Syria Civil Registration

Offices to Contact
The Directorate of Civil Affairs in the Ministry of Interior in Syria is the authority in charge of the registration of birth, death, marriage, divorce and the correction of records, in addition to issuing ID cards and family booklets for Syrian nationals. As for non-Syrians on the Syrian Arab Republic territories, the Directorate is responsible for registering their civil status incidents and the provision of all related documents required to complete the registration procedures at their respective embassies.

[civilaffair-moi.gov.sy The General Directorate for Civil Affairs website]

"Upon certification by the presiding judge, the marriage is documented and each spouse receives an attested copy of the marriage contract, containing its date and serial number. The court will then transmit the original marriage contract to the civil registry office in its operational area, which will record the marriage and forward the information to the civil registry office where the respective spouse’s records are kept, where their individual marital status’ will be updated (from single/divorced/widowed to married), and to transfer and merge the wife’s civil registry record to/with the one of the husband."

For marriages of non-Syrians within Syria, "Having verified the authenticity and completeness of the application, the religious judge will forward the application to an assistant who will have the partners recite the formulaic declaration and sign the standard marriage contract and will then duly document the marriage."

Marriages of Syrian citizens to foreigners inside Syria, "Marriages of Syrian citizens (or Syrian Palestinians1) to non-Arab foreigners require prior approval from the Syrian Minister of Interior or the person authorized by him (as per Legislative Decree 26 of 2007). Without such approval, a marriage to a foreigner cannot be registered in the civil registry, notwithstanding a court ruling. In the event of a divorce occurring prior to the registration of the marriage (or the receipt of the formal approval), both the marriage and the divorce will be registered, without the formal approval being necessary any longer."

"Births occurring within the Syrian Arab Republic What are the required documents and steps to register a birth? 11.Birth notification from the administering hospital, doctor or licensed midwife. 22.Birth attestation obtained from the mukhtar as per the birth notification for the births occurring at home, or as per birth attestation issued by the hospital for the births occurring in the hospital. 33.Family booklet, if not available, the personal ID cards of both parents, in addition to a family statement which proves the registration of marriage. All the above documents shall be submitted to the civil registry department (al-nufus), either where the father’s civil records are kept or where the birth took place, and then the birth will be registered and the official birth certificate issued. Which mukhtar should endorse the birth attestation? The responsible mukhtar for the birth attestation is either the mukhtar responsible for the area where the birth took place, or the mukhtar of the area where the parents’ civil registry records are kept."

"Registration of the birth of a foreigner’s child in the Syrian Arab Republic What documents and steps are required to register the birth of a nonSyrian national in Syria? 11.A birth attestation issued by the mukhtar of the area where the birth took place on the basis of the birth notification obtained from the hospital or the (registered) midwife. 22.Copies of the non-Syrian parents’ national passports. 33.A copy of the non-Syrian parents’ marriage certificate. 1 This may include the case of a child born out of wedlock where both parents refuse its recognition. Civil documentation and registration 24 44.Stamps. The aforementioned document are to be presented to the civil registry at the location of the parents’ residence, where the birth is then registered and a birth certificate provided. The parents shall then register the child with the responsible representation of their home state(s) in order for a passport to be issued for the child (or to have the child added to the relevant parent’s passport."

"The three types of divorce under Syrian law are: 11.A divorce based on the unilateral declaration of the husband (talaq). 22.An uncontested or consensual divorce, when both spouses reach a mutual agreement on the termination of the marriage and on financial and other common issues. 33.A divorce through dissolution of marriage; this type of divorce applies to four situations: a. At-fault divorce b. Divorce due to travel/absence c. Divorce due to lack of financial support d. Divorce for personal reasons and/or unsolvable disagreements between the partners How is a divorce recorded in the civil registry after a divorce judgment? (So to avoid a subsequent family civil registry statement noting the individual as still being married) Regardless of the type of divorce, a divorce only becomes effective following its pronouncement by the competent religious court. Following the court’s decision, it will send an attested copy of the divorce judgment to the civil registry that maintained the married couple’s records, which, upon verification of the documentation will record the divorce of the concerned individuals."

