Driver’s licence obtention added to use case list of Somalia’s national ID

A national identity card is now required when applying for a driver’s licence or vehicle registration service in Somalia.

This announcement is from the Ministry of Transport and Aviation, and comes as the country’s National Identification Authority (NIRA) is multiplying efforts to drive adoption of the ID by expanding critical use cases.

The ministry said the move, announced Monday June 23 via a statement posted on the ministry’s Facebook page, takes effect immediately.

Apart from obtaining a driver’s licence, the NIRA-issued national ID will also be required for all other services offered by the Transport ministry including vehicle registration, verification of transport shareholders, and other permits.

The ministry explained that the move is consistent with previous relevant government instruments, namely a Prime ministerial order which was okayed by an April 7 Cabinet meeting, making the use of a national ID mandatory for access to all government and private sector services.

It further noted that the move is in line with provisions of some legal frameworks such as the provisional road transport code of July 2007, and a January 1971 law which requires official identification as a precondition for having access to certain transport services.

The move by the Transport ministry aligns with a push by the government to put the Somali national ID card to maximum use by facilitating access to a wide range of public and private sector services.

Already, the ID is being required for financial transactions as part of the push to drive financial inclusion in a push that has the support of UNDP and VISA.

NIRA’s Executive Director, Abdiwali Ali Abdulle, said in an interview with Biometric Update last month, that the government was fully engaged in driving national ID adoption despite huge infrastructural, security, and awareness challenges.

Abdulle said they had drafted a clear implementation strategy, in collaboration with some of their partners, to enable them reach a target of 15 million ID enrollments by the end of 2029.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital identity  |  driver's license  |  identity document  |  national ID  |  NIRA Somalia  |  Somalia