Federal ID Get your ID
Three steps, from a Federal ID account to a verified identity. It takes days, not minutes, and a person decides every step.
Before you start
You need three things, and none of them is a government document.
- An email address you can read. Your Federal ID account is confirmed by email.
- A phone with WhatsApp. At verification you confirm your number by sending OFIS a WhatsApp message from it; OFIS replies with a code you enter in the portal.
- A phone or laptop with a camera, for a face video of three to five seconds.
To get verified you also need an active membership of Federal Africa, bought on the community site, federalafrica.com. OFIS never takes payment; the community site tells OFIS that your membership is active.
You must be at least 16 to hold a Federal ID, with a parent’s or guardian’s consent at 16 and 17, and at least 18 to be verified. Nobody under 18 is ever asked for a face video.
The three steps
-
Create your Federal ID account
Go to the member portal, choose Register, confirm your email. This account is your login for every Federal Africa service and every registered partner: one sign-in, everywhere. The portal then asks for your member state, your country and your date of birth. Choose the member state you belong to, or a diaspora region if you live outside Africa.
-
Receive your number
OFIS issues your Federal ID at Level 0 as soon as registration is complete. It looks like
FA-52-00000123: the two digits are your member state's code from Schedule A, the eight digits are yours. The number is yours for life and is never reused. -
Get verified
From the portal, open Get verified. You will first see a plain-language consent screen that says what is collected, why, for how long, and how to delete it. Then you record a short face video, following a prompt shown on screen (turn your head, blink), and confirm your phone: the portal shows OFIS's WhatsApp number, you send it a message from your phone, and you enter the code it sends back. Your case joins a queue, first come first served, and you can see your position and an estimated wait. When a reviewer at OFIS has looked at your case and your membership is active, you reach Level 1, Basic Verified.
How long it takes
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Account and Federal ID number | Minutes |
| Verification review | Days, not minutes. A person reviews every case in order; the portal shows your place in the queue and an estimate from recent throughput. |
| Appeal | Decided by a different reviewer; you have 30 days to lodge it. |
| Reapplying after a refusal | After 30 days. |
OFIS can pause new submissions when the queue outruns the team. If that happens the portal says so plainly and you can try again later; nothing is lost.
What a reviewer decides
Every decision is one of three, each with a reason from a fixed list that you see in the portal:
- Approved. Your level goes up and partners that watch for it are notified.
- Ask for more. Something is missing or unclear; you keep your place in the queue and add what is asked.
- Refused. The reason is shown. You can appeal once, and reapply after 30 days. What happens on a refusal.
No machine approves or refuses anyone. Software flags possible duplicates and pre-sorts cases; a person decides.
Higher levels
Level 1 is the badge most services ask for. Level 2 is earned in person, through the community; Level 3 is optional and confirms legal identity with an identity document. How each level is earned.