The Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in the United States will organize on Friday, October 30, in Washington a pilot phase of enrollment for the national identity card with a delegation from the National Office of Civil Status and Identification, prior to the opening of a center intended for Ivorians residing in the country.
The ONECI mission is taking place from October 26 to 30 within the Ivorian chancery. It aims to establish and make operational a system capable of processing initial applications and renewals without requiring travel to Côte d’Ivoire.
According to the embassy, a large portion of the Ivorian community in the United States does not yet have a national identity card (CNI) or is using an expired card. Those wishing to participate in the test on October 30 are invited to present themselves with the documents corresponding to their situation.
For a first application from a person born in Côte d’Ivoire, the ONECI requires, in particular, a birth certificate dated less than two years old, an original and also recent certificate of nationality, and a legible copy of the national identity card of one of the parents. Additional supporting documents are required for certain professions and for married individuals.
A person born outside of Côte d’Ivoire must present a birth certificate issued by the Ivorian embassy in the country of birth or by the Ivorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Naturalized persons and those who acquired nationality through marriage have specific lists including the naturalization decree, the nationality certificate, or the spouse’s national identity card (CNI), as applicable.
The renewal requires the old card, its photocopy, an ONECI identity form, or any other document containing the national identification number. A birth certificate, a nationality certificate less than two years old, and the payment receipt are also part of the file specified by the Office.
The opening in Washington extends the deployment initiated in Ivorian diplomatic missions since March 2026. In particular, ONECI had opened an enrollment center at the Embassy of Côte d’Ivoire in Madrid in May, connected to the national civil registry network.
The pilot phase in Washington is scheduled for October 30 at the chancery. The embassy has asked users to consult the documentary annex published with its statement and to contact its consular service before traveling if there is any doubt about the documents to be provided.
