After suffering from a series of delays, the much-awaited national ID renewal and mass enrollment exercise in Uganda is finally here. And if your are among the millions of Ugandans whose national identification document, commonly known as Endagamuntu, has expired or is expiring soon; you’re no doubt eager to renew. In this detailed guide, we give a step-by-step breakdown of what you need to do to get your expired national ID renewed.
About the 2025 Uganda National ID Mass Renewal Initiative
In a statement released on May 15th, 2025, the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) announced a mass ID renewal and new registration initiative, which will run from May through December 2025. The new campaign intends to renew the identification documents of some 15.8 million Ugandans. Additionally, the national registration body intends to issue over 17 million IDs to new applicants during this rollout.
The massive ID enrollment and renewal exercise is scheduled to take place in up to 10,000 different locations around the country. This massive renewal exercise officially kicked off on May 27th, 2025. ID renewal is supposed to be free of charge, provided you have not lost your old national identification card.
Requirements for Renewing Your Expired ID
To prevent interruptions during your Uganda national ID renewal, process, you’ll need to have these items handy:
- A computer with an internet connection
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- This will help you access and fill in your particulars in the NIRA online pre-registration portal. For details about your options for internet plans, explore how to choose the right unlimited internet plan in Uganda
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- Your residency, including the following details:
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- Your district
- Your county
- Your sub-county
- Your parish
- Your village
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- Your national ID number (NIN) from your old ID
- A screenshot or digital scan of your old Uganda national ID
How to Renew Your Expired or Expiring Uganda National ID
National ID renewal will follow a three-stage process:
- Fill Out Your National Identification Card Renewal Form
You’ll need details from your expired/expiring ID card. This initial step of filling the form can be done either:
i) Physically at your local national ID renewal center. You can also download the national ID renewal form here.
ii) Electronically via NIRA’s mass national ID pre-registration portal. The national ID registration authorities are encouraging people to make use of this online portal to reduce delays at the registration points. - Visit Your Local Registration Point for Biometric Data Capture
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- You may need to ask your LC1 authorities for the designated NIRA biometric capture spot in your locality. Chances are that this exercise is taking place at your local sub-county offices or local polling station.
- The national registration body says that it will progressively roll out more registration points over the coming months, so each parish should have a registration center with time
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- Pick Up Your New National ID
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- After biometric capture, it will take NIRA as few as 4 weeks and as many as 5 months to process and print the national IDs.
- The national ID authorities claim that they’ll inform you via text message or email when your printed ID is ready for pickup. The government also intends to try delivering the finished ID cards from house to house. But, it is wise to check with the local NIRA biometric capture point every few weeks to inquire about your identification document.
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How to Fill In Your National ID Form Via the NIRA Online Pre-Registration Portal
Step 1: Visit the NIRA Registration Portal
Click on this link or paste it into your web browser (Google Chrome, Safari, Opera, Microsoft Edge, etc.)
https://prereg.nsis.nira.go.ug/pre-registration-ui/#/eng
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- Note that while it’s possible to use a phone or tablet to fill in details in the preregistration portal, the process is much easier when you use a computer.
Step 2: Enter Your Mobile Phone Number or Email Address
The system will send a one-time PIN (OTP) to your phone number or email address.
Enter this OTP into the registration portal to open an account on the online portal
- Use a phone number instead of email address if possible. Many people are experiencing difficulties receiving OTPs via their email addresses.
Step 3: Choose the Desired Service Type on the Next Window
Choose ID renewal if you intend to renew your ID.
Confirm that you have read the terms and conditions of the online portal by checking the “I have read” button, then click on accept.
Step 4: Enter Your Details
Fill out your name, national ID number, email address, phone number, and other details from your expired/expiring national ID and click on “Next.”
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- In the field for card expiry date, enter the expiry date of your old national ID.
Step 5: Enter Your Residency Details
Be sure to choose your district, county, sub-county, and parish from the available drop-down menus.
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- Choose “In Uganda” if you reside in Uganda and Outside Uganda if you currently live in the diaspora.
- Some details such as street address and house number are optional, so you can leave these out.
Check the radio button before the declaration, confirming that the information you have filled in is correct to the best of your knowledge. Then click on “Confirm.”
Step 6: Upload a Screenshot or Digital Scan of Your Old Uganda National ID
Click “Browse” next to National ID box. Locate the digital image of your national ID card on your computer storage and click it to upload. Then click “Continue.”
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- If you are renewing your ID, the proof of residence (a letter from your LC1 chairman, confirming that you reside in the area) is optional. So you can leave it out.
The system will generate your application ID along with a summary of your name and address information. NIRA will also send a text message to your phone number, showing your application ID. Click OK to confirm.
You can also print a summary a document showing your registration ID in the next window. This document looks like the one below:
After successfully completing the online pre-registration, when you log in to the NIRA portal using your phone number, your dashboard will look like this:
What to Expect at Your Local NIRA Mass Enrollment Biometric Capture Center
Armed with this registration ID, you can now proceed to visit your local NIRA biometric capture center to have your biometric data recorded for your new identification card. Remember to take along your old national ID for the biometric capture.
While the digital portal will confirm that you’ve made an appointment, the chances of your “appointment” being honored at the NIRA registration point are slim to none. Most centers are currently swamped with a sea of humanity, waiting for their turn in the hot seat. Therefore, be prepared to sacrifice the whole day at the biometric capture spot, as you wait for your turn in the queue.
In addtion to verifying the electronic details on your application, the NIRA official will capturie your data, including your fingerprints, signature, and even a scan of your eye iris. This process will take anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour, depending on the skill of the particular NIRA staff member you’re working with.
When and Where Will You Get Your National ID After Registration?
The good news is that after your biometrics have been captured; the hard part of your ID renewal process is now complete. All you have to do now is to wait for it to be printed. The national ID registration authorities claim that your new identification document should be ready within a few weeks of your biometrics being captured. The process currently takes months, but the government has promised to cut it down to 2 weeks
NIRA says that it will let you know when your ID is ready for pickup via text message or email. Eventually, the national ID authorities plan to launch a home delivery system for the printed IDs. But, judging from previous woes, it would probably be wise to keep checking with your local NIRA registration center every few weeks to be sure.
