In Benin, the National Agency for the Identification of Persons (ANIP) now has the power to issue the residence certificate to anyone who lives in the territory according to the reform introduced in the process of obtaining this document.
The updated procedure grants an intermediary role to local authorities. The head of the town or village district loses his prerogative which allowed him to issue the certificate of residence. “The district chief can no longer […] deliver him. But he will […] submit a paper” , declared in August 2022, Cyrille Gougbedji, agent manager of ANIP. The head of the district or the mayor does not have the right either. This is the consequence of the modernization of civil status in Benin.
The ANIP draws up the document with the support of its operational arm, the Communal Unit for the Identification of Persons (UCIP) installed in the town halls. To have the certificate of residence become a certificate of residence, the applicant must now:
- go to the head of the town or village district of his residence with proof of his personal identification number (PIN) assigned by the ANIP;
- establish a file free of charge with the head of the town or village district;
- go to the town hall at the UCIP service with the completed form issued by the head of the town or village district;
- formulate his request for a certificate of residence at the UCIP against a sum of 2000 FCFA.
Validity and security
In its new version, the residence certificate is valid for one year if the holder has not changed domicile. Unlike the old one, the new version of the residence certificate includes an encrypted QR CODE that contains authentic information. The establishment of the document is based on the principle of unique identification of the applicant by relying on the repository of the Personal Identification Number (NPI) granted by the ANIP.
The data of this certificate of residence are therefore extracted from the Communal Population Register (RCP) which remains a component of the National Register of Natural Persons (RNPP) obtained from the Administrative Census for Population Identification (RAVIP). This makes the document more secure.
However, the residence certificate will no longer be necessary in any file containing the Personal Identification Certificate or a copy thereof.
