The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), also known as the Kokang armed group, has begun issuing identification cards and household registration documents to residents of Hsenwi (Theinni) Town in northern Shan State.

Hsenwi was captured by the MNDAA on November 2, 2023, with support from its allied ethnic armed groups, the Arakan Army (AA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).

Starting in the last week of November 2025, the MNDAA has been distributing “Special Region 1 Resident Verification Cards” to residents in several wards of Hsenwi, processing approximately 200 people per day, according to local sources.

“The MNDAA started issuing the cards in Ward 1, and they process only around 200 people daily. They have been collecting residents’ information since the rainy season in preparation for these Kokang registration cards. Now they are asking for even more personal details. Once people submit everything, it usually takes about a day to receive the card,” a woman from Hsenwi told SHAN.

Residents say the MNDAA-issued identification cards and household registration documents cost between MMK 20,000 and MMK 25,000 per person.

In July, the MNDAA summoned residents from several wards to at least three meetings to explain its plan to issue identification cards. The group also issued temporary residence cards to migrant workers employed in shops and warehouses in Namsalap Village, near Hsenwi.

“In Namsalap, the MNDAA has been issuing Kokang registration cards for months, and now they are expanding to the central wards of the town. The main benefit is that it makes travel to China easier. But many are worried about what will happen in junta-controlled Lashio. There is concern that soldiers might harass or detain anyone carrying these cards,” the resident added.

In Hsenwi, the MNDAA has also been collecting MMK 15,000 per household each month as a “garbage tax” and requiring households opening shops to pay six months to one year of shop license fees in advance.

In September, the MNDAA’s administrative and immigration officers collected personal data from residents of Kawngmawng Village in Hoya Village Tract, Mongyai Township, and from residents of 16 villages in Nawngmo Village Tract, as part of a broader effort to issue identification cards in MNDAA-controlled areas.

Holders of the Special Region 1 Registration Card can reportedly obtain entry permits to China more easily at the Monekoe (Mankan) and Chinshwehaw border posts in northern Shan State.

Across northern Shan State, both the MNDAA and the TNLA are issuing driver’s licenses, identity cards, and household registration documents to residents living in their territories. However, these documents are valid only within areas controlled by the groups. Residents fear interrogation or arrest when traveling to junta-held regions.