Somalia issues IDs to citizens returning from Yemen
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Somalia’s National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) registered Somali citizens who returned from Yemen and gave them National ID cards.
NIRA worked with the National Commission for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRI) to provide the identification as part of a program to help them rejoin Somali society and get services. NIRA Deputy Director General Abdirahman Said Ahmed visited an NCRI center to confirm the authority’s focus on identifying returning citizens.
This registration is a step in Somalia’s ongoing effort to create a national ID system. Citizens now use the IDs to access banking, education, healthcare, and travel within the country. NIRA also created a mobile app that allows citizens to carry digital versions of their IDs, which have the same legal standing as the physical cards. In early October 2026, the Somali government brought 160 nationals home from Yemen, including 59 women and children.
Many of those returning had lived in Yemen for years, and some were visiting Somalia for the first time. NCRI reports that many more Somalis remain in Yemen and could return in the future.
