Diaspora: Raina Forbin Launches Sweeping Digital Overhaul of Consular Services

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Religious Affairs Raina Forbin is accelerating the modernization of consular services for Haitians living abroad. To that end, she brought together senior officials from the National Identification Office (ONI), the Haitian Institute of Statistics and Informatics (IHSI) and several heads of diplomatic missions, notably those posted in the United States, to coordinate a far-reaching digital transformation project.

At the heart of the talks is an integrated, secure digital platform, initiated by the minister, that will connect the databases of the institutions involved. It aims to simplify access to key administrative documents, including the Unique National Identification Card (CINU), the Unique National Identification Number (NINU) and the police certificate, while cutting red tape.

The meeting also identified the main obstacles Haitian nationals abroad face in obtaining identity documents. In response, the MAEC and the ONI plan to open a CINU production and distribution center in the United States starting in September 2026, a measure expected to shorten processing times and significantly improve the quality of services offered to the diaspora.

According to the authorities, the reform is an important step in preparing the diaspora voting pilot project. ONI and IHSI officials welcomed the interagency initiative, describing it as a major lever for modernizing public administration, in line with Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé’s government’s goal of making public services faster, more accessible and more efficient for all Haitian citizens, wherever they live.