GENEVA/ZURICH, SWITZERLAND
From November 26th to 29th, 2025, the Embassy of the Republic of Uganda to the Swiss Confederation and its Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva conducted a landmark multi-sectoral Diaspora Engagement and Consular Service Delivery mission in Geneva and Zurich.
The outreach, implemented in partnership with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), the National Citizenship and Immigration Control (NCIC), and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (MLHUD), marked one of the most comprehensive consular engagements ever conducted for Ugandans living in Switzerland. For the first time, they were able to access a fully-fledged one-stop centre offering National Identity services, immigration support, visa issuance, and land consultations without having to travel to Uganda.
Over 4 days, families, students, long-term residents, and new arrivals converged at the Mission premises in Geneva and later at the GZ Hirzenbach Community Centre in Zürich to register for National Identification Numbers (NINs), including for children, to apply for and replace National IDs, to update personal particulars, seek guidance on citizenship, and to resolve long-standing documentation and land-related matters.
The outreach was particularly significant as it marked the formal activation of a fully functional NIRA and Immigration workstation at the Mission in Geneva. NIRA officers processed hundreds of applications while also training Mission staff in biometric enrolment, troubleshooting, citizenship verification, and digital systems, ensuring continuity of services beyond the mission period. By the end of the engagement, the Mission was fully equipped to provide NIRA services independently.
The National Citizenship and Immigration Control complemented these efforts by sensitising the diaspora on passport applications, online payment platforms, facilitation for dependents, certificates of residence, and pathways to citizenship through marriage or dual nationality. A defining milestone of the mission was the activation of visa-issuing capability at the Mission, enabling tourists, researchers, and travellers to obtain Ugandan visas directly in Geneva.
MLHUD added another critical dimension through one-on-one engagements on land ownership, title verification, investment opportunities, and land governance reforms. The team demonstrated the Uganda National Land Information System (UgNLIS), highlighting how diaspora members can remotely verify land ownership and explore investment opportunities in housing, agriculture, and commercial real estate.
Speaking during the mission, Uganda’s Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Marcel R. Tibaleka, emphasised that the outreach reaffirmed the government’s commitment to bringing essential services closer to Ugandans abroad and recognizing the diaspora as a vital pillar of national development.
The four-day engagement concluded with a vibrant ‘Uganda at 63 Independence’ diaspora celebration in Zürich, symbolising unity, trust, and renewed connection between the Government and Ugandans in Switzerland. Beyond service delivery, the mission strengthened confidence, visibility, and partnership, cementing the Mission in Geneva as a true one-stop gateway for consular services and diaspora engagement.
Amb. Kafeero (L) and Amb Tibaleka (R) deliver their remarks at the Diaspora event in Zurich
Diaspora National ID registration (L) and Consular one-stop centre (R) in Zurich
Photo Credit: Uganda Permanent Mission in Geneva
