Uganda Launches Full National ID and Immigration Services in Switzerland in Major Diaspora Outreach

Ugandans living in Switzerland can now apply for and receive National IDs, register for NINs—including for children—and update their personal records without travelling back home, following the activation of a fully fledged National Identification and Immigration workstation at the Uganda Mission in Geneva From November 26 to 29, 2025, the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda to the Swiss Confederation and Permanent Mission to the UN in Geneva conducted a comprehensive Diaspora Engagement and Consular Service Delivery mission in Geneva and Zürich. 

The four-day exercise stands as one of the most extensive outreach initiatives ever delivered to Ugandans in Switzerland, offering practical solutions while reaffirming the diaspora’s importance to national development. Ugandans of all ages—families, students, long-term residents, and new arrivals—flocked to the Mission premises in Geneva and later to the GZ Hirzenbach Community Centre in Zürich, where they accessed a one-stop centre offering National ID services, immigration support, and land consultations. Many participants sought help on citizenship, land ownership, travel documentation, and other pressing concerns. Working alongside the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), the Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (DCIC), and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (MLHUD), the Mission delivered critical services to the diaspora—many of them for the first time. Ambassador Marcel Tibaleka, 

Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, said the outreach marked the “formal activation of a fully functional NIRA and Immigration workstation” within the Mission. He described the new visa-issuing capability as “a defining moment,” offering unprecedented convenience to tourists, researchers, and travellers in Switzerland. Queues were long in both cities, with Ugandans seeking new National IDs, renewals, replacements, and NIN enrolment for children. Others used the opportunity to follow up on pending or complex cases. NIRA also trained Mission staff in biometric enrolment, troubleshooting, citizenship verification, and digital form submission, ensuring services will continue long after the visiting technical team’s departure. Immigration officers sensitised the community on passport applications, online payment systems, dependant facilitation—including Dependant Passes and Certificates of Residence—and pathways to acquiring Ugandan citizenship through dual nationality or marriage. Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Dorcas Okalany, led a team offering one-on-one consultations covering land ownership, title verification, investment prospects, and Uganda’s evolving land governance framework. The team demonstrated the Uganda National Land Information System (UgNLIS), which has digitised more than 1.5 million titles and now allows diaspora members to verify land ownership remotely. Other discussions focused on the national housing deficit, slum-upgrading reforms, and new opportunities in real estate, agriculture, and commercial land ventures.The mission ended with a colourful Uganda at 63 Independence celebration in Zürich, bringing together the Ugandan community in a display of unity and cultural heritage. Ambassador Tibaleka applauded the diaspora for its ongoing contribution to Uganda’s development and reiterated the Government’s commitment to taking key services closer to Ugandans abroad. With plans to expand similar engagements in 2026, the Mission assured Ugandans in Switzerland of continued access to essential services and growing opportunities for deeper involvement in national progress.

BY  ABIYO   DENNIS