Based on fieldwork among Somali men and women in Somaliland, Turkey and Italy, this article examines the interaction between two ways in which identity is created. On the one hand, there are the conclusive IDentities that clan structures within Somaliland attempt to create based on geneology, as well as those that immigration officials attempt to establish for border-crossers through ‘credible’ documents or the registration of fingerprints. On the other hand, social identities are shown as being always in the making. The article discusses the ways in which these two processes are articulated with one another and how such ID/identity are negotiated by exploring the ability of European documents to open up social opportunities back in Somaliland, as well as how little, if anything, Somali documentation is worth for official purposes in Europe. These aspects reflect the ambiguous ‘make-believe’ of European refugee documentation and fingerprinting itself.