Guidance

Uganda: Knowledge Base profile

Published 11 August 2025

Version 2.0

About: Uganda

This document contains useful information about Uganda which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0
• published for Home Office staff on 7 August 2025

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with formatting changes.

Uganda: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Uganda.

There is no order for names on documents. On a:

• birth certificate the customer’s name may show as surname first and then forenames
• Uganda passport the customer’s name may show as forename first and then surname

A child’s name becomes their official name when they get an official document from the local municipal office.

Change of name

Name changes are allowed in Uganda.

Uganda citizens can change their names in their Uganda passport at:

• Uganda passport office where a new passport will be issued
• High Commission outside of Uganda and the name change will show as an observation in their passport

Name alignment

For HM Passport Office purposes, the observation in a Uganda passport is acceptable evidence the customer has changed their name with the Uganda authorities.

Uganda: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Uganda.

Dual nationality is allowed in Uganda.

Uganda nationality can be reacquired after it has been renounced.

Uganda: legitimacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Uganda.

Legitimacy

Uganda does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means all children are born legitimate whether their parents are married or not.

Uganda: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Uganda.

Adoption is legal in Uganda.

Uganda: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Uganda.

Surrogacy is legal in Uganda.

Uganda: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Uganda.

Transgender citizens are not recognised in Uganda.

Uganda: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Uganda.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are illegal in Uganda.

There are several types of marriages in Uganda that are considered legal and have associated legislation, these include:

• civil marriages
• customary marriages
• religious marriages

When a person is married under civil law or has a customary marriage registered under civil law, any future relationships are bound by the marriage laws of Uganda.

Uganda: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Uganda.

The Department of the Registrar General is the central register for all births, adoptions, deaths, and civil marriages in Uganda.

Uganda authorities may backdate documents.

Birth certificates

Births in Uganda must be registered within 12 months of the date of birth at the Registrar of Births and Deaths. Late registrations are possible. A birth certificate is issued after registration.

Copies of birth certificates can be obtained from the Registrar General’s Office.

If an error is identified on a birth certificate, the local Registrar General’s Office will amend the original record and issue a new birth certificate.

Uganda has 2 versions of a birth certificate issued by the Registrar of Births and Deaths:

• short version; not acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes
• long version; acceptable for HM Passport Office purposes

Hospital birth notifications exist for children born in a Uganda hospital. The mother provides the information and it is used to officially register the birth. The mother does not need the father’s consent to name him on the notification. The hospital administrator must stamp the birth certificate application form and confirm the details on the form match the hospital’s records.

Marriage certificates

There are 4 types of marriage certificates issued in Uganda:

• Civil marriage certificate
• Customary marriage certificate
• Islamic marriage certificate
• Christian marriage certificate

Civil and customary marriages are registered with the Registrar General; for customary marriages this is done through the town clerk.

Couples who are married in mosques and churches do not need to register their marriage with the Registrar General. HM Passport Office will accept the certificates issued by mosques and churches, if they are issued on the same day the couple married.

The Uganda Supreme Muslim Council maintains all records of Muslim marriages and divorces in Uganda.

Death certificates

All deaths in Uganda must be registered. It is a legal requirement to register a citizen’s death immediately.

When a death is registered in Uganda, a death certificate is issued by the Uganda Registration Services Bureau. Late registrations are allowed.

The Uganda Registration Services Bureau issue one type of death certificate.

Identity documents

Since 4 April 2022, Uganda has issued electronic passports.

Uganda residents must have an identity card confirming their immigration status. All:

• Uganda citizens aged 18 years or older must have a national identity card
• foreign nationals and refugees must have an alien registration or refugee card
• foreign nationals who work in Uganda must have a work permit and their family members must have a dependant’s pass