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Birth Registration
Ghana
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Ghana
Birth Registration
Procedure and Certificates
Procedure and Certificates
Place
Where must births be reported?
Place of occurrence
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registration may be place of occurrence of place of residence. The civil registration law should clearly state the place where births must be reported. Reporting in the place of occurrence usually makes the registration process faster and easier for the informant. The determination of the place of usual residence may be in fact complicated for some people who have more than one residence or often move. In addition, reporting at place of occurrence facilitates declaration or notification by a health facility.
Countries with electronic systems for civil registration may allow more flexibility and allow reporting from anywhere the civil registration system can be accessed.
What are the reporting periods for birth registration specified in law?
12 months/5 years/after 5 years
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
A clear deadline for reporting a birth, especially a short one, reduces the risk of misreporting or underreporting. The deadline is typically between 14 and 30 days.
A late birth registration occurs when a birth is reported after the legally specified time period, but within a grace period, usually one year after the vital event.
Delayed birth registration is the registration that occurs after the grace period has expired. Delayed birth registration may occur many years after the event, and may require additional evidence.
In terms of section 17 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, persons with a duty to notify a birth are required to do this within 12 months of the birth. If a birth is not registered within this period, the District Registrar has a duty to summon these persons to attend personally at the Births and Deaths Registry to provide the prescribed particulars for the birth registration.
Late registrations are those which take place more than 12 months after the birth. Although the Act is not entirely clear on the procedures for late registrations, there appear to be two categories of late registrations: those that take place between 12 months and 5 years after the birth (late registration), and those which take place after 5 years (delayed registration).Late registrations up to the 5-year cut-off require an application to the District Registrar – but the Act also refers to applications to the National Registrar for late registration, without specifying when this is necessary. A District Registrar may register a birth after the 12-month point only on written authority from the National Registrar.
Are there any fees or fine for late or delayed birth registration?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Fees are not effective in preventing late or delayed registration and may act as a disincentive for registration. If fees are charged for delayed or late registration, policymakers should consider having a fee-waiver process for those for whom fees are a hardship. More effective results to increase registration rates are observed through educational programmes aimed at the public. Some countries have opted to impose a penalty for failure to register or, more precisely, refusal to register, rather than impose a fee for late registration.
There are fees for late birth registration. Late registrations are those which take place more than 12 months after the birth. Although the Act is not entirely clear on the procedures for late registrations, late registrations are those that take place between 12 months and 5 years after the birth, and delayed registrations are those which take place after 5 years, with these two different time frames attracting different fees. Late registration up to five years after the birth costs 10 Ghana cedis (approximately USD $1), and 20 Ghana cedis (approximately USD $2) after that stage.
What is the minimum information required for birth registration?
Minimum information required goes beyond UN guidance and registrar has no discretion to register without all required information
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The information required for legal purposes is minimal, and usually consists of: given name; surname; date of birth; birthplace; sex; and names of both the parents. It is preferable that information on both parents is provided but registration should not be denied if the mother cannot or will not name the father. Registrars should be authorized to complete registration with the available information to strive for universal registration. Failure to provide statistical data elements such as the weight of the child, should also not prevent birth registration.
The particulars to be provided are evident from the form for notice of birth (Form 1): • Child: Child’s full name, sex, date and place of birth • Father: Full name, nationality and occupation. • Mother: Full name, maiden name, nationality and occupation. • Informant: Full name (if someone other than a parent), relationship to child.
An additional form (Form 4) that must be completed by the Registrar in respect of each birth, for submission to the Government Statistician requests the following additional information: • Birth: type of birth, category of facility where the birth took place, precise location of the facility or the home where the birth occurred, type of birth attendant • Mother: national ID number, place of usual residence, level of formal education, history of previous births (previous children born alive, previous children born alive and still living, previous children born alive and now dead, live birth order) • Father: national ID number, level of formal education, religion, whether or not the father is in gainful employment • Informant: national ID number, residential address and national ID number or mobile number. The form for online birth registration on the website of the Births and Deaths Registry requires all of the details listed on Form 4, and the online form cannot be completed and submitted without including all of the required information.
Section 18 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act contains specific conditions for including paternity information, and Sections 19(1)(b) and 17(4) indicate that an abandoned child can be initially registered without a name, which may be added subsequently. The Registration of Births and Deaths Act and its accompanying regulations are otherwise silent on whether there is discretion to register a birth without all of the required particulars.
What evidence is required for on-time birth registration?
