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A well developed and functioning civil registration system ensures the registration of all vital events including births, marriages and deaths and issues relevant certificates as proof of such registration. Civil registration promotes efficient government planning, effective use of resources and aid, and more accurate monitoring of progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

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Birth Registration

Legal framework for birth registration Law No. 64-374 (7 October 1964) relating to civil status

Act No. 83-799 (2 August 1983) amending Law No. 64-374

Act No. 99-691 (14 December 1999) amending Law No. 64-374

Official authorities in charge of registering births Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization: Civil registration is under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization. This Ministry has under its direct supervision the National Identification Office (ONI), responsible for technical issues related to issuance of identity documents.

Other government departments play a role in civil registration, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health through the issuance of birth or death certificates, and the National Statistical Office.

The officers and civil servants of civil registration services are under the control of the judicial authorities of the Tribunal or of the section of the Court of First Instance of the jurisdiction.

The officers and civil servants of the sub-prefectures are supervised by the general directorate of the territorial administration. The officers and personnel of communes are supervised by the General Directorate of Decentralization and Local Development.

Organizational structure Decentralized
Is there a legal obligation to register the birth of a child? Yes
Is an official birth certificate issued as a result of birth registration? No
Legal informant to register a birth Father or mother, Relatives or next of kin, Any person attending the birth or assisting with the delivery;

Declarations of birth must be made by the father or mother, one of the parents’ relatives or next of kin, or by any person attending the birth or, if the mother delivered from her home, the person assisting with the delivery.

Time allowed for registration 3 months
Fee for birth registration No
Can the fee be increased or waived? No
Fee for birth certificate Yes
Penalty for late registration Yes

The cost is increased in the case of a late declaration of the birth, or the parents are obliged to go through the Tribunal for a supplementary judgment.

Other official fees involved in the birth registration process No
Requirements or fees specific to children who are eligible for citizenship but were born outside the country Yes
Requirements or fees specific to children whose parents are foreign nationals No
Requirements for birth registration Presentation of the medical certificate of birth and the identity cards of the parents (national card for nationals and consular cards for foreigners), as well as that of the declarant if she or he is not one of the parents.
Information collected The birth certificate includes:

– Year, month, day, time and place of birth, sex of child and name given to child;

– Names, ages, nationalities, professions and domiciles of the father and mother and, where applicable, those of the declarant.

If the father and mother of the child are not designated to the registrar, no mention is made in the register.

Processing Manually (on paper);

Some civil registration centres, mainly municipalities, have undertaken to link an electronic recording to the manual recording; however, this new mode of registration has no legal basis.

Place of registration Main (municipality, sub-prefecture) or secondary registration centre
A birth certificate is required for: Identification, Education, Inheritance, Voting
Process for establishing vital statistics on births The procedure for collecting data by the National Institute of Statistics (NSI) varies according to whether the civil registration centre is computerized or not:

– If the civil registration centre is not computerized, the counting of records is done manually, by month and year for collection periods (2012–2014);

– If the civil registration centre is computerized, the team of the NSI Regional Directorate extracts data from the existing database at the civil register level through requests, and then tabulates these data according to the established framework.

The process of producing vital statistics is confronted with several difficulties, in particular the difficulty of access to civil registers and the lack of collaboration between the various structures in charge of vital statistics.

Download sample birth registration form

Download sample birth notification form

Data sources: Information on civil registration systems was compiled over a period from December 2016 to November 2017 using the existing relevant legal frameworks and in consultation with CRVS experts, officials within the relevant national institutions, and UNICEF country offices. All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNICEF to verify this country profile; updates will be made to reflect changes in policy and implementation and/or new information.

 

Marriage Registration

Legal framework for marriage registration Law No. 64-374 (7 October 1964) relating to civil status

Act No. 83-799 (2 August 1983) amending Law No. 64-374

Act No. 99-691 (14 December 1999) amending Law No. 64-374

Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization

Civil registration is under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization. This Ministry has under its direct supervision the National Identification Office (ONI) responsible for technical issues related to issuance of identity documents.

Other government departments play a role in civil registration, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health through the issuance of birth or death certificates, and the National Statistical Office.

The officers and civil servants of civil registration services are under the control of the judicial authorities of the Tribunal or of the section of the Court of First Instance of the jurisdiction.

The officers and civil servants of the sub-prefectures are supervised by the general directorate of territorial administration. The officers and personnel of communes are supervised by the General Directorate of Decentralization and Local Development.

Organizational structure Decentralized
Legal age for marriage 20 years for males, 18 for females

Exemptions: The prosecutor may grant exemptions for serious reasons (Civil Code, article 1).

Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? Yes
Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration?   

