Sao Tome And Principe
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. 47 865, approving the Code of Civil Registration (1967)
Law No. 2/77, legally regulating family institutions (28 December 1977) Law of Family/Decree No. 45, approving the national strategy for permanent birth registry (2009) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering births | Civil Registry Office |
| 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, immediately |
| Legal informant to register a birth | The parents or any other declarant under the law |
| Time allowed for registration | 1 year |
| Fee for birth registration | No |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for birth certificate | No |
| Penalty for late registration | Yes, if registration occurs within 3 months after the deadline (of 1 year); the penalty increases if registration occurs more than 3 months after the deadline |
| 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, Name of the child, identification card of the parents |
| Information collected | Regarding the child: Name, Date 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, twins, triplets and so forth),
Regarding the mother of the child: Date of birth or age of the mother, Marital status of the mother, Place of usual residence of the mother, Place of birth of the mother, Birth order parity, Regarding the father of the child: Date of birth or age of the father, Marital status of the father, Place of usual residence of the father |
| Processing | Manually (on paper), Electronically (via computer or tablet) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office, Office of the mayor, Other district or local authority, Hospital/health centre (place of occurrence of the birth) |
| A birth certificate is required for: | Identification, Education, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance, Nationality, Parental powers, Marriage, Guardianship, Curatorship, Adoption, etc. |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on births | Due to technical difficulties and lack of infrastructure for computer networks and servers, it has not been possible to systematically communicate with the entities responsible for producing statistical data. However, the data are remitted monthly remitted on paper. |
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. 47 865, approving the Code of Civil Registration (1967)
Law No. 2/77, legally regulating family institutions (28 December 1977) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a marriage | Civil Registry Office |
| Organizational structure | Centralized |
| Legal age for marriage | 18 years
Exemptions: 14 years for girls and 16 years for boys with parental consent |
| Is there a legal obligation to register marriages? | Yes |
| Is an official marriage certificate issued as a result of marriage registration? | Yes, immediately |
| Legal informant to register a marriage | Civil registry officer |
| Time allowed for registration | At the moment of the marriage |
| 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, the certificate of matrimonial capacity of foreigners is more expensive |
| Requirements for marriage registration | Presence of spouses at registration, Residential proof of spouses, Proof of spouses’ age, Witness to the marriage, Power of attorney for representation of one of the spouses |
| Information collected | Regarding the spouses: Date of birth or age of bride, Place of usual residence of bride, Religion of bride, Date of birth or age of groom, Place of usual residence of groom
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: | Registering children, Transferring or sharing land ownership |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on marriage | There are currently no legal requirements for establishing statistics on marriage. |
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. 47 865, approving the Code of Civil Registration (1967) |
| Official authorities in charge of registering a death | Civil Registry Office |
| 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, immediately |
| Legal informant to register a death | – |
| Time allowed for registration | Within 48 hours |
| Fee for death registration | Yes |
| Can the fee be increased or waived? | No |
| Fee for death certificate | Yes |
| 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, Birth certificate, Identification card of the deceased, Date of death, Age at death |
| Information collected | Regarding the deceased: Name, Sex, Date of birth or age, Place of usual residence of the deceased, Place of usual residence of the mother for deaths under 1 year of age
Regarding the death: Date of death, Place of occurrence of the death, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Date of registration, Place of registration, Cause of death, Certifier |
| Information collected in case of fetal death | Date of occurrence of fetal delivery, Place of occurrence, Type of place of occurrence (hospital, home, etc.), Date of registration, Place of registration, Sex of the fetus, Place of usual residence of the mother |
| Processing | Manually (on paper) |
| Place of registration | Civil registrar’s office, Office of the mayor, Other district or local authority, Hospital/health centre, Place of occurrence of the death |
| A death certificate is required for: | Cremation, Burial, Inheritance, Obtaining social assistance |
| Process for establishing vital statistics on deaths | Data on mortality are shared monthly with the National Institute of Statistics, which is responsible for data processing. |
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.