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Civil Registration System
Cambodia
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Cambodia
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 communes and sangkats operating on the electronic civil registration system, the local civil registrar has the authority to record births and deaths in the civil register. In the case of births, the birth registration record must be verified at the municipal/district/khan level (a higher administrative level), and a Unique Identity Code assigned, before the birth can be officially registered by the local civil registrar. Prior verification at the higher level is not required for death registration in the electronic system. For communes and sangkats operating on the paper system, the local civil registrar has the authority to officially register births and deaths in the register without higher appoval. In all instances, the local registrar (commune/sangkat registrar) has the power to issue certificates after the event is registered.
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 free of charge
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.
For those communes connected to the electronic system, the civil registrar at the commune/sangkat level can correct minor errors free of charge. If the communes/sangkat is not connected to the electronic CR system, the local registrar can correct minor errors in registrations made during the current year. After the close of the year, the informant must apply at the district level because the physical paper-based records are stored at the district level after the close of the calendar year.
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 the Prakas on Electronic Civil Registration, the local registrar can add paternity information (based on voluntary acknowlegement form) if this information is added within the same calendar year as the birth. After this time, the registrar at the municipal/district/khan level may add paternity information. For communes/sangkats not connected to the electronic Civil Registration system, Sub-decree 103 states that the local registrar can add omitted information for registrations made during the current year. After the close of the year, the informant must apply at the district level, because the physical paper-based records are stored at the district level. A fee may be charged for adding the omitted information.
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.
For those commune/sangkats connected to the elecronic civil registration system, the registration record is transmitted to the national level through the Integrated Population Identification System (IPIS) at the moment the event is registered. For those commune/sangkats that are still operating on the paper-based system, transmission of records is still governed by Sub-decree 103 on civil registration. Under Sub-decree 103, the commune/sangkat civil registrar maintains duplicate books for the civil registration of vital events. At the end of each calendar year, one book is sent to the district level and the second book is sent to the national level.
Does the law provide the criteria or required qualifications for appointing, designating, or selecting local registrars?
To some extent
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.
