The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has outlined the key requirements Ugandans must present when collecting their new national IDs.
According to NIRA Registrar Claire Olama, the most important document you need when reporting to a collection centre is your old national ID card. This helps officials verify your identity before issuing the new card.
“When you come, you need your old card for identification,” she said. “We check it, confirm you are the rightful owner, and once your new card is ready, we take your biometrics—either your fingerprints or iris—to complete the process.”
Olama clarified that after verification, the old card is returned to the owner but with a small administrative mark to show it is no longer active.
“The card remains yours. However, the NIRA officer must place a single punch on a blank corner that has no data,” she explained. “Make sure the punch does not touch your barcode because we need the old card to remain readable for posterity.”
The punch mark simply indicates that the card has expired, without affecting any of its identification features.
“After the process, you leave with two cards—your new card with no marks and your old one with a small invalidation punch that does not interfere with its details,” Olama added.
She urged the public to remain orderly at collection centres and to follow official instructions to ensure a smooth process.
NIRA is currently issuing new national ID cards at designated centres across the country.
