Somalia NIRA ID Rule Bars Garowe Passengers From Domestic Flights

Travellers flying out of Garowe were reportedly turned away from a Freedom Airlines service to Mogadishu and Nairobi on 1 October because they did not hold an identity card issued by Somalia's National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA). Some abandoned their journeys and went home, according to a policy analysis by Ismail H. Warsame, a Somali policy analyst and founding figure of Puntland State.

The analysis says the federal government has made a NIRA card compulsory for domestic air travel, even though NIRA runs no registration office under Puntland's administration. Passengers are therefore being asked for a document they cannot obtain where they live.

Key facts

• 1 October 2026: passengers in Garowe were reportedly barred from a Freedom Airlines flight to Mogadishu and Nairobi for lacking NIRA identification.
• Who is affected: domestic air travellers in Puntland, including patients, students, traders and families, according to the analysis.
• The problem: NIRA operates no registration office under Puntland's administration, so residents cannot obtain the required card locally.
• Earlier dispute: from 1 September 2025, foreign visitors needed federal electronic travel authorisation, while Puntland kept visa-on-arrival.
• Cost to travellers: some visitors holding federal e-Visas were reportedly told to buy separate entry permits in Puntland and paid twice.

What is changing?

Federal authorities have made the NIRA card a boarding requirement for domestic flights, the analysis states. It argues that many of those affected already hold a federal passport — issued after government verification and carrying a photograph, biographical data and security features — which is accepted by immigration officers in Nairobi, Istanbul, Dubai and Toronto.

The analysis says the precise legal authority for denying passengers travel has not been clearly published, and that an agency announcement is not legislation.

Who is affected?

The immediate impact falls on residents of Puntland flying domestically, since the demanded card is unavailable there. Foreign visitors were affected by the earlier e-Visa dispute: the analysis says Mogadishu began requiring electronic travel authorisation on 1 September 2025, Puntland rejected the system and kept visa-on-arrival, and some travellers landed in Puntland to find their federal e-Visas unrecognised.

Why is this happening?

The analysis does not dispute the need for reliable identification at airports, citing terrorism, document fraud and aviation-security threats in Somalia. Its objection is to the sequence: legal authority, negotiated implementation, accessible registration, a compliance period and only then enforcement. It also calls for safeguards for biometric data and an appeals process for travellers denied boarding.

What this means for travellers

Travellers flying domestically from Puntland should check what identification is being demanded at the airport before travelling, and should be aware that a federal passport may not be accepted in place of a NIRA card on these routes. Visitors holding a federal e-Visa should confirm whether it will be recognised at their actual point of entry, since Puntland has operated its own visa-on-arrival regime.

The analysis calls for interim acceptance of valid Somali passports and recognised Puntland identification, jointly agreed registration arrangements inside Puntland, and clear rules on visa jurisdiction and revenue. It notes that the political agreement needed for these steps has so far been absent.