Yes, immediately (family record book)

Legal informant to register a marriage Spouses
Time allowed for registration 8 days (for the civil registration officer who celebrated the marriage)
Fee for marriage registration No
Can the fee be increased or waived? Yes, in the case of many weddings occurring at the same time
Fee for marriage certificate No
Penalty for late registration No
Other official fees involved in the marriage registration process No
Additional registration requirements or fees if one spouse was born outside the country or has dual citizenship No
Requirements for marriage registration Spouses’ presence and consent, Proof of residence of spouses, Proof of age of spouses, Two witnesses
Information collected The marriage certificate includes:

– Forenames, surnames, occupations, ages, dates and place of birth, and residences of spouses;

– Forenames, surnames, professions and domiciles of fathers and mothers;

– Consents or authorizations given in the case of a minority of one or both spouses;

– Forename, surname of spouses;

– Declaration of the contracting parties to take the spouse’s place, and the declaration of their union by the registrar of civil status;

– Forenames, surnames, professions, domiciles of witnesses and their status as adults;

– The possible option of the spouses in favour of the separation of assets, as prescribed by section 27 of Act No. 64-375 (7 October 1964), relating to marriage.

Reference is also made to the celebration of the marriage and the name of the spouse in the margin of the birth certificate of each spouse (article 70).

Processing Manually (on paper)
Place of registration Marriages are registered in the main centres of civil status, housed in communes and sub-prefectures.
A marriage certificate is required for: Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance
Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage The procedure for collecting data by the National Institute of Statistics (NSI) varies according to whether the civil registration centre is computerized or not:

– If the civil registration centre is not computerized, the counting of records is done manually, by month and year for collection periods (2012–2014);

– If the civil registration centre is computerized, the team of the NSI Regional Directorate extracts data from the existing database at the civil register level through requests, and then tabulates these data according to the established framework.

The process of producing vital statistics is confronted with several difficulties, in particular the difficulty of access to civil registers and the lack of collaboration between the various structures in charge of vital statistics.

Download sample marriage registration form

Data sources: Information on civil registration systems was compiled over a period from December 2016 to November 2017 using the existing relevant legal frameworks and in consultation with CRVS experts, officials within the relevant national institutions, and UNICEF country offices. All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNICEF to verify this country profile; updates will be made to reflect changes in policy and implementation and/or new information.

 

Death Registration

Legal framework for death registration Law No. 64-374 (7 October 1964) relating to civil status

Act No. 83-799 (2 August 1983) amending Law No. 64-374

Act No. 99-691 (14 December 1999) amending Law No. 64-374

Official authorities in charge of registering a death Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization

Civil registration is under the responsibility of the Ministry of the Interior and Decentralization. This Ministry has under its direct supervision the National Identification Office (ONI) responsible for technical issues related to issuance of identity documents.

Other government departments play a role in civil registration, such as the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Health through the issuance of birth or death certificates, and the National Statistical Office.

The officers and civil servants of civil registration services are under the control of the judicial authorities of the Tribunal or of the section of the Court of First Instance of the jurisdiction.

The officers and civil servants of the sub-prefectures are supervised by the general directorate of territorial administration. The officers and personnel of communes are supervised by the General Directorate of Decentralization and Local Development.

Organizational structure Decentralized
Is there a legal obligation to register deaths? Yes
Is an official death certificate issued as a result of death registration?  Yes
Legal informant to register a death Father or mother of the deceased, Any person possessing the necessary information

The death certificate is drawn up on the declaration of one of the parents of the deceased, or of any person possessing in her or his civil status the information necessary for the declaration.

Time allowed for registration 15 days
Fee for death registration No
Can the fee be increased or waived? No
Fee for death certificate No
Penalty for late registration No
Other official fees involved in the death registration process No
Registration requirements or fees specific for the deaths of people who were residents in the country and also of foreign nationality No
Requirements for death registration Medical certificate of death, Birth certificate, Identification card
Information collected The death certificate includes:

– Year, month, day, time and place of death;

– Forename, surname, date and place of birth, occupation and domicile of the deceased;

– Forenames and surnames, occupation and residence of the parents of the deceased;

– Forenames and surnames, occupation and residence of the spouse(s) if the deceased was married; widowed or divorced;

– Forename and surname, age, occupation and domicile of the declarant and, if applicable, her or his degree of relationship with the deceased.

Information collected in case of fetal death Sex of the child, Surnames, forenames, ages, professions and domiciles of the father and mother, Surname, forename, age, profession and domicile of the declarant (if applicable), Year and month of delivery

When a child is declared a lifeless child, the declaration is recorded on his or her date on the register of deaths and not on that of births. It merely mentions that he or she was declared a lifeless child without any prejudice as to whether the child had lived or not.

Processing Manually (on paper)
Place of registration Main (municipality, sub-prefecture) or secondary registration centres, Hospitals and health centres
A death certificate is required for: Burial, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance
Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths The Ministry of Health collects statistical information related to deaths occurring in hospitals and health centres.

Download sample death registration form

Data sources: Information on civil registration systems was compiled over a period from December 2016 to November 2017 using the existing relevant legal frameworks and in consultation with CRVS experts, officials within the relevant national institutions, and UNICEF country offices. All reasonable precautions have been taken by UNICEF to verify this country profile; updates will be made to reflect changes in policy and implementation and/or new information.