DAR ES SALAAM: The Minister of Home Affairs, Mr. George Simbachawene has launched a special number, which will be used by citizens to track the national identity card [NIDA] after submitting an application for the ID, which will lead citizens to obtain and know information about ID applications using that special number.
Launching the special number, December 29, 2025 in Dar es Salaam, he said that many ID cards have been produced and have already been sent to the relevant areas, including in the district where the ID applicant registered and the parties have not yet tracked their cards, a situation that has led some citizens to miss out on various social services.
He mentioned health services, welfare benefits, student registration in various universities in Samabamba and loan applications from the Higher Education Loans Board (HESLB).
“As we speak today in all our districts in the country, there are many IDs that have not been collected and the main reason is that the applicant does not know what stage his ID is at, through this system that I am launching you will be answered and you will be told if you have received your number within five days and if you have received it within five days from the time you applied using this system (15274) you will be answered why you have received it”, said Minister Simbachawene
He said the government is considering stopping the use of the National Identification Number (NIN) as many people have stopped going to collect their IDs, which have been produced with a lot of Tanzanian tax money so they should go to collect their IDs and not use the ID number as an ID.
Speaking at the launch, the Director General of the National Identification Authority (NIDA), Mr. James Kaji said the authority has continued to download IDs to the ward level but the citizens have not yet followed suit and have decided to take them to the district.
He said he believes that now through the new system of number 15274, IDs will continue to be tracked as the system has made it easier for applicants to access their information via mobile phone.
To find your National Identification Number (NIN)
Send an SMS to 15274 using your personal details in the following format, without any spaces, using an asterisk () to separate the fields: FIRSTNAMELASTNAMEDDMMYYYYMOTHER’S FIRSTNAMEMOTHER’S LASTNAME Example: If the applicant’s name is Musa Juma, born on March 2nd, 1987, and their mother’s name is Mariam Ali, the message would be: MUSAJUMA02031987MARIAM*ALI (or as one continuous string: MUSAJUMA02031987MARIAMALI)
To check your ID card status
You can also use the service to track if your card has been printed and where it is located for collection.
Send an SMS with your Enrolment Registration Number (ERN) to 15274.
Alternatively, you can write your NIDA number (NIN) in a message and send it to 15274 to receive a response on its status and collection point.
