Somalia makes national ID card mandatory for driver licence, vehicle registration
Tuesday June 24, 2025
FILE — A sample national identity card and the digital ID tracking interface are displayed on a smartphone in this image provided by Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA). The federal government has made the NIRA-issued ID mandatory for accessing transport ministry services nationwide. (NIRA/Handout via Hiiraan Online)
Mogadishu (HOL) — Somalia’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation has announced that all services it provides will now require the use of a National Identification Card issued by the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), in a nationwide effort to unify identity verification across public institutions.
The decision, based on Prime Ministerial Directive XRW/415/04/2025 and endorsed at a Cabinet meeting on April 7, is part of the National Transformation Plan ratified in March. It applies to all services offered by the ministry, including driver’s licenses, vehicle registration, shareholder verification for transport companies, and the issuance of transport-related permits.
“No individual will be granted services by the ministry without presenting a valid National ID card,” the ministry said in a statement issued Tuesday.
The ministry cited existing legal frameworks, including the provisional road transport code issued on July 5, 2007, and Law No. 15 of January 1, 1971, which mandate official identification as a prerequisite for accessing regulated transport services.
The federal government has positioned NIRA, which launched its operations in March 2023, as a key institutional mechanism to standardize identity management nationwide. NIRA’s mandate includes printing and issuing digital ID cards with biometric verification, building inter-ministerial service databases, and minimizing fraud in the delivery of public services.
While the federal government touts the national ID rollout as a landmark reform, the implementation has not been without controversy. In June 2025, Puntland’s regional administration publicly rejected the ID program, labelling it politically motivated and a threat to regional autonomy. Puntland officials accused the federal government of bypassing constitutional frameworks and sought to issue their own identity documentation system.
Tensions escalated further in March when Puntland security forces arrested a journalist reporting on federal ID registration efforts in the region, drawing condemnation from press freedom groups and federal officials.
In response, the federal government issued a strong rebuttal in late April, calling Puntland’s initiative “a breach of national cohesion” and reaffirming that NIRA is the only legally recognized authority to issue identity cards in Somalia. The federal statement emphasized that any alternative systems would not be accepted by national institutions.
Despite resistance from regional actors, federal ministries continue to implement the ID requirement. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Interior are expected to adopt similar mandates in the coming months.
Officials said the new policy will ensure compliance with national legislation while expanding secure access to essential services.
Citizens are urged to obtain their national ID card from NIRA to avoid delays or disruptions when seeking transport-related government services.
