A synopsis of the system of the civil status and its historical development:

The Syrian system of civil registration is old, compared with those of other states.

It dates back to the year /1854/, when partial statistics were conducted, but were confined to males, with the aim of sending them to military service.

These statistics were followed by other statistics in the year /1884/ which included all the population, male and female; and can be considered as the first actual pillar of the civil registration.

These statistics were also followed by another census in /1904/ that cancelled the previous census results and replaced the old registers.

On Aug. 14^th 1914, Ottoman Population Law was issued classifying the citizens into two categories: residents and travelers. During /1922/ a general census was conducted in Syria and the results were written down in two kinds of registration books, the first was devoted to resident Syrians and the other to Syrian absentees. Foreigners were registered separately. That census constitutes the basis of the current civil register in Syria.

On Sept. 1^st 1923, the first Syrian law No. /176/ of civil registration was issued and remained in force. A new civil registration law, No. /3633/ was issued on Oct. 15^th 1931 which cancelled all previous regulations.

On April 2^nd, 1957, Law No. /376/ was issued and has ever since remained in force:

The law contains the System of civil registration  in its current form. The most important tasks of such a system are:

2- The director of the district acts as secretary of the district register, while the director of the area acts as secretary of the area registration center.  The numbers of personnel employed by these secretariats vary according to the volume of work and the number of population in each secretariat.  They work there permanently, supported by a number of temporary workers with annual contracts.  The official hours of work start at 8 AM and end at 14.30 PM everyday.  The salaries of these categories of employees are fair and equal to their peers of government employees, according to the academic qualification and period of service of each employee.  In order to raise the standard of performance in the secretariats, employees attend training courses, both theoretical and practical, every now and then.  These courses are taken into consideration in future promotions.  Whenever necessary, the employees are provided with guidelines about their work.

3- The law provides that directors of public institutions like hospitals, prisons and quarantines shall keep records to register birth and mortality events, and send certificates thereof to the secretaries of the civil registers in their areas.  These institutions act as subsidiary, limited offices of the secretariats of the Civil Register.

4- A civil register (of one copy) shall be kept in each secretariat to record civil status dealings related to its citizens.  Besides, a special record (of one copy) shall also be kept, containing all events of birth, death, marriage and divorce within the area of the secretariat every year.

These shall take the form the area of the secretariat every year.

These shall take the form of one book for each year, bound and containing 100 sheets of paper 48 by 34 centimeters.

The dealings shall be written down in ordinary ink, labeled with chemical and other effects.

5- All secretariats shall apply the same procedures, using the same forms of registers, certificates, documents and sheets containing the records of all civil status events and dealings.  Following are the rules regulating them:

a)    The Civil Register shall contain only what has been written in the records of events based on the documents and certificates provided;

b)    The legally recorded events in the civil records shall stand, unless they are proved to be false or null and void;

c)    The registers, certificates, or documents shall contain no insertions, marginal corrections, or dates written in figures only.  No certificate or document containing a correction shall be accepted till it is duly ratified.

6- Civil status certificates and documents of birth, death, marriage and divorce shall be submitted to the secretary of the civil register in the place of the event within thirty days of its assurance.  This period shall be 15 days if the event occurred at then center of the secretariat of the civil register.  Such periods, however, do not apply to events taking place abroad.  Witnesses of events shall have completed 18 years of age when they occurred.

The secretary of the civil register shall record the events of birth and death within 48 hours of their occurrence, and the events of marriage and divorce in the relevant entries of the person’s concerned in the civil register once their documents are submitted.  He shall send data of such events to the secretariat concerned if the person is registered with another secretariat, in order to record the event in that person’s entry there.

7- The law defines those who shall report each type of civil status events and the serial responsibility of delay as follows:

Births: The father of the newborn shall submit the birth certificate, endorsed by the mayor, chief or village headman.  If the father is unavailable, the headman or male relatives of the newborn in the same household shall report the birth.  The doctor and midwife are also bound to report it, although reporting is not enough to record the event of birth in the civil register.

