Eritrea
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 | Transitional Civil Code (Proclamation No. 2/1991) article 6 |
| Official authorities in charge of registering births | Ministry of Local Government |
| Organizational structure | Centralized, at the Ministry of Local Government in Asmara, with branch offices at the regional level |
| 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, but varies by region and issues related to the registration |
| Legal informant to register a birth | The parents |
| Time allowed for registration | 90 days, but it is possible to register a birth after |
| Fee for birth registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for birth certificate | No, registration is free if it occurs within the timeframe of 90 days; a fee is issued if registration occurs after 90 days |
| Penalty for late registration | Yes, by law |
| 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 |
| 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, Marriage certificate or proof of marriage, Immunization card, Name of the child |
| Information collected | Regarding the child: Name, Date of birth, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration, Type of birth (single, twin, triplet and so forth), Sex
Regarding the mother of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status, Place of usual residence, Place/country of birth, Date of marriage Regarding the father of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status, Place of usual residence |
| Processing | Electronically (via computer or tablet) |
| Place of registration | Civil registration office, Place of birth |
| A birth certificate is required for: | – |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on births | The National Statistics Office is responsible for establishing vital statistics, but different forms are used to register vital events across regions. Hence, it is very difficult to collate the registered information into a comprehensive database at the national level, and it is not possible to compare registered information across regions. Technical capacity for CRVS remains inadequate at both the national and the regional level. Critical areas of need are registration procedures management, statistics and computer-related fields such as information and communication technologies, among others. |
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 | Transitional Civil Code (Proclamation No. 2/1991, articles 605 and 606) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage | Ministry of Local Government |
| Organizational structure | Decentralized |
| Legal age for marriage | 18 years old for both sexes |
| Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? | No |
| Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration? | – |
| Legal informant to register a marriage | – |
| Time allowed for registration | – |
| Fee for marriage registration | – |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | – |
| Fee for marriage certificate | – |
| Penalty for late registration | – |
| Other official fees involved in the marriage registration process | – |
| Additional registration requirements or fees if one spouse was born outside the country or has dual citizenship | – |
| Requirements for marriage registration | – |
| Information collected | – |
| Processing | – |
| Place of registration | Civil registration office |
| A marriage certificate is required for: | – |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage | The National Statistics Office is responsible for establishing vital statistics, but different forms are used to register vital events across regions. Hence, it is very difficult to collate the registered information into a comprehensive database at the national level, and it is not possible to compare registered information across regions. Technical capacity for CRVS remains inadequate at both the national and the regional level. Critical areas of need are registration procedures, management, statistics and computer-related fields such as information and communication technologies, among others. |
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 | No legal framework |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a death | Ministry of Local Government |
| Organizational structure | Decentralized |
| Is there a legal obligation to register deaths? | No |
| Is an official death certificate issued as a result of death registration? | – |
| Legal informant to register a death | – |
| Time allowed for registration | – |
| Fee for death registration | – |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | – |
| Fee for death certificate | – |
| Penalty for late registration | – |
| Other official fees involved in the death registration process | – |
| Registration requirements or fees specific for the deaths of people who were residents in the country and also of foreign nationality | – |
| Requirements for death registration | – |
| Information collected | – |
| Information collected in case of fetal death | – |
| Processing | Fetal death is not registered |
| Place of registration | – |
| A death certificate is required for: | Civil registration office |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths | – |
| Legal framework for death registration | The National Statistics Office is responsible for establishing vital statistics, but different forms are used to register vital events across regions. Hence, it is very difficult to collate the registered information into a comprehensive database at the national level, and it is not possible to compare registered information across regions. Technical capacity for CRVS remains inadequate at both the national and the regional level. Critical areas of need are registration procedures management, statistics and computer-related fields such as information and communication technologies, among others. |
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.