The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) is extending its national ID renewal campaign beyond Uganda’s borders, targeting Ugandans living in the diaspora starting next month.
After launching the mass renewal and registration exercise in Uganda in May — which has already seen more than five million citizens enrolled — NIRA is now turning its focus to Ugandans abroad, many of whom are long overdue for ID renewals.
Speaking to the press on Monday, NIRA Registrar Claire Ollama announced that teams will be dispatched to various cities across the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, the UK, and the U.S. in a bid to reach Ugandans where they live and work.
“We chose multiple cities to avoid congestion but also to bring services closer to Ugandans abroad,” Ollama explained.
The diaspora outreach will kick off in the UAE, with NIRA officials stationed at the Ugandan Embassy in Abu Dhabi from August 18 to 24. They will then move to Sharjah (August 25–27) and Ras Al-Khaimah (August 28–30).
Before that, NIRA will make a stop in Doha, Qatar, on August 4 and 17, and later head to the Ugandan High Commission in London from September 14 to 21.
The U.S. leg of the tour begins in New York (September 23–25), followed by Washington, D.C. (September 26–28), and wraps up in New Orleans (September 29–31).
However, the eligibility criteria are strict. Only Ugandans who still hold Ugandan passports or have official dual citizenship will be allowed to renew their IDs. Those who’ve renounced Ugandan citizenship in favor of another are not eligible.
“If you don’t have dual citizenship but acquired another nationality, that means you’ve relinquished your Ugandaness,” Ollama stated firmly.
The move comes as part of NIRA’s broader strategy to modernize Uganda’s national registry and ensure that even Ugandans overseas remain documented and connected to national systems.
With ID cards being essential for everything from voting to accessing services, the agency says this diaspora effort is not just about paperwork — it’s about maintaining identity, rights, and belonging, no matter where Ugandans are in the world.
