Alright! For some reason, you want to change the name on your National ID but aren’t sure where to start. How about a walk-through from someone who has actually done it? I’m assuming you want to change the name on your National ID from, let’s say, Anita Among to, uhmm, Aisha Magogo. Even if it’s just one name you’re dropping, read on…
#1. Get a Deed Poll
A deed pool, in this case, is a legal document declaring a change of name; that’s renouncing your old name for a new one.
That word ‘legal’ is why you need a lawyer to draft the deed poll and have you sign it. Lawyer charges can range from anything for you, my friend, to any amount you two agree on. I doubt it’s standard.
Commissioning Deed Poll & URSB Registration
The same lawyer will help you have the signed deed poll commissioned by the Commissioner for Oaths, after which you’ll register it with the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB)
Registering a deed poll with URSB costs UGX 55,000, and you’ll receive a certified copy as confirmation.
#2. Publishing Certified Deed Poll with Uganda Gazette
Next, take the URSB-certified copy of the deed poll to Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation (UPPC) to have it published in the Uganda Gazette.
Publishing a certified deed poll in the Uganda Gazette as a notice of intention to change name will cost you UGX 450,000. Publishing the notice will take about two weeks.
Once published, you’ll receive a copy of the Uganda Gazette containing your notice. You’ll then take it, along with supporting documents like your birth certificate or academic papers, to the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) offices, ideally at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds.
#3. Nira Form & Payment
At the NIRA offices, you’ll be required to fill out a form after a bank payment of UGX 200,000. That’s it! The rest is waiting for NIRA to contact you once your new National ID is ready.
And if the wait is taking longer than planned, you can reach out to NIRA; they have a form that can even allow you to get a passport under the new name while the National ID is still processing.
Oh, not mentioned in this guide is a police letter, but with a lawyer, that shouldn’t be a problem.
To ensure we are on the same page: the process above is primarily for adopting entirely new names, for example, changing from Namagembe Florence to Kwagala Sanyu. This same process applies when adding or dropping names due to marriage, divorce, or religious conversion, for instance, from Anita Among to Aisha Among.
Similar name-related National ID changes that cost UGX 200,000 at NIRA but follow a simpler process include changing names to match documents such as a passport, academic papers, or birth certificate. This, in particular, requires the URSB registration and the document itself. (For more NIRA name-update categories, see page 11).
