Equatorial Guinea
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 | Spanish Civil Registration Act (8 June 1957)
Decree of 14 November 1958, which regulates implementation of the Spanish Civil Registration Act |
| Official authorities in charge of registering births | Central Register of Notaries
Ministry of Justice, Worship and Correctional Institutions |
| 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 takes between 1 week and 1 month |
| Legal informant to register a birth | The parents of the child |
| Time allowed for registration | 30 days |
| Fee for birth registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | Yes |
| Fee for birth certificate | Yes |
| 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 | Yes, the process is longer and costs more than the standard process |
| Requirements or fees specific to children whose parents are foreign nationals | No |
| 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, Birth notification, Name of the child, Documentation of the parents, Nationality of the parents |
| Information collected | Regarding the child: Name, Date of birth, Sex, Weight at birth, Ethnicity, Date of registration, Place of occurrence [of the birth], Place of registration, Type of birth (single, twin, triplet and so forth), Attendant at birth, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.),
Regarding the mother of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status, Ethnicity, Place of usual residence, Place/country of birth, Birth order parity, Date of marriage Regarding the father of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status, Ethnicity, Place of usual residence, Profession of parents, name of paternal and maternal grandparents |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office, Mayor’s office, Other district or local authority, Birth registration centre of the province |
| A birth certificate is required for: | Identification, Education, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on births | The data are processed by the central birth office, only on paper. The different registration points send their records books to the centre where they are filed. There are no publications of these data. |
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.
Marriage Registration
| Legal framework for marriage registration | Civil Code (established prior to Equatorial Guinea’s independence and currently being updated) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage | Central Register of Notaries
Ministry of Justice, Worship and Correctional Institutions |
| Organizational structure | Centralized |
| Legal age for marriage | 18 years for both sexes |
| Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? | Yes |
| Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration? | Yes |
| Legal informant to register a marriage | Notary officer, Judge |
| Time allowed for registration | No date |
| Fee for marriage registration | Yes |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| 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 | Husband’s presence at registration, Wife’s presence at registration, Proof of wife’s age, Proof of husband’s age, Witness to the marriage, Affidavit attested by magistrate, public notary, etc. |
| Information collected | Regarding the spouses: Date of birth or age of bride, Place of usual residence of bride, Ethnicity of bride, Date of birth or age of groom, Place of usual residence of groom, Ethnicity of groom
Regarding the marriage: Date of occurrence, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registration office, Usual residence of the bride, Place of occurrence of the marriage |
| A marriage certificate is required for: | Accessing health services, Transferring or sharing land ownership |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage | National Institute of Statistics of Equatorial Guinea (INEGE) is responsible; however, according to the institute’s mandate/requirements there is no established frequency for collecting data. |
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 | Spanish Civil Registration Act (8 June 1957)
Decree of 14 November 1958, which regulates implementation of the Spanish Civil Registration Act |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a death | Central Register of Notaries
Ministry of Justice, Worship and Correctional Institutions |
| Organizational structure | Centralized |
| Is there a legal obligation to register deaths? | Yes (Spanish Civil Registration Act, article 83) |
| Is an official death certificate issued as a result of death registration? | Yes |
| Legal informant to register a death | Relatives of the deceased, Inhabitants of the deceased’s house, Neighbours, Head of establishment or house where death occurred (if not the deceased’s usual place of residence), Governmental authority responsible for place of death;
The relatives of the deceased or inhabitants of their house, or, in their absence, the neighbours, shall inform the registration by the corresponding declaration. If the death occurs outside the home, the relatives, the head of the establishment or head of the family of the house in which it happened, or the governmental authority are responsible. |
| Time allowed for registration | No |
| Fee for death registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for death certificate | Yes |
| Penalty for late registration | Yes, but not applied |
| 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 |
| 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, Cause of death, Certifier, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.) |
| 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 |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registration office, Usual residence of the deceased, Place of occurrence of the death |
| A death certificate is required for: | Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance (e.g., pension) |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths | National Institute of Statistics of Equatorial Guinea (INEGE) is responsible; however, according to the Institute’s mandate/requirements there is no established frequency for collecting data. |
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.