Sierra Leone
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.
Birth Registration
| Legal framework for birth registration | Births and Deaths Act, 1983 (repealed as of 30 June 2016, but still currently applied) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering births | National Office of Births and Deaths within the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (until the new structure, the National Civil Registration Authority, begins operations) |
| Organizational structure | Centralized |
| 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? | Yes, the process usually takes about one month if birth certificates are available in the district registrar’s office and peripheral health units or after the naming ceremony of a newborn.
Data on the number of registered births that are issued birth certificates are not available; evidence indicates that not all new births are registered. |
| Legal informant to register a birth | Parent(s), Health worker, Community elder, Religious leader |
| Time allowed for registration | 30 days, according to repealed Births and Deaths Registration Act (1983); the new law allows for 90 days |
| Fee for birth registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for birth certificate | No |
| Penalty for late registration | Yes (Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1983)
Fees can be waived for all children under 5 years of age during mass registration campaigns (e.g., July 2015 polio vaccine campaign). While a penalty for late registration is not stipulated under the National Civil Registration Authority (2016), section 67 gives the Authority the mandate to make such regulations. |
| 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, children can be registered within the first 60 days upon arrival if the parents are Sierra Leonean. Parents should also show intent to settle in Sierra Leone. (Births and Deaths Registration Act, 1983) |
| Requirements or fees specific to children whose parents are foreign nationals | No |
| Requirements for birth registration | Identification of the child’s father, Identification of the child’s mother, Birth notification, Name of the child, Place of residence of the mother and father |
| Information collected | Regarding the child: Name, Date of birth, Sex, Weight at birth, Ethnicity, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration, Type of birth (single, twin, triplet and so forth), Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Attendant at birth
Regarding the mother of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status, Ethnicity, Educational attainment, Place of usual residence, Number of children born alive to the mother during her entire lifetime Regarding the father of the child: Date of birth or age, Ethnicity, Place of usual residence Miscellaneous: Name and address of information if not mother or father, Proof of occurrence of event |
| Processing | (Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Hospital/health centre, District Registrar’s office, Place of occurrence of the birth |
| A birth certificate is required for: | Identification, Travel, Education, Voting, Health care, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on births | The National Births and Deaths Office produces annual statistical reports from data collected and recorded manually; once it becomes fully operational, the National Civil Registration Authority will digitize birth registration. |
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 | Registration of Customary Marriage and Divorce Act, 2009;
Christian Marriage Act; Muslim Marriage Act; Mohammedan Marriages Act; Civil Marriage Act; |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage | Office of Administrator and Registrar General (OARG) |
| Organizational structure | Centralized |
| Legal age for marriage | 18 years for both sexes
Exemption: 16 years for males and females with consent from parents or administration |
| Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? | Yes |
| Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration? | Yes, not immediately |
| Legal informant to register a marriage | The spouses |
| Time allowed for registration | 6 months |
| Fee for marriage registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | Yes, depending on the local council |
| Fee for marriage certificate | Yes |
| 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 | Presence of spouses at registration, Proof of age of the spouses |
| Information collected | Regarding the spouses: Date of birth or age of bride, Place of usual residence of bride, Date of birth or age of groom, Place of usual residence of groom, Marital status of groom and bride
Regarding the marriage: Date of occurrence, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration |
| Processing | (Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office, Church, Mosque, Residence, Place of occurrence of marriage |
| A marriage certificate is required for: | – |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage | No statistics are available on marriages. |
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 | Births and Deaths Act, 1983 (repealed as of 30 June 2016, but still currently applied) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a death | National Office of Births and Deaths within the Ministry of Health and Sanitation (until the new structure, the National Civil Registration Authority, begins operations) |
| Organizational structure | Centralized |
| Is there a legal obligation to register deaths? | Yes |
| Is an official death certificate issued as a result of death registration? | Yes, immediately |
| Legal informant to register a death | Next of kin, Landlord, Police, Prison official, Health worker, Head of workplace, Village head |
| Time allowed for registration | 14 days, according to repealed Births and Deaths Registration Act (1983); the new law allows for 3 months |
| Fee for death registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for death certificate | No |
| Penalty for late registration | Yes, after 14 days; the penalty is increased after one month |
| 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 | Yes, fees and the medical certificate of cause of death are required |
| Requirements for death registration | Medical death certificate, Identification card, Date of death, Age at death |
| Information collected | Regarding the deceased: Name, , Sex, Date of birth or age, Ethnicity, Marital status, Place of usual residence
Regarding the death: Date of death, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Cause of death, Certifier |
| Information collected in case of fetal death | Date of occurrence of fetal delivery, Place of occurrence, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Date of registration, Place of registration, Sex of the fetus, Date of birth or age of the mother, Place of usual residence of the mother and father |
| Processing | (Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office, Mayor’s office, Other district or local authority, Place of occurrence of the death |
| A death certificate is required for: | Burial, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths | National Office of Births and Deaths publishes deaths statistics annually. |
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.