Civil Status Law (Law No. 13 of 2021)

This law was approved by the People’s Assembly on July 15, 2021 and promulgated by President Bashar Al-Assad on August 15, 2021. The law sets out the legal requirements for registration of life events—such as birth, marriage, divorce, and death—as well as the issuance of identity documents and family booklets, which are important for confirmation of legal identity.

The 2021 Civil Status Law replaced the previous Civil Status Law of 2007. The 2007 law was, at least in part, changed because many people in Syria had been unable, or it had become more difficult for them (e.g. because they are living abroad), to register life-cycle events as a result of the civil war in the country. This new law relaxes some of the previous requirements of the registration process, including allowing both the mother and the father to be able to report births. As a result of the conflict, around 20% of Syrian households are now female-headed.

Births must be registered with the Civil Status Department within three months of the child’s birth or nine months if the birth takes place outside of Syria. Fines are applicable if the birth is registered outside of these time limits. The 2021 Civil Status Law significantly increases the time people have to register their vital events. The period has increased three-fold, from 30 days to three months for people inside Syria and from 90 days to nine months for Syrians abroad.

Another key change is the law’s introduction of a single digitized Syrian Registry. The previous system was primarily a paper-based, geographically-bound system that required people to travel back to local civil registry offices in order to register life-cycle events.

Children can only be registered if the parents are legally married. If the marriage is not registered or the child is born out of wedlock, the child can still be registered but without the name of the mother or father on the birth certificate, unless they expressly consent or unless there is authorization via a court decision authorizing. Children of unknown parentage will be registered in the Civil Registry after the government agency responsible for such children, namely the Melody of Life Homes, chooses a name, including parental names and a family name, for the child. The Melody of Life Homes are also responsible for issuing a birth attestation and registering the child with the Civil Registry.