Guinea

Local Government Code (2008)

The birth of the child shall be declared by the father and/or the mother. Should they fail to do so, a birth can be declared by the medical doctors, midwives or any other persons who have attended the delivery, and when the mother gives birth outside of her home, by the person in whose home she has given birth. The birth certificate will be issued immediately (Children’s Code, article 159).

– Day, time and place of birth;

– Sex of the child, and the names given to her or him;

– First names, family names, ages, professions and domiciles of the father and mother, and, where applicable, those of the declarant or witnesses (Children’s Code, article 160).

Exemptions: The President of the Republic, on report of the Minister of Justice may, by decree, grant exemptions on age for compelling reasons.

The application is made to the Public Prosecutor or the President of the Tribunal and is forwarded to the Attorney General. An expedition of this order is then attached to the marriage certificate (Civil Code, article 268).

Civil marriage must precede religious marriage. Any violation of these provisions will result in the imposition of a sentence of 3 months to 1 year of imprisonment (Civil Code, article 202).

The marriage certificate must be signed by the registrar, the spouses, the fathers or the heads of families whose consent is given at the time of the celebration and by the witnesses (Civil Code, article 214). Any act of marriage of Guineans concluded abroad according to local forms must be transcribed, within 3 months of its drafting and at the expense of the spouses, in the records of the marriages of the nearest Consulate of Guinea.

– An extract of the birth certificate of each future spouse or a substitute judgment in lieu thereof;

– If the consent of the father or the head of the family is required for a future spouse, the document establishing that consent unless the person attends the celebration and gives his consent verbally;

– In the event of remarriage, the death certificate of the first spouse or an extract from the divorce decree, or an authorization from the Ministry of the Interior to marry another woman;

– Justification of the dowry settlement;

– When applicable, a copy of the decree from which an exemption to age-related impediments is issued; if required, these parts are delivered free of charge (Civil Code, article 211).

The mayor is the official authority in charge of registering all vital events, including birth.

Through an official decree, mayors can delegate their powers as registrar to one or more of deputies, members of the local council, or agents having received adequate training. Although a mayor has delegated his or her functions as registrar, the mayor retains the capacity to exercise them personally during the term of office (Local Government Code, article 153).

The death certificate will be drawn up by the registrar of the municipality where the death occurred, on the declaration of a relative of the deceased or the declaration of a person possessing the most accurate and complete information as possible on the deceased’s civil status (article 223).

If the place where the death occurred is unknown, or if it is impossible to appeal to the court of the place of death, the competent court shall be that of the applicant’s residence (Civil Code, article 224).

– Day, time and place of death;

– First names, surname, date of birth;

– Names, professions and domiciles of the deceased’s father and mother;

– First name and surname of the other spouse if the deceased was married, widowed or divorced;

– First name, surname, age, occupation and domicile of the declarant, and, where applicable, the degree of relationship with the deceased

(Civil Code, article 225).