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Civil Registration System
Ghana
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Ghana
Civil Registration System
Local Civil Registrations
Local Civil Registrations
Powers and Responsibilities of Local Civil Registrars
Is the local civil registrar empowered by law to register vital events? If yes, do they have the power to issue certificates of registration?
Yes local registrar empowered to register vital events and issue certificates
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Legislation should clearly state the duties and powers of local registrars (the civil registrar responsible for the primary registration area), which include recording and registering vital events in compliance with registration laws, and issuing certificates or copies of vital records upon request, without needing approval from the central level.
In terms of Section 8(2)-(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, the District Registrar registers births, fetal deaths and deaths and maintains District Registers of these events which are transmitted via Regional Registrars to the national Registrar of Births and Deaths. Section 21 of the Act empowers the District Registrar to issue birth certificates, Section 31 empowers the District Registrar to issue death certificates and burial permits, and Section 26 empowers the District Registrar to issue burial permits in respect of fetal deaths.
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?
Yes, a registrar can correct minor errors, for a fee
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Legislation should authorize the local civil registrar to make minor corrections such as typographical and data entry errors in civil registration records. Such corrections should be free of charge.
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 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.
Section 38 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act provides for amendment of the register of fetal deaths or deaths to correct an error occasioned by an error in a coroner’s certificate, on application by any person with a duty to report a death and supported by a statutory declaration or an affidavit. The Registrar may then request the coroner to correct the error by certification, and the Registrar or District Registrar who has custody of the relevant register effects the correction. Section 13 of the Act refers to a prescribed fee for accepting an affidavit or a statutory declaration, but the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act sets no fees for this.
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)?
Yes, a registrar can add omitted information, for a fee
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Legislation should authorize the local civil registrar to add uncontested information such as uncontested paternity information, and add omitted information such as adding or amending the name of a child within a defined time period.
Under Section 19, 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, on payment of the prescribed fee. As of 2025, the Fees and Charges (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act set 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. Procedures for proof of parentage (including orders for medical tests for this purpose) are contained in the Children’s Act, but this law contains no directions for altering or supplementing the birth register or amending birth certificates to reflect an order of a Family Tribunal on parentage.
Does the law require the local civil registration office to transmit registration records to the national civil registration authority on a regular and timely basis?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The legislation should set time frames for transfer of information from the local register to the centralized register. The time frames may vary based on policymakers' discretion, depending on whether the system is computerized or non-computerized.
Section 8(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act requires District Registrars to submit the collated information contained in the District Registers of births, fetal deaths and deaths to the Regional Registrar for onward submission to the Registrar. However, the Act does not specify a time frame.
The Registration of Births and Deaths Regulations appear to contemplate paper record-keeping, with Regulation 9 providing that an officer of the Registry must deposit a completed register book with the National Office of the Registry within 28 days after completion.
In practice, Ghana has introduced an online registration and payment system, which has dramatically improved the percentages of births and deaths that are registered. Ghana is also in the process of expanding mobile registration in remote areas, introducing electronic birth registration systems and digitizing civil registration records.
Does the law provide the criteria or required qualifications for appointing, designating, or selecting local registrars?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
It is important that the law provide clear requirements governing fitness and qualifications of local civil registrars. To prevent corruption, the law should provide that registrars be full-time public service officials, with defined terms of employment and adequate salary level.
The Registration of Births and Deaths Act and its subsidiary enactments are silent on the fitness and qualifications of Regional Registrars, District Registrars, Registration Officers and Assistants who work at sub-district levels.
