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NIRA responds to frequently asked questions on National IDs, Birth & Death certificates, other services

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change name NIRA Uganda replacement of a national ID Uganda national ID replacement deadline for national ID registration exercise recommendation letter from NIRA change information on a national ID or birth certificate

Created in 2015, NIRA is a government agency mandated to register births and deaths in Uganda and to develop a National Identification Register for both citizens and legally resident non-citizens. The latter includes issuing national identification numbers (NINs) and cards for every citizen and lawfully admitted alien.

The process to acquire any of the aforementioned documents remains troublesome because of a number of reasons, including limited resources NIRA gets to offer the services.

This has led to increased complaints and NIRA is always responding to them through social media and other avenues of relaying information.

We filtered through the questions and below we show you some of the frequently asked questions so that you can have the answers handy when confronted with a problem. (Some of the questions we’ve covered them in our previous reporting so we shall provide links.)

How do you apply for a birth certificate and death certificate in Uganda?

According to NIRA, you can apply for a birth certificate both online or offline. The service cost Shs5,000 and you can read about the process here.

The above process also applies to death certificate applicants as well.

How do apply for national ID replacement?

First off, national ID replacement is handled by the district that registered you for the first ID or NIRA headquarters in Kololo.

The service costs Shs50,000 and you can read about the process of replacing a national ID here. Also see: NIRA relocates Kampala office

How do I pay for NIRA services?

First, you need to know that some services offered by NIRA (like first-time national ID registration are free). You can check the list of free and paid-for services here.

The money for NIRA services is paid at any URA revenue collection bank such as Bank of Africa, Diamond Trust Bank, Stanbic, Barclays, Orient, etc. [Remember, the fees are exclusive of bank charges.]

How do I change information on National ID or Birth certificate?

For changing or correcting information on a National ID, you’ll pay Shs50,000 and you can check the process here.

For the Birth certificates, you’ll pay Shs2,000 and you can read about the process here.

If Identify a mistake in my national ID before signing for it, do I pay for a replacement?

NIRA advises that you closely examine your ID before its signed for and when you find a mistake, you’ll have another card printed for free. But if you go with a card that has errors, you’ll pay Shs50,000 when you return for a replacement.

What do I need to apply for a national ID?

When applying for a national ID for the first time, you are not charged. Read about the process here. But for a lost ID, you’ll pay Shs50,000 (Refer to national ID replacement.)

Does NIRA offer temporary identification documents?

Like earlier mentioned, the process of getting a national ID always takes longer than anticipated, yet the ID is needed for a number of things like getting a passport, a SIM card among others. So, when you don’t have an ID, you can apply for a temporary identification document.

When is the ongoing national ID exercise ending?

The National Identification Registration Authority said the national ID registration exercise that is currently being conducted at sub-county level would run for only three months.

The exercise began on Feb. 11, meaning it will end on May 11.

In the program, NIRA is carrying out three main activities: correction of ID information for people who were given IDs with errors, replacement of IDs and you can also apply for a national ID.

Where can I locate my lost and found ID?

How do I apply for citizenship review?

What USSD code do I usee to check for National ID information?

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