What national registration passport citizenship does

The Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship is a Zambian government department operating under the Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security, headquartered in Lusaka on Independence Avenue. It serves the entirety of Zambia's citizen population as its end customer, providing national registration, biometric identity card issuance, passport processing, and citizenship documentation services through in-person service delivery at ministry departmental offices. As a government state entity under the executive branch, it does not sell services on a commercial basis; instead, it is funded through allocations from the Government of Zambia's national budget.

The department's core technology platform is the Integrated National Registration and Identification System (INRIS), a biometric-enabled national identification infrastructure that issues a 13-digit national registration identity number to each enrollee. INRIS underpins the issuance of new biometric National Registration Identity Cards, replacing legacy identification credentials. Distribution is conducted through direct government service delivery at ministry offices, with public-facing communications handled via the official ministry website and social channels.

Its go-to-market is direct-to-government-service-delivery: there is no commercial sales motion. Pricing for registration and passport services is not publicly disclosed. As of October 2023, the department had registered one million citizens on INRIS and was issuing new biometric NRCs, with policy direction shaped by Government Gazette Notice No. 1123 of 2021 (which renamed the parent ministry) and Statutory Instrument No. 43 of 2023 (which strengthened the Electronic Government Division / Smart Zambia Institute). Partnerships include coordination with Smart Zambia Institute for digital government integration, positioning related to the Pan African Digital Government Summit hosted in Zambia, and a World Bank-supported project channeled through the parent ministry's correctional service portfolio.

Name

national registration passport citizenship

Legal name

Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security

Website

https://mohais.gov.zm

Company type

Public

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship is a Zambian government department that issues biometric national identity cards, passports, and citizenship documentation to Zambian citizens via the INRIS platform, funded through the national budget.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Identity Services

NAICS

National Security and International Affairs (928)

SIC

International Affairs (9721)

akta.pro primary industry

Immigration, Citizenship & Border Administration (Civil) (BPAIAAAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Passport & Identity Document Management (THALAPAB)

Keywords

• National identity registration
• Passport issuance services
• Citizenship documentation
• Biometric identification system
• Civil registration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lusaka

HQ country

Zambia

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funded Services: Services funded through government budget allocation from public funds

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship is a Zambian government department that registers citizens and issues official identity documents, including biometric National Registration Identity Cards, passports, and citizenship certifications. It operates the Integrated National Registration and Identification System (INRIS), a biometric-enabled platform that assigns each citizen a unique 13-digit national registration identity number. Services are delivered directly to Zambian citizens through ministry departmental offices and funded through government budget allocations.

Product overview

The Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship is a government department under Zambia's Ministry of Home Affairs and Internal Security. It operates as a single unified service providing identity management and civil registration functions. The core offerings include the Integrated National Registration and Identification System (INRIS) for citizen registration, biometric National Registration Identity Cards, passport issuance services, and citizenship verification services. As of October 2023, the department had registered one million citizens on INRIS and was preparing to issue new biometric-enabled identity cards with 13-digit national registration numbers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Integrated National Registration and Identification System (INRIS) A biometric-enabled national identification system that registers Zambian citizens and issues national registration identity cards with a unique 13-digit identification number for identity verification purposes.
• National Registration Identity Card Biometric-enabled National Registration Identity cards issued to citizens, replacing older identification systems with a new 13-digit national registration identity number.
• Passport Services Government services for the issuance and management of passports for Zambian citizens for international travel.
• Citizenship Services Services related to citizenship registration, naturalization, and verification of Zambian citizenship status.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 million citizens registered on INRIS system

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• African BrainsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 October 2023African Brains CEO John Glassey stated that Zambia was selected to host the Pan African Digital Government Summit as the country is making good progress in digitising most of its systems.
• Smart Zambia InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatutory Instrument No. 43 of 2023 strengthened the role of the Electronic Government Division (Smart Zambia Institute) in promoting the adoption and uptake of ICT in all public bodies, providing standardised and integrated implementation of digital solutions.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Others

• Thales Group: Provides digital identity, biometric, and secure document solutions to governments worldwide. Ecosystem participant rather than a direct operator, but comparable in the identity technology category relevant to the INRIS deployment.
• IDEMIA: Global vendor of biometric identity solutions and secure identity documents. Acts as a key enabling technology provider for many African national ID programs, including potential suppliers to Zambia's INRIS biometric stack.

Direct peers

• National Identification & Registration Authority (NIRA) Uganda: Uganda's agency operating the National Identification Number (NIN) system with biometric registration. Closely comparable scope, biometric infrastructure, and citizen-facing registration model in a neighboring East/Southern African jurisdiction.
• National Registration Bureau, Malawi: Malawi's national registration authority managing national identity cards and civil registration. Highly comparable regional peer with similar population scale and development context to Zambia.
• Ghana National Identification Authority (NIA): Issues the GhanaCard biometric national ID and manages civil registration functions for Ghanaian citizens. Directly comparable mandate around biometric identity enrollment and national ID issuance in a sub-Saharan African context.
• National Identification Authority (NIDA) Tanzania: Tanzania's agency responsible for the National Identification Number (NIN) and biometric ID enrollment. Directly comparable in mandate, biometric technology stack, and registration approach across the East African region.
• National Identity Management Commission (NIMC): Nigeria's agency responsible for the National Identity Number (NIN) and biometric identity registration. Operates a comparable national identity infrastructure serving citizens and is the closest functional analogue to Zambia's Department of National Registration, Passports and Citizenship.

Broad incumbents

• Department of Home Affairs, South Africa: South Africa's larger and more established home affairs ministry handling civic services, including the smart ID card and passport issuance. Operates a comparable identity management portfolio at much greater scale and maturity, anchoring the broader reference set.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mohaisgovzm
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCqI3ePQz5y5w4Y5Y5Y5Y5YQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/mohaisgovzm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-registration-passport-citizenship

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about national registration passport citizenship