𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗡𝗜𝗥𝗔

The Embassy of Somalia in Uganda has formally announced the commencement of overseas national identity registration services for Somali citizens residing in Uganda. According to the announcement, the process will enable eligible Somali nationals to obtain the national identity card issued by Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), with implementation scheduled to begin on 29 December 2025.

The initiative reflects a policy decision to extend access to foundational identity documentation beyond Somalia’s territorial borders in order to facilitate legal identification, improve service delivery, and enhance administrative inclusion for members of the Somali diaspora. By situating the service within the embassy framework, the announcement signals an effort to provide structured, officially recognized identity registration to citizens abroad, consistent with the state’s broader objectives of expanding civil registration coverage and strengthening national identification systems.[1]

The legal authority for the consular functions outlined below is expressly grounded in Article 5 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (1963),[2] which codifies the scope and limits of consular activities under international law. Each function identified is directly traceable to specific sub-paragraphs of Article 5, providing a clear and authoritative legal basis without omission or inference beyond the text of the Convention.

• Passports and Emergency Travel Documents: Article 5(d) Consular functions include issuing passports and travel documents to nationals of the sending State, and visas or appropriate documents to persons wishing to travel to the sending State. This provision expressly authorizes consulates and embassies to issue, renew, or process passports and emergency travel documents for their nationals abroad.

• Birth, Marriage, and Death Registration (Consular Civil Records): Article 5(f) performing administrative functions and acting as civil registrar in so far as this is permitted by the laws and regulations of the receiving State. This article provides the formal basis for registering civil-status events of nationals abroad (births, marriages, deaths), subject to Host-State law.

• Certificates of nationality or confirmation of citizenship are legally grounded in the combined operation of Article 5(e), which authorizes consular officers to assist and protect nationals of the sending State; Article 5(f), which permits the performance of administrative functions not prohibited by the law of the receiving State; and Article 5(m), which allows consular missions to carry out additional functions formally entrusted by the sending State, provided that no objection is raised by the host State. Read together, these provisions establish a clear legal basis for consular authorities to verify, attest, and formally confirm the nationality or citizenship status of their nationals abroad within the framework of international law.

• Attestations, Notarizations, and Identity Confirmations: Article 5(f) Acting as notary and civil registrar, and performing similar administrative functions. This article directly authorizes consular notarization, authentication of documents, certification of copies, and official identity confirmations.

Under Article 11 of the Prime Ministerial Decree No. 158 of 2024 on Identification and Civil Registration, the regulatory framework governing registration centers is expressly defined in both territorial and institutional terms. The provision establishes a clear legal basis for the conduct of national identity registration within and outside the territory of the Federal Republic of Somalia, thereby extending the scope of the national identification system beyond domestic boundaries. Article 11 recognizes multiple categories of registration centers, including fixed registration centers, mobile registration centers, and online registration platforms, and explicitly authorizes the provision of registration services at Somali embassies and consulates abroad.[3]

Under this provision, Somali citizens residing outside the country are legally entitled to register through embassies or consulates, with such registration carried out under the supervision of the ministry responsible for immigration and citizenship affairs. Importantly, Article 11 affirms that overseas registration forms an integral part of the national identification system and is subject to the same standards, requirements, and institutional controls applicable to domestic registration.

In this context, the formal announcement by the Embassy of Somalia in Uganda regarding the issuance of national identity cards reflects the operationalization of an authority expressly conferred by law and situates embassy-based registration as a lawful extension of Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) framework, rather than an ad hoc or exceptional consular practice.

Although Regulation Establishing Fees for National Identification Card Services (Ref: MOF/ODM/134/2023) prescribes the applicable charges for national identification services, it does not expressly differentiate or regulate fees applicable to members of the Somali diaspora. This absence of specific provisions governing overseas services creates a regulatory gap that may permit embassies or consular missions to impose service charges exceeding those established under the national fee schedule.[4] In practice, this risk is not merely theoretical, as foreign missions commonly levy additional fees for services provided abroad, including passport-related services. Without explicit legal clarification or supplementary regulations addressing diaspora-based service delivery, embassy-level fee practices may operate without adequate statutory constraint, thereby undermining fee uniformity and legal certainty.

The following schedule sets out the applicable service categories and corresponding fees for national identification card registration and related services; –

Finally, the commencement of overseas national identity registration by the Embassy of Somalia in Uganda reflects a legally sound and institutionally aligned extension of Somalia’s national identification system.

However, thi analysis highlights a regulatory weakness in relation to the financial aspects of overseas service provision. While the Regulation Establishing Fees for National Identification Card Services (Ref: MOF/ODM/134/2023) prescribes a general fee structure for national identification services, it remains silent on fees applicable to diaspora or overseas registration, resulting in uncertainty and the potential for inconsistent practices at embassy level. Without explicit legal clarification or supplementary regulation, this gap risks undermining fee uniformity and legal certainty, despite the underlying legality of the registration authority. Accordingly, there is a clear need for regulatory guidance that specifically addresses the fee regime for overseas registration so as to align financial practices with the governing statutory framework.

[1] Citizenship Rights in Africa Initiatives, ‘Ugandans in diaspora to register for National Identity Cards (2024)’ available at https://citizenshiprightsafrica.org/ugandans-in-diaspora-to-register-for-national-identity-cards-ids/.

[2] Somalia has been a State Party to the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations since 1969, United Nations Treaty Collection. https://treaties.un.org/pages/showDetails.aspx?objid=0800000280050686.

[3] The Prime Ministerial Decree No. 158 of 2024 on Identification and Civil Registration,available at https://www.nira.gov.so/files?url=https://nira.b-cdn.net/nirsomalia/XEER_RA_IISUL_WASAARE_LR_158_XEER_NIDAAMIYAHA_SHARCIGA_AQOONSIGA_IYO_DIIWAANGALINTA_DADWEYNAHA_0003_8ff087090f.pdf.

[4] Regulation Establishing Fees for National Identification Card Services (Ref: MOF/ODM/134/2023) https://www.nira.gov.so/files?url=https://nira.b-cdn.net/nirsomalia/Xeer_nidaamiyaha_Jaangoynta_Khidmadda_Adeegyada_Aqoonsiga_Qaran_f11cb09902.pdf.