ECOWAS to recognise biometric identity card as travel document from 2027
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on The New Dawn
ECOWAS immigration heads decided, in the Freetown Declaration, to accept the biometric identity card of any member state at official borders from 1 January 2027. States must train their officers and equip border posts, and submit their implementation plans by December 2030, according to the ECOWAS Commission.
ECOWAS heads of immigration have decided to recognise the Community’s national biometric identity card (ENBIC) as a valid travel document at the official border posts of member states, from 1 January 2027, reports The New Dawn. The decision is set out in the Freetown Declaration, adopted at the 10th annual meeting of heads of immigration, held from 3 to 4 November 2026 in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
States undertake to accept any valid biometric card issued by a member country as sufficient proof of identity and Community citizenship, even if the host country has not yet begun issuing its own cards. According to a statement from the ECOWAS Commission, they must put in place verification procedures at borders: training of officers, clear border management instructions and equipping of posts with screening systems.
The Declaration also asks states to coordinate with their national identification authorities, to submit their implementation plans to the Commission by December 2030 and to keep cards affordable, in particular for border communities and citizens living abroad. The heads of immigration urge the Commission to finalise common technical specifications, to create a regional verification mechanism and to monitor implementation through annual reports.
Sierra Leone’s head of immigration, Moses Tiffa Baio, argued for translating regional migration policies into practical measures. Sharon Dimanche, head of mission of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for Nigeria and ECOWAS, said regional integration is measured by the progress travellers see at borders.