"Registration of deaths of Syrians inside Syria Why is the obtaining of a death certificate important? A death certificate is required to formally document the death of a person. It shall be requested by the heirs of the deceased (incl. the wife, children, parents and siblings) within 30 days of the death (90 days in case of a death outside of Syria), and is required to initiate the processing of any inheritance of the deceased person’s assets and to register the deceased person as such in the official records. What are the documents and procedures required for the registration of an individual’s death? 11.A medical report issued by the physician confirming the death. 22.A death attestation issued by the hospital where the death took place, or, where the death took place outside a hospital, from the mukhtar (either the one responsible for the area where the death took place, or the one in-charge of the civil registry), signed by two witnesses. 33.Family booklet of the deceased. 44.The ID card of the deceased, any other recognized proof of identity of the deceased or a written declaration made by the relatives of the deceased proving the loss of the ID card. The above documents will be submitted to the civil registry office where the deceased’s records are kept, for the death to be recorded, and the death certificate will be provided to the applicant, after being duly signed and stamped by the civil registrar. If the death took place in an area other than where the deceased person’s civil records are kept, then the civil registrar will verify the death attestation based on the deceased’s ID card, family booklet, or a computerized family civil registry statement, upon which, a copy of the death certificate is transmitted to the civil registry office where the deceased’s civil records are kept. If the death is not registered within one month from its occurrence in the country or within 90 days from its occurrence outside the country, a 3,000 SYP fine shall be payable in addition to an administrative investigation at the civil registry office. However, delays in the registration of the death of a year or more will require a police Civil documentation and registration 27 report (by the police station located in the area where the death occurred), and payment of a fine of up to 10,000 SYP prior to further processing and registration of the death."

What are the implications arising from delays in registering a death due to the loss of civil documents required for the registration, or for any other reasons? Will the testimonies of the witnesses or the mukhtar suffice to ascertain the death? When private circumstances prevent registering a deceased person’s death and the responsible hospital is no longer in a position to issue a death attestation, the death registration requires a court judgment. How to register the death occurring in prisons, detention centers and hospitals? The death attestation along with the medical report shall be provided by the director of such an institution (or his/her delegate), and to be sent to the competent civil registry for issuance of a death certificate. In such cases there is no requirement for witnesses, nor an involvement by a mukhtar. How to register the death of a stillborn child? The registration of the death of a stillborn child is conducted through an attestation provided by the treating hospital or from the mukhtar, along with the signatures of two witnesses. In addition, the person who prepares the death attestation shall mention the term “a stillborn child” next to the name of the child, whereupon the death will be registered. A person incurs in an accident and subsequently dies in hospital, how will such a death be registered? The death attestation will be arranged by the mukhtar or the director of the treating or overseeing hospital. Together with a copy of the corresponding police report, the death attestation, which shall contain the cause of death, will be seent to the civil registry where the accident occurred in order to register the death and issue the death certificate. Registration of deaths of Syrians outside of Syria What documents and procedures are required for the registration of the death of a Syrian national abroad? Civil documentation and registration 28 A death certificate issued by the physician or the hospital where the death occurred. The certificate should be attested by the competent authority in the country concerned. The foreign death certificate will be submitted to the responsible Syrian embassy/ consulate. The death certificate will then be sent by the Syrian consul to the Syrian Ministry of Interior, which will send the death certificate to the civil registry where the deceased person’s civil register is kept in order to verify and to record the death on the deceased person’s civil registry record1. Registration of deaths of non-Syrians inside Syria What are the required documents and procedures for the registration of the death of a non-Syrian national inside Syria? The death of a foreign national in Syria is registered in the so-called ‘record of deaths’ as maintained by the civil registry department at the place where the death occurred. On the basis of a death attestation issued by the hospital where the death took place, or, where the death took place outside a hospital, from the mukhtar, accompanied by a medical report, the civil registrar will send a copy of the individual’s death certificate to the Department of Immigration and Passports in Damascus - Ministry of Interior -or its branches in the governorates. Upon request, a concerned person (e.g. family member, spouse, etc.) will be provided with a copy of the death certificate."

Coverage and Compliance
National ID Cards (1947-Present) Includes:
 * Names
 * Date of Birth
 * Mother and Father Name
 * Date and City of Issuance

Family Booklets (1947-present) Issued at time of marriage. Includes:
 * Husband and Wife Names
 * Date of Birth
 * Marriage date and place
 * Children's Names
 * Date of Birth and Place of Birth