When a woman gives birth outside her house, the house owner is bound to submit the birth certificate.

Deaths: Deaths shall be reported by the relatives who attended the event or knew about it, the doctor who witnessed it, the headman, or anyone who knew about the event.  The event of death is recorded according to a certificate from the headman, attached to a medical report proving that the death was natural.  The testimony of the headman will do if no doctor is available.

Marriage and Divorce: The law provides that the competent authority that ratified the marriage deed or ruled for a divorce shall provide the relevant certificates or documents within the legal period after the occurrence of the event.

8- The law provided some legal principles relevant to such events.  These include the following:

a)     Marriage and divorce are not considered legal unless they are recorded in the civil registers.

b)     Stillborn babies are recorded in the register of death events only.

c)     An undisclosed person shall not be recorded by the name of a dead brother of the same parents.

d)     A divorce document shall be registered unless it is issued by the same authority that ratified the marriage deed.

e)     No correction or modification of the civil status entries is allowed, except on the basis of a ruling by the district judge of the area of the original record.

f)       Correction of the date of birth registered according to a valid certificate submitted within the legal period is prohibited, except through filing a suit of forgery.

g)     Syrians are not allowed to marry foreigners (non- Arabs) except by prior permission from the Interior Minister.

h)     No reference shall be made to the reasons of death in the civil register.

i)       The family card shall be produced whenever a new event is entered into its contents.

9- Pursuant to the amendment of this law according to legislative Decree No. 272, dated Nov. 14, 1969, Syrian citizens (male and female) intending to marry foreigners (i.e. non- Arabs) shall be subject to criminal penalty if they do not obtain prior permission from the Minister of the Interior.

10- Any civil status event concerning a Syrian citizen in a foreign country shall be deemed valid if it is treated according to the provisions of the laws of that country and does not contravene Syrian laws.  The citizen concerned must record that event with the Syrian consul or the consul acting for Syrian interests in the place of the Syrian citizen’s residence.  The consul shall send a copy of the document of the register to the place of the citizen’s register in Syria.  If the citizen concerned finds it difficult to reach the consul, he must obtain a copy of the record of that event which is registered according to the laws of that country, have it duly endorsed, and then record it in the place of his registry in Syria if that does not contravene Syrian laws.

11- The law permits the registration of events of birth, death, marriage and divorce after the expiry of the legal period, provided that the person who fails to report them is prosecuted.  To register a death less than a year late, an administrative inquiry is stipulated.  An undisclosed person must apply for registration within a year of reaching legal age.  The guardian of an undisclosed minor or the custodian of such a minor who has no guardian must apply for registering him/her within one year of the enforcement of legislative Decree No. 102 dated May 25, 1969, under the peril of imprisonment from one month to one year, a fine ranging from one hundred to five hundred Syrian Pounds, or one of these two penalties.  Those who fail to report shall be seriously and mercilessly prosecuted, and law-enforcement officials failing to prosecute them shall be disciplined.

12- The law defines a number of procedures to monitor the work of the secretariats of the civil register, and to ensure the safety of their records.  These include:

a)     Authorizing governors and the Directorate of Civil Status to assign a number of specialized staff to inspect civil registers, to ensure their safety, and the transfer of the contents of statements to them.

b)    Considering all civil register secretaries, monitors and clerks responsible, within their discipline, for any tampering, distortion or misuse occurring in civil registers.

c)     The Directorate of Civil Affairs in each governorate shall supervise the work functions of the various civil status secretariats, carrying out regular inspection thereof, and whenever necessary.

d)    The secretary of the civil register shall not be allowed to record any event or carry out any civil status action if such event or action concerns him, his close relatives or wives.

e)     All the pages of every register shall be numbered, and the number shall be recorded and ratified by the director of the district or the governor.

f)      The Department of Internal Inspection in the Central Administration and the governorates and their monitors shall carry out regular tours to inspect the secretariats, and to monitor their registers, records and dealings, in order to bring negligent and offending staff to account.

g)    Registers worn out or torn by daily use shall be renewed and copied, then verified and inspected by staff assigned for this purpose.

