Lesotho

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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Legal framework for birth registration	Registration of Births and Deaths Act (1973); Children’s Protection and Welfare Act (2011); Both laws mandate universal births registration, and compulsory registration within 3 months [of occurrence of the birth].
Official authorities in charge of registering births	Department of National Identity and Civil Registry, Ministry of Home Affairs
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, immediately
Legal informant to register a birth	Mother or father, Occupier of dwelling house, any person in charge of the hospital or any person present at the occurrence of birth in default of both parents
Time allowed for registration	Within 3 months of birth
Fee for birth registration	No
Can the fee be increased or waived?	No
Fee for birth certificate	No
Penalty for late registration	Yes
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	No specific fee, however, the declarant must show the birth certificate from the country of birth or proof that one was born in a foreign country.
Requirements or fees specific to children whose parents are foreign nationals	Yes
Requirements for birth registration	Identification of the child’s father, Father’s presence at registration, Father’s consent, Identification of the child’s mother, Mother’s presence at registration, Mother’s consent, Marriage certificate or proof of marriage, Birth notification, Immunization card, Name of the child, Baptismal certificate or letter from the family or local authority Varying requirements among those noted above are applied in different circumstances.
Information collected	Regarding the child: Name, Date of birth, Sex, Weight at birth, Place of occurrence [of the birth], Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Date of registration, Place of registration, Attendant at birth, Type of birth (single, twin, triplet and so forth), Regarding the mother of the child: Place of usual residence, Place/country of birth, Marital status, Number of children born alive during her entire lifetime, Number of fetal deaths during her entire lifetime, Date of marriage Regarding the father of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status, Place of usual residence, Occupation, Date of marriage
Processing	Manually (on paper), Electronically (via computer or tablet)
Place of registration	Civil registrar’s office, Hospital/health centre
A birth certificate is required for:	Identification, Travel, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance
Process for establishing vital statistics on births	Data produced by the Ministry of Home Affairs and published by the Bureau of Statistics.

Download sample birth 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.

Legal framework for marriage registration	Marriage Act No. 10 (1974)
Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage	Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of National Identity and Civil Registry
Organizational structure	Centralized
Legal age for marriage	21 years for both sexes; Exemptions: 16 years for females, 18 for males with parents’ or guardian’s consent
Is there a legal obligation to register marriages?	No
Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration?	Yes, immediately
Legal informant to register a marriage	Spouses
Time allowed for registration	–
Fee for marriage registration	No
Can the fee be increased or waived?	No
Fee for marriage certificate	No
Penalty for late registration	Not applicable
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	Yes, non-impediment letter
Requirements for marriage registration	Husband’s presence at registration, Wife’s presence at registration, Residential proof of husband, Residential proof of wife, Proof of wife’s age, Proof of husband’s age, Witness to the marriage, Identity documents of both bride and groom and their witnesses, Divorce decree and certificate to remarry in special cases
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, Occupation of bride and groom Regarding the marriage: Date of occurrence, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration
Processing	Manually (on paper), Electronically (via computer or tablet)
Place of registration	Civil registrar’s office, Ministry of Home Affairs offices
A marriage certificate is required for:	Registering children, Transferring or sharing land ownership, Travelling
Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage	Data produced by the Ministry of Home Affairs and published by the Bureau of Statistics.

Legal framework for death registration	Registration of Births and Deaths Act (1973)
Official authorities in charge of registering a death	Ministry of Home Affairs, Department of National Identity and Civil Registry
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	Relatives of the deceased with full knowledge of the event, Medical doctors
Time allowed for registration	1 year
Fee for death registration	No
Can the fee be increased or waived?	No
Fee for death certificate	No
Penalty for late registration	Yes
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 death certificate, Identification card, Date of death, Age at death, Identity card of an Informant
Information collected	Regarding the deceased: Name, Sex, Date of birth or age, Marital status, Place of usual residence, Place of usual residence of the mother (for deaths under 1 year of age) Regarding the death: Date of death, Place of occurrence of the death, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Date of registration, Place of registration, Cause of death
Information collected in case of fetal death	Date of occurrence of fetal delivery, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Sex of the fetus, Date of birth or age of the mother, Children born alive to the mother during her entire lifetime, Fetal deaths to the mother during her entire lifetime, Date of previous live birth to the mother
Processing	Manually (on paper), Electronically (via computer or tablet)
Place of registration	Civil registrar’s office, Hospital/health centre
A death certificate is required for:	Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance
Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths	Data produced by the Ministry of Home Affairs and published by the Bureau of Statistics.

Download sample death registration form

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Lesotho

Birth Registration

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