Exploring the Interface Between Birth Registration and Citizenship Determination: A Scoping Study in Seven Countries in Southern Africa

This report analyses the linkage between birth registration and citizenship determination in seven Southern African countries—Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, the Republic of Congo, and South Africa. It examines legal frameworks, administrative practices, and ID system integration, highlighting widespread informal procedures, limited safeguards, and risks of statelessness, while calling for clearer mandates, due process, and universal birth registration protections.