Birth Registration

Uganda

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Uganda Birth Registration Universal Registration

Universal Registration

Universal and Compulsory Coverage

Is birth registration available and compulsory for all births occurring within the country's jurisdiction?

Yes

Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines

The law should provide that registration is available to, and compulsory for, all births occurring in every geographical area and for every population group in the country. Examples of possible discriminations are: sex; race ethnicity, religion or population group; marital status; nationality, citizenship, residency or refugee/asylum status; or any other characteristic such as prisoners or persons with disabilities

All births that occur in the country – including births to refugees, undocumented migrants, internally displaced persons, stateless persons, persons of undetermined nationality and members of nomadic peoples – must be registered in the civil registration system. Where necessary, legislation should include specific provisions to guarantee the registration of these populations regardless of whether the person has legal residency status.

Law Source
UN Principles and Recommendations for a Vital Statistics System para 34
UNGOLF para 219
UNGOLF para 299

Uganda Legal Analysis

In general, registration of every birth that occurs in Uganda is compulsory. The Registration of Persons Act states that it excludes certain categories of persons from its coverage: (a) persons who are not resident in Uganda; (b) persons visiting Uganda for less than 90 days; and (c) refugees.

However, the Constitution and other laws and regulations make the registration of ALL births occurring in Uganda compulsory, and children born to foreign nationals, refugees and stateless persons are included in the register of births in practice.

Law Source
Registration of Persons Act 2015 Sections 1, 28
Constitution of the Republic of Uganda Article 18
Children Act 1996 Section 4(1)(d)
Refugees Act 2006 Section 29(1)(d)
Registration of Persons (Births and Deaths) Regulations 2015 Sections 3(1), 3(3), 4(1), 5(1)and (2)

Is birth registration available for children born to citizens residing abroad?

Yes

Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines

When a child is born to parents who are residing outside their country of citizenship, the country in which the birth occurred has an obligation to register the birth and issue a birth certificate. While the home country of the parents will not issue a new birth certificate, there should be a process by which the parents report the birth to the parents’ home country. This is important for purposes of establishing citizenship and receiving a passport for the child. The legislation should provide a process for citizens temporarily residing abroad to report the birth of a child to the registrar (or the passport agency). This is usually facilitated by a country’s embassies and consulates.
Law Source
UNGOLF para 296
Children's Rights

Uganda Legal Analysis

The law makes provision for the registration of births of children born outside Uganda where their parent or guardian is a citizen of Uganda. The notification can be done at a Uganda Mission or at other locations outside Uganda designated as registration centers by the National Identification and Registration Authority after consultation with the Minister responsible for foreign affairs.
Law Source
Registration of Persons Act 2015 Sections 34, 59

Definition

Does the law provide a clear definition of live birth? If yes, does the definition accord with international guidelines?

No live birth is not defined by law

Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines

The provision of clear definitions in the law is an important tool to ensure the continuous and permanent recording of vital events in all areas. Live birth is defined as "The complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy, which, after such separation, breathes or shows any other evidence of life, such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or any definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached."
Law Source
UN Handbook para 9
WHO-ICD 11

Uganda Legal Analysis

No definition of “birth” or “live birth” appears in the Registration of Persons Act or its subsidiary enactments, and none has been located in any other Ugandan law.
Law Source