# Somali birth certificate: how to register a birth and get a certificate > How birth registration works in Somalia: who issues certificates, what they cost, why so few births are recorded, and the new digital registry. Source page: https://calankii.com/en/states/birth-records/ Last checked: 2026-11-12 Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com) ## How many Somali births are registered? Very few. The Somali Health and Demographic Survey 2020 found that 3.5% of children under five were registered with a civil authority, and only 0.3% had a birth certificate ([Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, SOM201367.E, 2 Mar 2023](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2090364.html), citing the survey). UNICEF gives the same picture: about 3% registered and 0.3% with a certificate ([UNICEF Somalia, "Giving every child a legal identity"](https://www.unicef.org/somalia/stories/legal-identity)). The survey was run by Somalia's statistics bureau with support from the UN Population Fund ([Somalia National Bureau of Statistics, SHDS 2020](https://microdata.nbs.gov.so/index.php/catalog/50/variable/V71)). Most children are born at home, and home births are generally not documented. Hospitals give birth notices, but these are not standard and are sometimes mistaken for certificates ([IRB Canada, 2023](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2090364.html)). ## Why are so few births recorded? Records kept before 1991 were mostly destroyed during the civil war ([IRB Canada, SOM105248.E, 2016](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1167317.html)). In 2021 a Somali government report said the country had no national civil registration system and no identity document that proved nationality ([IRB Canada, 2023](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2090364.html), citing the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation). That is one reason so many Somali adults abroad have 1 January as their official birthday (see [Why so many Somalis have 1 January as their birthday](/en/diaspora/why-1-january-birthdays/)). ## What do the laws say? - **2003:** a national law gave local governments the duty to register births, deaths, marriages and divorces (IRB Canada 2023, citing a 2015 assessment). - **2012:** the Provisional Constitution does not set out a direct right to birth registration (same source). - **August 2021:** the Council of Ministers approved a Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Policy. A CRVS bill was expected to become law by the end of 2023 (same source). - **March 2023:** the Identification and Registration Act (Law No. 009) set up NIRA for the national ID ([EUAA, June 2026](https://www.euaa.europa.eu/somalia-displacement-mogadishu/41-application-process-and-identity-verification)). See [National ID card (NIRA)](/en/states/national-id-nira/). ## Who issues a birth certificate? Local governments do, and each federal member state has its own procedure ([IRB Canada, 2023](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2090364.html)): - **Mogadishu (Banadir):** the Banadir Regional Administration began issuing birth certificates in July 2014, for passports and visas. You apply at your district office (*degmada*). Staff take your details, photo and thumbprint. The certificate is usually ready in a week, sometimes the same day (same source). - **Puntland, Baidoa and Jubaland:** municipal offices issue certificates (same source, citing focus groups). - **Somaliland:** births are registered, but many go unregistered (same source, citing the US State Department). A Banadir certificate carries a serial number, the municipality's stamp and seal, the mayor's signature, and the child's name, date and place of birth, sex, parents' names and address. It is not proof of nationality and has no nationality field (same source). ## How much does it cost? - **2020:** US$24 in Mogadishu, according to a UNHCR brochure ([IRB Canada, 2023](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2090364.html)). - **2026:** US$15 for the standard service and US$15 to US$30 for faster service, according to a person interviewed in April 2026 ([EUAA, June 2026](https://www.euaa.europa.eu/somalia-displacement-mogadishu/41-application-process-and-identity-verification)). The same report found some displaced families cannot afford these fees. ## What is changing? On 10 August 2025, Africa CRVS Day, the Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation launched a unified digital civil registration service in 19 districts. It covers Jubaland, South West, Hirshabelle, Galmudug and North-East State ([Ecofin Agency, 11 Aug 2025](https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-digital/1108-48024-somalia-pilots-19-district-digital-civil-registry-lays-groundwork-for-nationwide-legal-identity)). Local offices can now record births, marriages, divorces and deaths in one national database. Health facilities without computers received tablets (same source, citing UNICEF). The ministry is testing links to health, schools, the national ID and immigration. The education ministry plans to link registration to school enrolment, starting with primary-age children who were never registered (same source). UNICEF and Germany support the work ([Biometric Update, 12 Aug 2025](https://www.biometricupdate.com/202508/somalia-rolls-out-digital-crvs-system-on-foundations-laid-with-unicef-support)). ## Why it matters (Calankii) A birth record is a child's first proof that they belong. When almost no births were recorded, whole generations grew up without a paper saying when and where they were born. Recording every child is a quiet step toward one nation that knows and serves all its people. [Read the call](/en/). ## Related pages - [National ID card (NIRA)](/en/states/national-id-nira/) - [Somali passport](/en/states/somali-passport/) - [Why so many Somalis have 1 January as their birthday](/en/diaspora/why-1-january-birthdays/) ## Sources 1. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. SOM201367.E, "Somalia: Birth registration, including requirements and procedures", 2 March 2023 (via ecoi.net). [ecoi.net](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/2090364.html). Checked 12 November 2026. 2. Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. SOM105248.E, Somalia: passports, 17 March 2016. [ecoi.net](https://www.ecoi.net/en/document/1167317.html). Checked 12 November 2026. 3. UNICEF Somalia. "Giving every child a legal identity: Somalia's progress towards a birth registration system". [unicef.org](https://www.unicef.org/somalia/stories/legal-identity). Checked 12 November 2026. 4. Somalia National Bureau of Statistics. Somali Health and Demographic Survey 2020, data archive. [microdata.nbs.gov.so](https://microdata.nbs.gov.so/index.php/catalog/50/variable/V71). Checked 12 November 2026. 5. EUAA. *Somalia: Displacement in Mogadishu*, June 2026, section 4.1. [euaa.europa.eu](https://www.euaa.europa.eu/somalia-displacement-mogadishu/41-application-process-and-identity-verification). Checked 12 November 2026. 6. Ecofin Agency. "Somalia pilots 19-district digital civil registry", 11 August 2025. [ecofinagency.com](https://www.ecofinagency.com/news-digital/1108-48024-somalia-pilots-19-district-digital-civil-registry-lays-groundwork-for-nationwide-legal-identity). Checked 12 November 2026. 7. Biometric Update. "Somalia rolls out digital CRVS system on foundations laid with UNICEF support", 12 August 2025. [biometricupdate.com](https://www.biometricupdate.com/202508/somalia-rolls-out-digital-crvs-system-on-foundations-laid-with-unicef-support). Checked 12 November 2026. --- I want to help with this: email hello@calankii.com. Fix this page: email hello@calankii.com with the page link and your source.