NIR: Liberians Could Get National ID Cards Same Day Under New System

Published: September 11, 2026

MONROVIA — Liberians could receive their national identification cards the same day they enroll under a proposed new identification system once the Legislature ratifies the government’s concession agreement with OeSD International GmbH, National Identification Registry Executive Director Andrew Peters has disclosed.

Peters said the planned system will bring enrollment services to communities, allowing citizens to provide their information, complete biometric deduplication, and have their cards printed and issued on the spot.

“We’re going to move in your district,” Peters said in an exclusive interview with The Liberian Investigator. “Once you provide all your information, they print your card and give it to you. We do the deduplication on the spot.”

The disclosure comes as the National Identification Registry prepares for a nationwide overhaul of Liberia’s identification system under the proposed US$54.7 million Build, Operate and Transfer concession with OeSD International GmbH.

Peters said the one-year target to enroll the entire population will begin after the Legislature ratifies the concession.

“Once we have the concession ratified by the legislation … we start the process,” Peters said.

The NIR is already mapping potential enrollment locations ahead of the rollout, with Peters saying the new system is expected to establish approximately 538 enrollment centers across Liberia.

The expansion is intended to move identification services closer to citizens, particularly those in rural communities who have historically faced transportation and other costs to access government services.

“We don’t want people to start paying transportation,” Peters said. “We’re going to move in your district.”

Boakai Pushes Free Access for Vulnerable Liberians

Peters said President Joseph Boakai has directed that the national identification program should not become a financial burden on citizens, particularly disadvantaged and vulnerable Liberians.

“The President wants to remove the burden on the citizen,” Peters said.

He said the government will cover disadvantaged youth and elderly people, among others who cannot afford the cost of enrollment.

“We talk about the disadvantaged youth, we talk about the elderly people, because everyone is responsible for being enrolled in it,” Peters said.

The cost for working Liberians has not yet been determined. Peters said the eventual charge is expected to be low because the president believes the financial burden on citizens should be minimized.

“We’re going to determine the cost of that,” he said. “It may be little, because the president wants to remove the burden on the citizen.”

Peters also said the NIR intends to take enrollment into hospitals so newborns can be captured in the national identification database.

“So we register on spot. The NIR team will be at the hospital. Once you have a child born today, we enroll you,” he said.

New System to Double Capacity

Peters said the new identification system will have a capacity of approximately 12 million people, compared with the current system’s stated capacity of six million.

The proposed system will also expand connectivity and enrollment capabilities, with the concessionaire expected to provide the technical infrastructure.

Peters sought to reassure Liberians that the foreign company will not take control of the country’s identity database.

“They will support us technically. They will do this technical infrastructure,” Peters said. “The Liberian government will do the enrolment through the NIR and the data will remain right here.”

He said the NIR will remain responsible for enrollment while the concessionaire provides the technical infrastructure required to operate the new system.

Peters said the government’s objective is to enroll the entire population within one year once the legal requirements are completed.

“For us to sit at a registry and sell ID cards, we’re not going to achieve the purpose for which the registry was created,” he said.

The proposed concession remains subject to legislative ratification and other applicable legal requirements before full implementation can begin.