Get your first ID as an adult who never registered (late registration)
National Registration Bureau · sources read 1 Oct 2026
If you're over 18 and have never had an ID, go in person to any National Registration Bureau office or Huduma Centre with proof of your age and a parent's ID. Extra ID vetting in border counties has been abolished, and the government has scrapped first-time ID fees.
- Fee
- FreeFirst-time ID (never registered before)
- How long
- About 15 working days in Nairobi, 25 in most counties and 30 in ASAL/border counties
- Where
- In person at any National Registration Bureau office or Huduma Centre
What you need
- Proof of name, age and place of birth: your birth certificate, or a notification of birth, child health card, academic certificate or religious certificate
- No birth certificate? An age assessment certificate from a Medical Officer of Health, or a letter from your chief or assistant chief
- Proof of citizenship: a copy of either parent's ID (if they are Kenyan by birth)
Steps
- Gather proof of your age. If you don't have a birth certificate, get an age assessment certificate from a Medical Officer of Health or a letter from your chief.
- Go to any National Registration Bureau office or Huduma Centre in the country. You no longer have to go back to your county of origin.
- Apply in person before the Registrar. Nobody can apply for you.
Watch out
- The ID vetting committees in the 22 border counties were disbanded in 2025, so you shouldn't be sent to a vetting committee.
- The registration officer can ask for any other document they need, so carry every paper that proves who you are.
Who can apply
- Kenyan citizens aged 18 or over who have never been registered.
Official sources (5)
- National Registration Bureau usajili.go.ke · read 1 Oct 2026
- Requirements for First Time ID Registration usajili.go.ke · read 1 Oct 2026
- Prisons, Border Communities Targeted in ID Drive usajili.go.ke · read 1 Oct 2026
- Government waives national identification card processing charges president.go.ke · read 1 Oct 2026
- Citizen Service Delivery Charter interior.go.ke · read 1 Oct 2026
