government of Uganda has officially launched the National ID renewal exercise, which will begin with a pilot phase running from May 2 to May 26, 2025.
This pilot phase will involve the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) Board and Ministry of Internal Affairs leadership. Nationwide registration will commence on May 27, 2025.
As part of this process, a fee of Shs200,000 will be charged for any changes or corrections made to the existing ID, while a Shs50,000 fee applies for replacing a lost ID.
The National ID renewal exercise follows a Cabinet-approved initiative from August 2022 to renew a total of 15.8 million cards, many of which have already expired, with a target of registering 17.2 million Ugandans by the end of the process.
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The cards set to expire in June 2025 are a key focus of the renewal efforts.
In addition, the National Identification and Registration Authority signed a contract with Tahaluf Al Emarat Technical Solutions on July 8, 2024, to support the renewal initiative.
The contract involved procuring 5665 biometric registration kits, which were fully delivered by January 2025 and distributed across the country starting in February.
The agreement also included the supply of two card production machines capable of printing up to 100,000 laser-engraved cards per day, delivered in March 2025. Data center equipment, including racks, servers, and communication devices, was also installed between October 2024 and January 2025.
The new system will introduce online pre-registration for biographical data, and will include the addition of iris scanning as a biometric feature. However, biometrics will only be captured at designated registration points by NIRA officers.
A link to the pre-registration platform will be made available on the NIRA website starting May 27, 2025.
For citizens seeking to renew their IDs, the process will be free of charge, provided they present either the original or a photocopy of their expired ID card. In cases where the ID is lost, a valid police letter will suffice.
New registration for children under 18 will also be free of charge, requiring a photocopy of at least one parent’s National ID. In the absence of parents, identification from a grandparent or blood relative will be accepted.
New registration for adults will require the same documents, along with a valid letter from local authorities or a certificate of citizenship from the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control.
For those needing to change or correct their details, this service will be available only at NIRA district offices, and applicants will need to provide additional documentation, as outlined on the NIRA website. The replacement of lost ID cards will require proof through either the police letter or the expired ID.
NIRA expects to issue new National IDs and National Identification Numbers (NIN) within four weeks of application submission.
However, during the first three to five months of the exercise, processing times may be longer due to high volumes of applications. After this initial period, processing times are expected to shorten to two weeks.
The Authority aims to complete the renewal of all expired cards by August 12, 2025, when the statutory instrument extending the validity of expired IDs is set to expire. Once processing is complete, IDs will be available for collection at the applicant's place of residence.
Citizens who already possess a NIN are advised not to undergo new registration, and instead, should use the Change of Particulars service if they need to update their details.