National Civil Registration Act, 2016
An Act establishing a national civil registration system in Sierra Leone for the registration of births, deaths and other vital events and the issue of national identity documents.
Summary
The National Civil Registration Act, 2016 establishes a comprehensive national civil registration and identification system in Sierra Leone. It created the National Civil Registration Authority to register vital events and to maintain a national population register and identity-management system.
The Act provides for the compulsory registration of births, deaths, marriages and other vital events, the maintenance of a national civil register, and the issue of birth and death certificates and national identity cards. It brought together civil registration and national identification under a single authority, supporting legal identity for all, planning, service delivery and the electoral process.
It provides for the Authority's functions, data protection and confidentiality, and offences for false registration or misuse.
Main provisions
- Establishes the National Civil Registration Authority.
- Provides for registration of births, deaths, marriages and other vital events.
- Maintains a national civil register and population database.
- Provides for the issue of certificates and national identity cards.
- Provides for data protection, confidentiality and related offences.
- Supports legal identity, planning and the electoral process.