Benin – Obtaining documents for the January 11, 2026 elections: ANIP offers ongoing services

From Monday, 5 January 2026 to Saturday, 10 January 2026, the services of the National Agency for Personal Identification (ANIP) will be open without interruption, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., across the entire national territory.

The announcement was made in an ANIP press release dated Monday, 5 January 2026. The Agency informs voters who do not yet have an identification document that they can obtain for free and instantly the “it’s me” card (FID Certificate).
The request can be made online via the eservices.anip.bj platform, from the ANIP BJ mobile app available on the Play Store and iOS, or via USSD code from a phone without Internet connection by dialing 1516#.

Once the request is submitted, the physical withdrawal of the FID Certificate is carried out at the ANIP unit chosen by the applicant. The Agency specifies that, whatever modality is used, the retrieval of the document remains conditioned to this in-person pickup.

The ANIP nevertheless draws citizens’ attention to a technical prerequisite. For online requests, the applicant’s phone number must be up to date in the National Register of Natural Persons (RNPP). If not, interested parties are invited to approach any district office to update their contact details.

This step is deemed essential to secure the process and ensure the proper receipt of notifications related to the application.
The Agency finally urges all concerned citizens to complete their applications within the deadlines, in order to have a valid and secure identification document before the electoral deadlines.

As a reminder, Benin is holding combined legislative and municipal elections on Sunday, 11 January 2026.