Liberia
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 | The 1976 Public Health Law, Chapter 51, Subchapter B |
| Official authorities in charge of registering births | Ministry of Health |
| 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, within 3 days to months, based on county of registration |
| Legal informant to register a birth | Parents, Caregivers, Health workers assisting delivery |
| Time allowed for registration | Within 14 days of birth |
| Fee for birth registration | No, for children under age 13;
Yes, for persons aged 13 years and older |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | Yes; Fees can be waived for orphans and disadvantaged persons upon formal request from legal institutions and individuals. |
| Fee for birth certificate | Yes; For persons aged 13 years and older, there is one fee that includes the cost of registration and the birth certificate. |
| Penalty for late registration | Yes, but not enforced |
| 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 | Parental information (name, age, address, occupation, marital status, nationality, etc.), Child’s immunization card, baptismal certificate, etc. |
| Information collected | Regarding the child: Name, Date of birth, Sex, Weight at birth, Date of registration, Place of occurrence [of the birth], Place of registration, Attendant at birth
Regarding the mother of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status, Occupation, Nationality, Place of usual residence Regarding the father of the child: Date of birth or age, Marital status, Occupation, Nationality |
| Processing | Manually (on paper), Electronically (via computer or tablet, mobile phone SMS, Unstructured Supplementary Service Data or other channel) |
| Place of registration | Hospital/health centre, Clinics, Ministry of Health, County Service Centres and County Health Teams Offices (place of birth) |
| A birth certificate is required for: | Obtaining a passport, Voter registration, Obtaining a driver’s licence, Children travelling with parents across border (to prove relationship), Marriage |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on births | The Ministry of Health is responsible for producing birth certificates and statistics. The registration process is both offline and online, and a dual system. The decentralized process is only for children below 13 years, which is available in every county. Data are never processed by the national statistics house or agency. |
Download sample birth registration form
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 | The Executive Law of 1972, Chapter 25: This Law creates the Ministry of Internal Affairs and empowers the minister (subsection 25.2) to manage tribal affairs and “all matters arising out of tribal relationships,” which include marriage. This places traditional marriage under the authority of Ministry, which subsequently issues licences for marriages.
The Domestic Law, enacted in 1973, subsection 2.4: This Law specifies that no person shall be joined in marriage until a licence has been obtained for that purpose from the registrar of marriages of the county, territory or chartered district in which one of the parties has resided for at least 30 days immediately prior to making the application. |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage | Centre for National Documents and Records Agency/National Archive (western/faith-based marriages);
Ministry of Internal Affairs (traditional marriages) |
| Organizational structure | Centralized |
| Legal age for marriage | 18 years for females, 21 years for males
Exemptions: Traditional marriages can occur at age 16 for both sexes with parents’ or guardians’ consent. However, the Liberian Children’s Act (2011) provides that no person or society shall subject a child to marrying any person when she or he is still under the age of 18 (section 4). |
| Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? | Yes |
| Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration? | Yes, the certificate is paid for by the couple and received a week before the marriage ceremony. |
| Legal informant to register a marriage | Bride or groom |
| Time allowed for registration | The spouses register and receive a certificate from the Ministry of Internal Affairs or the Centre for National Documents and Records Agency which is signed at the event by the bride and groom, the officiating clergy/authority, and witnessed usually by the parents and the maid of honour and best man (for Western/faith-based marriages) |
| Fee for marriage registration | Yes, the fee varies by the type of marriage (traditional or Western/faith-based). |
| 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 | No |
| Requirements for marriage registration | Proof of wife’s age, Proof of husband’s age |
| Information collected | Regarding the spouses: Date of birth or age of bride, Place of usual residence of bride, Religion of the bride, Date of birth or age of groom, Place of usual residence of groom, Religion of the 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 | Centre for National Documents and Records Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs, County Service Centres |
| A marriage certificate is required for: | Registering children, Transferring or sharing land ownership, Insurance benefits, Inheritance, etc. |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage | The Centre for National Documents and Records Agency and the Ministry of Internal Affairs are responsible for producing marriage data because they issue marriage certificates. |
Download sample marriage 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.
Death Registration
| Legal framework for death registration | The 1976 Public Health Law, Chapter 51, Subchapter C |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a death | Ministry of Health |
| 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 |
| Legal informant to register a death | Relatives of the deceased present at the death, Other person present at the death if no relatives are present;
If no relatives or other persons are present, and the death occurred in a house to the knowledge of the occupier, then such occupier is the legal informant. If the death occurred on board a bus, train, ship or airplane, then the person in charge or the owner of such bus, train, ship or airplane serves as the informant. When the body of a person who has died unattended is found, the person finding the body shall be responsible for reporting the death without delay. |
| Time allowed for registration | Within 24 hours after occurrence |
| Fee for death registration | Yes |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | Yes |
| Fee for death certificate | Yes |
| Penalty for late registration | Yes, but not enforced |
| 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, Date of death, Age at death |
| Information collected | Regarding the deceased: Name, Sex, Date of birth or age, Citizenship
Regarding the death: Date of death, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Cause of death, 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 registration, Sex of the fetus |
| Processing | Manually (on paper), Electronically (via computer or tablet) |
| Place of registration | Hospital/health centre, Ministry of Health;
Official death certificates are issued at the Central Ministry of Health located in Monrovia. However, deaths occurring in hospitals are recorded with a cause of death form and a medical certificate is issued by the attending physician. |
| A death certificate is required for: | Cremation, Burial, Inheritance, Insurance benefits or claims |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths | The Ministry of Health is responsible for producing vital statistics. The registration process is offline. Data are never processed by the national statistics agency. |
Download sample death registration form
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.