Somalia: Information regarding the status of marriage documentation in Somalia
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 May 1990 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SOM5626 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Somalia: Information regarding the status of marriage documentation in Somalia, 1 May 1990, SOM5626, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aba650.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. |
According to the Director of Research Resource Division for Refugees at Carleton University, there are no certificates of marriage in Somalia. [
FootnoteS:
As stated by the Director of RRDR at Carleton University during a telephone interview with the IRBDC on 15 and 18 May 1990.] The Director further states that marriages are religious affairs in Somalia, not civil ones. These statements are supported by the Manager of COSTI, Centre for Italian Scholastic and Technical Organizations located in Toronto, and an authority on Somali affairs residing in Ottawa. [ As stated by the manager of COSTI, located in Toronto, during a telephone interview with the IRBDC on 18 May 1990. As stated by an Ottawa authority on Somalia during a telephone interview with the IRBDC on 16 May 1990.] Both sources report that only the presence of a sheikh or a qadi (religious leaders), and two witnesses is required. According to both sources, the qadi enters the names of the couple into his registry. Should the couple require a marriage certificate, they can apply to the Grand Qadi or Grand Sheikh in the Ministry of Justice and Religious Affairs. Although it is possible for a married couple to obtain an official marriage certificate, the majority of the people in rural and urban areas do not "bother" with it. [ Ibid.]
Corroborating information from published sources is currently unavailable to the IRBDC.