13- The law ensures the secrecy of data and information recorded in civil registers, and prohibits their transfer from their places, submission to courts or allowing persons to scrutinize them in cases of forgery and the like.  In such cases the registers shall be inspected by the court or the assigned judge in the places where these registers are kept.

14- The law provides that civil status documents and certificates shall be given to citizens free of charge.  Their dealings shall be recorded in civil registers without the payment of any duties, except the stamps stuck to copies of such records and documents.

15- The Civil Register serves individuals and official bodies a like.  It gives citizens whatever they need of their personal and family records to be submitted to official bodies, and their family cards proving their identity and family status.  The Civil Register also provides official bodies with the date and information they need in their work, such as tables of births and deaths to the health authorities, tables of death to the financial authorities, tables of those in the age of military service to the recruitment departments, and tables of those in the legal age to exercise their rights of election and vote in referenda ….etc.

16- Civil Registers of all types, on the local and central levels, shall be kept in metal cupboards protecting them from risks and dangers.  They shall be arranged in a way that facilitates examination and retrieval.  These cupboards shall have room far from office space, beyond the reach of visitors, with equipment to protect them from fire.  Documents and certificates of civil status shall also be kept in special cupboards, arranged in precise order to facilitate simple and quick access.

Following are the necessary guidelines of recording events of civil status, the documents required, and how to obtain the wanted data.

Records

Article 17 of the Law of Civil Status No.: 376, of 1957:

     Any person may ask the secretary of the Civil Register to give him an exact copy of the records and documents related to that person.  This right also applies to the next of kin, the agent, the spouse, public departments, and anybody who may benefit from such a copy, according to the discretion of the administrative chief or magistrate. Such a copy requires a stamp with the value of 3 Syrian Pounds, stuck to the copy.  Official departments are exempted from paying this duty when the copy is required for public interest.

The Legal Period to Register Newborn Certificates:

     Newborn certificates shall be submitted to the secretary of civil register where the birth has occurred, within thirty days if the place of birth is outside the center of the Civil Register, and fifteen days if it is in that center (Article 22 o the Law of Civil Status No: 376, of 1957.).

-                     The day of the event does not count within the legal period.

-                     If the last day of the legal period is an official, or force major, holiday, the following day shall be the last day of the legal period (edict of the Interior Ministry No: 700/3/29, dated June 12, 1967).

-                     If a newborn certificate is submitted within the legal period, but its registration is delayed because of verification or similar reasons, it shall be registered later without the payment of a fine.  The secretary of the civil register shall clearly record the date of reference to prove that the certificate has been submitted within the legal period.  It shall then be recorded in the register of message summaries.

The Headman Who Organized Birth Certificates:

      The headman who organizes birth certificates shall be the headman of the place where the event occurred (edict of the Interior Ministry No. 1281/58, dated Jan. 22, 1958).

Note:

A birth certificate containing corrections, modifications or scraps shall not be accepted (circular of the Interior Ministry No: 249/4/29, dated May 8, 1999).

Persons Required to Submit Birth Certificates:

     The father shall submit the birth certificate, endorsed by the headman.  If the father is not available, this duty falls on the headman, or the relatives of the newborn living in the same house.  However, this does not preclude the admission of a certificate duly organized and submitted by a person not responsible for this duty, such as females in the same house (Article 26 of the Law of Civil Status).

Registration of Births in Official Institutions:

(Hospitals, prisons, quarantines…….and others)

     Managers of official institutions, like hospitals, prisons, quarantines and other institutions shall send the secretary of the civil register certificates of birth occurring in their institutions, with no need to have them endorsed by the headman.  The said secretary in that place shall register such certificates, taking into consideration the provisions of edicts 713 of 1988, 360 of 1989 and 232 of 1989.