Maternal health record book, evidence of nationality, bio-data to the birth event
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registrars should require proof as to the veracity of the information to be registered. Proof or evidence required for registration must be sufficiently stringent to provide assurance of the accuracy of the information without being so burdensome so burdensome as to discourage or prevent registration. Documentary evidence is always preferred. For birth registration, the most common form of documentary evidence is the notification of birth (from health sector or local leader), but if this is not available, testimony or affidavits of witnesses may be substituted.
The Registration of Births and Deaths Act and its accompanying regulations do not mention any documentary requirements, nor does the form for birth registration contained in the Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations. However, the website of the Births and Deaths Registry indicates that the following documentation is required: the maternal health record book to provide evidence of the birth and evidence of “any nationality provided” such as a national ID, a passport or a naturalization certificate, and “bio-data to the birth event”.
The two-step process envisaged by the law requires direct notification of births by the health facility where the birth took place or the traditional birth attendant who was present at the birth; however it is not clear from the law whether a birth registration can take place in the absence of such a notification.
Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed birth registration?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
While late and delayed reporting should be discouraged, the procedures should not be so restrictive as to prevent late and delayed reporting of events. Laws that require a court order for late or delayed registration present a significant barrier to registration. For late registration (within 1-year grace period), the provision of a notification of birth, or other evidence required for on-time registration, should be sufficient. For delayed registration (after 1 year), the law may require additional evidence such as a witness statement.
The Declaration appended to the Form for Application for Late Registration for Birth (Form 10) and the website of the Births and Deaths Registry indicate that registration of a birth that occurred more than 12 months previously requires documentary evidence such as a weighing card or a baptism certificate dated no more than five years after the birth.
Does the registrar (local or other level) have the authority to correct minor errors (such as data entry errors and typographical errors)? If yes, are such changes free of charge?
Local registrar can make corrections for a fee
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The civil registration agency should have authority to correct errors such as obvious spelling, date or typographical errors.Providing the registration agency with authority to make these types of corrections relieves the applicant of having to spend time and money applying to courts. No fee should be charged for minor clerical errors.
Under Section 37 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, the National Registrar or the relevant District Registrar can correct clerical errors in a register in their custody. It is also possible for a person to make a request for correction of errors to the national Registrar or the relevant District Registrar, supported by a statutory declaration from a person with a duty to notify the civil event or, if none of these persons are available, from two credible persons who have knowledge of the true facts of the case. The applicant must pay the prescribed fee. As of 2025, there is a fee of 20 Ghana cedis (approximately USD $2) under the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act for alterations to the death register, but no fees for corrections of errors in other registers appear to have been imposed.
Does the registrar (local or other level) have the power to add omitted information (such as name of baby, in the case of late naming, and paternity information)? If yes, are such changes free of charge?
Local registrar can add omitted information for a fee
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The civil registration agency should have authority to add information omitted in the original record, such as the late addition of a baby name within the time frame for late naming, or adding uncontested paternity information. Providing the registration agency with authority to make these types of amendments elieves the applicant of having to spend time and money applying to courts. No fee should be charged for adding omitted information
Under Section 19 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, a parent or guardian of a child can apply to the District Registrar within 12 months of the initial birth registration to change a child’s name or to add omitted names. The District Registrar is authorized to alter the child’s birth registration upon receipt of a baptismal certificate or any other document evidencing the name of the child and on payment of the prescribed fee. As of 2025, the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act sets a fee of 5 Ghana cedis (approximately USD $0.50) for the name change if the initial birth registration was made on time and 50 Ghana cedis (approximately USD $5) if the initial birth registration was late. The procedure for adding the omitted name of a parent upon proof of parentage is somewhat unclear.
Section 18 of the Act states that, in cases of doubtful paternity, a District Registrar can register a person as the child’s father only on the joint request of the mother and the father; the two parents must appear together in person, or if the person claiming to be the father is unable to attend personally, he must make a sworn declaration of paternity. If the mother of the child is dead, the entry in the register may be made at the request of the person claiming to be the father of the child, with the sworn written consent of the family of the deceased mother. However, it is not clear if these steps can take place only at the time of initial registration or as later supplementation of the birth register.
Is the original birth certificate provided free of charge?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Legislation should require the registrar, upon completion of registration, to issue an original birth certificate to the parents of the child free of charge. Ideally, the local registrar has the power to issue a birth certificate, as this will shorten the time frame for certificate issuance.
A District Registrar issues a birth certificate automatically and free of charge upon the completion of birth registration with a name for the child. The birth certificate is issued to the child’s father or mother, a person authorized by a court or a person authorized in writing by the child’s father, mother or next of kin.
