Ethiopia: The procedure for applying for an Ethiopian birth certificate and whether the procedure varies depending on the province or Kebele in which the birth certificate is issued
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 April 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ETH29160.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ethiopia: The procedure for applying for an Ethiopian birth certificate and whether the procedure varies depending on the province or Kebele in which the birth certificate is issued, 1 April 1998, ETH29160.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ab9598.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In a 3 April 1998 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an official of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia in Ottawa stated that birth certificates must be obtained from the municipality. The procedure, he stated, is uniform for all provinces of Ethiopia. He explained that it is not customary for Ethiopians, particularly those born in rural areas to have birth certificates. However, if a birth certificate is required for travel or other purposes, the initial stage is to apply to the Kebele, which writes the applicant a letter of introduction to the municipality (ibid.).
At the municipality, the applicant will be required to present him/herself accompanied by three witnesses to confirm that she/he was born in that municipality. The municipality will then issue a birth certificate to the applicant. The official emphasized that the birth certificate is not valid until it has been authenticated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Minister verifies that the certificate bears a municipality seal and the signature of the municipality administrator. However, he added, the seals are not uniform because each municipality has its own seal.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Reference
Embassy of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. 3 April 1998. Telephone interview with official.