Civil Registration Procedures in Rwanda

Note: For U.S. - specific information on civil matters such as marriage, divorce, or requesting documentation of the birth or death of an American citizen abroad,  please visit: http://travel.state.gov/law/law_1734.html

 

Births:  A hospital birth certificate or “attestation” by a midwife is brought for registration at the sector level within 15 days.  If registration and documentation are lacking an “Acte de Notoriété de Naissance” can be produced, usually by orphanage and police authorities.  Rwandans can pay a small fee to request their “Attestation de Naissance”, valid for 3 months at a time, but the unlimited “Acte de Naissance” is more detailed with an additional layer of certification by a tribunal that goes back and confirms the original sector-level registration.

Adoptions: Adoptions are registered at the sector level, resulting in an “Acte d’Adoption”. The adoption must then be confirmed (homologué) by a tribunal.  For foreign adoptions, the Rwandan Embassy in the prospective parents’ home country does a background check and the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion usually issues a Non-Objection letter as well.  More information on adoption procedures can be found at: http://kigali.usembassy.gov/adopting_in_rwanda.html

Deaths: A hospital death certificate is approved by the chief at the cell level and taken to sector officials for an “Attestation de Decès”.  If the deceased did not die in a hospital, village or cell-level authorities who typically know of the person can register the death before sector officials issue the Attestation. Note: the hospital death certificate is most often the source document, and Rwandan authorities usually trust that they are authentic.

Marriages:  Engaged couple must bring their birth certificates / passports, Rwf 50,000 (about $100), and an “Attestation de Celibat”, or certification of singleness, to sector officials. (Americans marrying Rwandans may request this at the US Embassy but we cannot vouch for individuals’ singleness, we can only notarize their own sworn affidavits.) Rwandan officials don’t typically verify individuals’ eligibility to marry; this is more of a formality and deception or fraud would generally be dealt with by the couple themselves. Couples publish a “bans of marriage” announcing their intention and wait for 21 days. If there are no objections, the bride and groom return for the civil marriage with 3 witnesses each and the sector officials provide a pink “Livret de Marriage” (applies to post-1994 marriages).  Couples can request an “Attestation de Marriage” for a small fee, but this only identifies the couple and the issuing authority.  An “Acte de Marriage” is a more detailed document issued at the sector level which goes back and confirms the original registration.

National ID Cards:  Rwanda is in the process of transferring to electronic ID cards; a central database holds information about date / place of birth and family composition of all registered citizens.  Americans residing in Rwanda can obtain a local ID card at the Directorate of Immigration.

Educational Certification: Certified Rwandan high school diplomas usually have the Ministry of Education (MINEDUC) stamp, as well as the Ministry of Justice Notarial stamp.  The National University of Rwanda has not yet resumed issuing official diplomas since 1994, but provide graduates with an “A Qui de Droit” letter testifying to their results.  Private universities have their own diplomas and seals.

Certification of Documents: The only authorized notaries in Rwanda are assigned by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) to each district.  They can also notarize documents for people from outside their districts.  There is also a national MOJ notary.  Signature specimens for all notaries are kept on file at the MOJ.  The US Embassy also offers notarial services to US citizens for a fee.  Please see: http://kigali.usembassy.gov/notarial_services4.html