Mali
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 2011-087 on the Code of Persons and the Family (30 December 2011) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering births | Mayors, Ambassadors, Consuls General, Civil registration officer of the special centre, National Directorate of Civil Registration of the Ministry of Territorial Administration Decentralization and Territorial Development |
| Organizational structure | Decentralized |
| Is there a legal obligation to register the birth of a child? | Yes (Code of Persons and the Family, article 157) |
| Is an official birth certificate issued as a result of birth registration? | Yes |
| Legal informant to register a birth | Parents, Any other relative, Doctor, midwife or any person who has attended the birth, Person from whom the delivery took place, Village chief or fraction, Member of the village council or fraction
(Code of Persons and the Family, article 159) |
| Time allowed for registration | 30 days (Code of Persons and the Family, article 158) |
| Fee for birth registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for birth certificate | No, only for additional copies |
| Penalty for late registration | No, but associated legal/judicial costs (constitution of the cases of supplementary judgment) |
| 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 | Depending on the centre:
– Identification of the mother/father; – Presence of the father/mother; – Mother’s consent, marriage certificate and birth notification. |
| Information collected | Regarding the child: Name, Date of birth, Time of Birth, Sex, Date of registration, Place of occurrence [of the birth], Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Place of registration, Type of birth (single, twin, triplet and so forth)
Regarding the mother of the child: Name, Date of birth or age, Ethnicity, Occupation, Marital status, Level of education, Place of usual residence, Number of children born alive to the mother during her lifetime Regarding the father of the child: Name, Date of birth or age, Ethnicity, Occupation, Marital status, Level of education, Place of usual residence |
| Processing | Manually (on paper), Electronic registration in some communes |
| Place of registration | The main centres of civil status are established at the level of all municipalities, embassies and consulates.
The secondary centres, under the control of the main centres, are located in the villages and neighbourhoods. |
| A birth certificate is required for: | Identification, Education, Voting, Inheritance, Immunization, Travel |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on births | After the vital events have been registered, the civil registrar sends the declaration of birth to the representative of the State within 15 days.
Fifteen days after receipt, the representative of the State transmits this information to the representative of the State in the region. The representative of the State in the region or in the District of Bamako transmits quarterly to the minister in charge of civil registration. These documents are then forwarded to the Statistical Office (INSTAT) for exploitation. |
Download sample birth declaration form
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 | Law 2011-087 on the Code of Persons and the Family (30 December 2011) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage | Mayors, ambassadors and consuls general, Civil registration officer of the special centre, National Directorate of Civil Registration of the Ministry of Territorial Administration Decentralization and Territorial Development |
| Organizational structure | Decentralized |
| Legal age for marriage | 18 years for males, 16 years for females
(Code of Persons and the Family, article 281) |
| Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? | Yes
Marriage is celebrated either by a civil registration officer or a religious minister. In the first case, the marriage is registered by the civil registration officer; in the latter case, article 303 states that the religious minister shall transmit to the registrar of the place of celebration the second original of the marriage form within 15 days (Code of Persons and the Family, article 280). |
| Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration? | Yes |
| Legal informant to register a marriage | Spouses, Religious minister who celebrated the marriage |
| Time allowed for registration | 15 days for religious marriage |
| Fee for marriage registration | No according to law, but in practice municipalities charge for marriage registration |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for marriage certificate | No, only for copies |
| 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 | The Malian civil registrar called to celebrate the marriage of a Malian and a foreigner must demand from the foreign spouse the justification of her or his marital capacity under her or his national law. It must also ensure that the publications provided for by the Code of Persons and the Family have been made in Mali and, where applicable, abroad, and that the regulations governing the stay of foreigners do not preclude the celebration of a wedding. |
| Requirements for marriage registration | Presence of husband and wife, Proof of residence of bride and groom, Proof of age of bride and groom |
| Information collected | The marriage certificate states:
– Full name, age, occupation and domicile or residence of the spouses; – Surnames, forenames, profession, domicile of the father and mother of the spouses; – Consent of the father or mother or legal representatives, if applicable; – Surnames and forenames of the witnesses and the indication of their majority; – Declaration of the spouses to take themselves for husband and wife; – Pronouncement of their union by the officer of the civil state or the minister of religion; – Marriage contract, if any, containing the date, place and name of the notary; – Reference to the dowry; – Matrimonial option; – Registry office or place of worship of the celebration; – Full name of the registrar or minister of religion. (Code of Persons and the Family, article 306) |
| Processing | Manually (on paper); Electronic registration in some communes |
| Place of registration | Place of occurrence of the marriage;
The main centres of civil status are established at the level of all municipalities, embassies and consulates; The secondary centres, under the control of the main centres, are located in the villages and neighbourhoods. |
| A marriage certificate is required for: | Registration of children, Access to health services, Transfer or sharing of land ownership |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage | After the vital events have been registered, the civil registrar sends the declaration of birth to the representative of the State within 15 days.
Fifteen days after receipt, the representative of the State transmits this information to the representative of the State in the region. The representative of the State in the region or in the District of Bamako transmits quarterly to the minister in charge of civil registration. These documents are then forwarded to the Statistical Office (INSTAT) for exploitation. |
Download sample marriage declaration form
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 | Law 2011-087 on the Code of Persons and the Family (30 December 2011) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a death | Mayors, ambassadors and consuls general, Civil registration officer of the special centre, National Directorate of Civil Registration of the Ministry of Territorial Administration Decentralization and Territorial Development |
| Organizational structure | Decentralized |
| Is there a legal obligation to register deaths? | Yes (Code of Persons and the Family, article 185) |
| Is an official death certificate issued as a result of death registration? | Yes |
| Legal informant to register a death | Surviving spouse, An ascendant or descendant of the deceased, Village chief or fraction, Member of the village council, Any person who has witnessed the death (Code of Persons and the Family, article 186) |
| Time allowed for registration | 30 days (Code of Persons and the Family, article 185) |
| Fee for death registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for death certificate | No, but fees for copies of certificate |
| Penalty for late registration | No, but associated legal/judicial costs (constitution of the cases of supplementary judgment) |
| 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 | The declarant must provide the civil registration officer with all the information in his or her possession, the identity of the deceased and, if possible, present the identity documents found on the deceased.
(Code of Persons and the Family, article 186) |
| Information collected | Regarding the deceased: Name, Date of birth or age, Place of birth, Place of habitual residence, Ethnicity/nationality, Marital status, Parents’ names and spouse’s name
Regarding the death: Date of death, Date of registration, Place of occurrence, Place of registration, Cause of death |
| Information collected in case of fetal death | No |
| Processing | Manually (on paper), Electronic registration in some communes |
| Place of registration | The main centres of civil status are established at the level of all municipalities, embassies and consulates.
The secondary centres, under the control of the main centres, are located in the villages and neighbourhoods. |
| A death certificate is required for: | Burial, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths | After the vital events have been registered, the civil registrar sends the declaration of birth to the representative of the State within 15 days.
Fifteen days after receipt, the representative of the State transmits this information to the representative of the State in the region. The representative of the State in the region or in the District of Bamako transmits quarterly to the minister in charge of civil registration. These documents are then forwarded to the Statistical Office (INSTAT) for exploitation. |
Download sample death declaration form
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.