The National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) has announced that it will begin registering all legally resident foreign nationals in Uganda in a new exercise aimed at updating the national register in line with legal requirements.
An alien is defined as a non-citizen who is legally resident in Uganda.
Speaking about the planned rollout, NIRA Registrar Claire Ollama said the exercise is a statutory requirement intended to ensure that all eligible persons living in the country are properly documented.
“One of the roles NIRA is supposed to perform is registering all aliens legally resident in Uganda. An alien is a non-citizen who is legally resident in Uganda,” Ollama said.
She added that the registration exercise will formally commence on May 5, 2026, and all eligible foreign residents will be issued with an Alien Identification Number once successfully enrolled.
“We are going to begin registering these persons and they will be added to the register as the law requires that they too must be registered and given an alien identification number,” she said.
Ollama emphasized that applicants must present valid immigration documentation issued by the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, which must have a minimum validity period of 90 days at the time of application.
“The applicants must present valid documentation in form of a facility issued by the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control. The facility which comes must have a life of 90 days,” she said.
She further clarified the acceptable immigration documents required for registration.
“Facilities include a permanent resident permit, a work permit, a dependant pass, or any other document issued by immigration that allows them to be in this country, like a student pass,” Ollama explained.
In addition, applicants will be required to present a valid passport as part of the registration process.
Ollama also confirmed that the registration process will attract a fee of 100 US dollars.
“These people will pay a fee of 100 dollars to access these identification documents,” she said.
She noted that NIRA is engaging different stakeholders to ensure a smooth rollout of the exercise.
“We are engaging different stakeholders to support a rollout that is as smooth as possible,” she said.
Ollama further indicated that the authority will communicate designated registration points across the country once preparations are finalized.
“We will communicate different places where these people can be registered from,” she added.
NIRA says the initiative is aimed at strengthening national identification systems and improving the accuracy of records for all legally resident persons in Uganda.
