Gabon
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 | Law No. 15/72 (29 July 1972) adopting the first part of the Civil Code, completed by Law No. 009/2010 (9 April 2010) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering births | Civil registrars, who are the only authorities empowered to draw up birth certificates, include prefects and sub-prefects; mayors, borough mayors and their deputies; and the heads of diplomatic missions or consuls and their deputies (Civil Code, part 1, article 157) |
| Organizational structure | Decentralized |
| Is there a legal obligation to register the birth of a child? | Yes (article 59) |
| Is an official birth certificate issued as a result of birth registration? | Yes; In civil registry offices, the vital events are recorded in a large-format book with detachable sheets. The three sections of the book are divided as follows: one is kept in the office for archives, the second is sent to the clerk of the court, and the third is given to the declarant. |
| Legal informant to register a birth | Parents or representative on their behalf; In the absence of the father or mother or their representative, birth declaration may be made by the doctor or the midwife having attended the birth.
However, unless expressly provided by the father or the mother in respect of the declaration of surnames and given names, the doctor or midwife can only indicate to the registrar the sex, date, time and place of birth of the child and, as far as possible, the mother’s name (article 170). |
| Time allowed for registration | 3 days, for births in communes and district capitals; 30 days in other areas
(article 169) |
| Fee for birth registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for birth certificate | No, only for copies |
| Penalty for late registration | No |
| 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 | A document attesting the birth and denominated according to the place of establishment, which includes:
– Attestation of birth, declaration of birth, medical certificate of delivery, birth certificate, etc., issued by the doctor, midwife or midwife; |
| Information collected | The birth certificate must state:
– The date, place and, if possible, the time of birth – Sex, first names and surnames of the child – First names, surnames, ages, places of birth, professions and domicile of the father and mother; – Where applicable, the surname, first names, professions and domicile of the declarant (article 167) |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office (town hall, prefecture, sub-prefecture) |
| A birth certificate is required for: | Identification, Education, Voting, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on births | The support of AFRISTAT between 2003 and 2008 made it possible to develop tools for the collection, data capture and processing of vital statistics. However, the Directorate-General of Statistics does not publish vital 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.
Marriage Registration
| Legal framework for marriage registration | Law No. 15/72 (29 July 1972) adopting the first part of the Civil Code, completed by Law No. 009/2010 (9 April 2010) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage | Civil registrars, who are the only authorities empowered to draw up marriage certificates, include prefects and sub-prefects; mayors, borough mayors and their deputies; and the heads of diplomatic missions or consuls and their deputies (Civil Code, part 1, article 157). |
| Organizational structure | Decentralized |
| Legal age for marriage | 21 years for both sexes;
Exemptions: 18 years for males and 15 for females with parental consent (articles 203 and 205) |
| Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? | Yes, only civil marriage celebrated by a civil registration officer is recognized |
| Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration? | Yes
The registrar must immediately draw up the marriage act and issue copies to the spouses, together with a marriage certificate and the family book. Religious marriages can only take place on presentation of the marriage certificate (article 232). |
| Legal informant to register a marriage | Spouses, Two witnesses of age from either party |
| Time allowed for registration | No, marriage is celebrated by a civil registration officer |
| Fee for marriage registration | Yes |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for marriage certificate | No |
| Penalty for late registration | No |
| Other official fees involved in the marriage registration process | Yes, fees vary from one civil registration centre to another |
| Additional registration requirements or fees if one spouse was born outside the country or has dual citizenship | – |
| Requirements for marriage registration | Registration of a marriage requires:
– A handwritten request addressed to the mayor; |
| Information collected | The marriage certificate states: – First names, surnames, professions, ages, dates and places of birth, domicile or residence of the spouses; – Consent of the father and mother, grandparents or the tutorship council, where required; – The nationality declared by the spouses, on the question they were asked by the Registrar of Civil Status; – First names, names, ages, professions and domiciles of the witnesses; – The choice made by the spouses of monogamy or polygamy; – The matrimonial regime chosen by the spouses and, if there is a contract, the date of the contract, as well as the name and place of residence of the notary or civil registrar who received it (article 177). |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office (town hall, prefecture, sub-prefecture) of the place of occurrence of the marriage |
| A marriage certificate is required for: | Inheritance, Birth registration |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage | The support of AFRISTAT between 2003 and 2008 made it possible to develop tools for the collection, data capture and processing of vital statistics. However, the Directorate-General of Statistics does not publish vital statistics. |
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 | Law No. 15/72 (29 July 1972) adopting the first part of the Civil Code, completed by Law No. 009/2010 (9 April 2010) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a death | Civil registrars, who are the only authorities empowered to draw up death certificates, include prefects and sub-prefects; mayors, borough mayors and their deputies; and the heads of diplomatic missions or consuls and their deputies (Civil Code, part 1, article 157). |
| Organizational structure | Decentralized |
| Is there a legal obligation to register deaths? | Yes (article 59) |
| Is an official death certificate issued as a result of death registration? | Yes |
| Legal informant to register a death | Relative of the deceased, Person possessing accurate and complete information, Directors of hospitals, health or educational institutions;
The death certificate is drawn up by the Registrar of the municipality or locality where the death occurred, on the declaration of a relative of the deceased or a person possessing the most accurate and complete information on the civil status of the deceased. In the case of deaths in hospitals, health or educational establishments, hotels or similar public or private establishments, declarations of death will be made by the directors of such institutions. The death of a serving member of the army will be reported by the head of the unit to which he or she belongs, unless the member lives with his family or his death occurs during the period of leave or outside the place his unit is stationed (article 179). |
| Time allowed for registration | 24 hours; The death shall be declared no later than 24 hours after the issuance of the burial permit. Except in the cases provided for by the police regulations, burial may take place only 24 hours after death (article 180). |
| Fee for death registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for death certificate | No |
| Penalty for late registration | No |
| 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, Copy of the deceased’s identity document or birth certificate, Copy of the declarant’s identity document |
| Information collected | The death certificate states: – The date, place and, if possible, the time of death; – Forenames, name, date and place of birth, occupation and domicile of the deceased; – First names, surnames, professions and domicile of her or his father and mother; – Surname, forenames, date and place of birth of the spouse of the deceased, if the spouse is still alive, and the date of marriage; – Forenames, name, age, occupation and domicile of the declarant and, where applicable, her or his degree of relationship with the person who died (article 181). |
| Information collected in case of fetal death | Fetal deaths are not registered. |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office (town hall, prefecture, sub-prefecture) of the place of occurrence of the death |
| A death certificate is required for: | Inheritance, Death insurance |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths | The support of AFRISTAT between 2003 and 2008 made it possible to develop tools for the collection, data capture and processing of vital statistics. However, the Directorate-General of Statistics does not publish vital statistics. |
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.