Guinea-Bissau
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 | Civil Code of Registry of 1967 |
| Official authorities in charge of registering births | Ministry of Justice, Directorate of Civil Identification, Registries and Notaries |
| 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; An abridged birth certificate is issued, but the complete narrative certificate requested by the parents for various purposes is not compulsory. |
| Legal informant to register a birth | Parents, Doctor, Family member, Chief of the village |
| Time allowed for registration | 30 days by law, but children can be registered for free until 7 years old. |
| Fee for birth registration | No, registration is free for children aged 0 to 7 years. |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for birth certificate | No, for the abridged birth certificate;
Yes, for the full narrative certificate; The full narrative certificate is requested by parents when the child needs to obtain an ID card or passport. |
| Penalty for late registration | Yes, there is a penalty for registering children aged 8 to 13 years. For children over 14, the penalty is increased; costs are also involved for stamps and the validation process. |
| 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, covering the costs of transcription in the services of the central registries |
| Requirements or fees specific to children whose parents are foreign nationals | No |
| Requirements for birth registration | Identification of the child’s parent, presence of the parents at the time of registration, Birth notification from the hospital (to obtain the date of birth), Immunization card (only to obtain the date of birth in case the child is not born at the hospital, Child’s name |
| Information collected | Regarding the child: Name, Sex, Date of birth, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration
Regarding the mother of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status Regarding the father of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registration office (including the new services at health facilities)
The child can be registered in any part of the national territory. |
| A birth certificate is required for: | |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on births | The data are processed manually by the civil registry offices in the country, and sent to the Regional Conservatories. The Conservatory must compile the data and send it to the General-Director of the Civil Registry. Birth statistics are not treated or published by another government entity. The Ministry of Justice is making efforts to cooperate with the Ministry of Economy and Finance (National Institute of Statistics) to strengthen the partnership between the two ministries regarding vital statistics; the same is being done with the Ministry of Health. |
Download sample birth certificate
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 of Registry of 1967 |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage | Ministry of Justice, Directorate of Civil Identification, Registries and Notaries |
| Organizational structure | Centralized |
| Legal age for marriage | 18 years for both sexes
Exemptions: 16 years for both sexes with parent’s or legal guardian’s consent |
| Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? | Yes |
| Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration? | Yes, it can be issued on the same day, but only upon request |
| Legal informant to register a marriage | Civil registry officer |
| Time allowed for registration | The marriage is registered at the time it is celebrated. |
| 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 | Yes; A certificate of matrimonial capacity may be required if one of the spouses is not a citizen of Guinea-Bissau. |
| Requirements for marriage registration | Husband’s presence at the register, Husband’s presence at the time of registration, Husband’s proof of residence, Wife’s proof of residence, Wife’s proof of age, Husband’s proof of age, Marriage witness, Procuration in case one of the spouses is not present;
During the preparation process for the wedding, the birth certificate is required to prove the ages of the future husband and wife. The certificate of matrimonial capacity may be required if one of the spouses is abroad or not a citizen of Guinea-Bissau. |
| Information collected | Regarding the spouses: Date of birth or age of the bride, Place of usual residence of the bride, Date of birth of the groom, Scheme of assets adopted by the spouses
Regarding the marriage: Date of occurrence, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office, Place of occurrence of the marriage |
| A marriage certificate is required for: | Transfer or share ownership of land, Bank loans, etc. |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage | Vital statistics (including marriage) have not been handled by the national statistical services, nor are statistics produced and published. |
Download sample marriage certificate
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 | Civil Code of Registry of 1967 |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a death | Ministry of Justice, Directorate of Civil Identification, Registries and Notaries |
| 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, within 3 days |
| Legal informant to register a death | Civil registry officer |
| Time allowed for registration | 24 hours |
| Fee for death registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for death certificate | Yes |
| 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 |
| Information collected | Regarding the deceased: Name, Sex, Date of birth or age, Marital status, Place of usual residence, Place of residence of the mother for deaths under 1 year of age
Regarding the death: Date of death, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Cause of death, Certifier, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.) |
| Information collected in case of fetal death | Fetal deaths are not registered. |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office, Usual residence of the deceased |
| A death certificate is required for: | Burial, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths | Vital statistics (including mortality) have not been handled by the national statistical services, nor are statistics produced and published. |
Download sample death certificate
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.