Lost your ID? You have until October 30 to replace it for free

Thousands of uncollected Identification Cards and passports at the Eldoret National Registration Bureau and Passport Processing Centre on March 27, 2026. [Peter Ochieng, Standard]

The government has extended a waiver on ID replacement fees by six months, to October 30, 2026.

In a gazette notice dated April 30, Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said the extension is intended to allow more Kenyans to register for national ID cards and access government services.

“Rule 13 of the Registration of Persons Rules is amended in sub-rule (2), by deleting the words ‘a period of six months, with effect from the date of commencement of these rules’ and substituting therefore the expression ‘the period commencing on April 30, 2026, and ending on October 30, 2026," said Murkomen.

“We are committed to ensuring that all citizens can acquire vital identification documents to access government services and other opportunities,” he added.

The CS held that the extension complements recent policy changes, including the removal of charges for first-time ID applicants and the scrapping of authentication fees for birth certificates.

The waiver applies to fees normally charged for replacing lost or damaged identity cards, as well as for updating personal details.

Murkomen urged eligible applicants who have yet to obtain or update their identification documents to take advantage of the extended period, which runs from April 30 to October 30.

The extension builds on a policy introduced in 2025, when the government waived the Sh1,000 fee for ID replacement and changes to personal details for six months.