Registration of Twins:

     When two or more twins are born, a separate certificate is submitted for each one, defining the precise time of his/her birth.

Registration of Syrians Born Abroad:

     If a Syrian Arab is newly born in a foreign country, the event shall be considered valid if it is treated according to the provisions of the laws of that country and does not contravene Syrian laws.  The event shall be registered by the Syrian consuls assigned with Syrian interests.  The birth statement shall be duly sent to the Ministry of the Interior, thence to the secretary of the civil register concerned.  If the person concerned is unable to register the birth with the consul for some reason, the birth shall be registered upon the return of the person concerned, according to the decision of the Committee of the Undisclosed Persons in the governorate, on the basis of the regulations of Decree 102 of 1969.  If the citizen concerned is resident in a place other than that where the consul lives, and finds it difficult to reach the consulate, he must obtain an exact copy of the statement of the event after registering it according to the laws of that country, have it duly endorsed and registered in the place of his record in Syria if such registration does not contravene Syrian laws.

Registration of Birth of Non-Syrians in Syria:

     New births of non-Syrians on Syrian territory shall be registered in a birth certificate organized by the headman or the manager of the institution /hospital-quarantine- prison/ where the birth has occurred, with due consideration to the provisions of articles 22 and 25 of the law of civil status No. 376 of 1957. The secretary of the civil register concerned shall send their governments a birth statement, via the Ministry of the Interior, and another statement to the Migration and Passport Branch in the governorate. The person concerned may be provided with a statement upon request, with a stamp stuck to it, with the value of three Syrian Pounds.

     After the expiry of the legal period, non-Syrian birth shall not be registered except in accordance with a ruling proving lineage issued by the Shariah Court, pursuant to the circular of the Ministry of the Interior No. 103 of 1998.

Family Cards

1-               Within three months after the registration of the wife at her husband’s house in the civil register, the husband must orally request a family card, after verifying his identity.  The legal period starts from the date of the marriage event when the wife is non-Syrian or registered in the same area of the secretariat, and from the date of the registration of the event of the house transfer when the wife is outside the area of the secretariat, and from the date of the registration of the marriage deed or statement of marriages occurring abroad.

2-               A fine of ten Syrian Pounds shall be imposed on anyone who fails to obtain his family card within the period mentioned in the paragraph above.

3-               A fine of ten Syrian Pounds shall be imposed on anyone who loses his family card.

4-      If a husband dies, leaving more than one wife, with children from each one, every widow shall be given a family card containing her name, and the names of her single children only, with reference in the deceased husband’s family card that he has other children.

5-               A widow is not responsible for the loss of the family card given to her husband.  She shall be given a family card for the first time.  If she loses it, she shall pay the fine of ten Syrian Pounds in the form of a stamp attached to the record of the family card.  A statement of the loss of the family card shall be duly organized.

6-               The fine mentioned in paragraphs 2 and 3 above shall be obtained by the secretary of the civil register in the form of a financial stamp stuck on the record of the family card.

7-               The secretary of the civil register shall mention the nationality of a non-Syrian wife in the family card, without attaching her photograph.  Her full name shall be written in italics in the card.

8-               A husband has the option of attaching the photograph of his Syrian wife to the family card.  The secretary of the civil register shall obtain the description of the wife from her personal identity card, without her presence at the secretariat, pursuant to the circular of the Ministry of the Interior No. 2198/2/1, dated Jan. 9, 1969.

9-                There is no definite period for the registration of the second wife in the husband’s family car (edict No.:4039/5/1, dated April 14, 1970).

10-          The column of the number of national and military service in the family card is filled as follows:

a)    For civilians subject to military service, the number of recruitment shall be taken from the book of military service.

Persons above 48 years of age, however, are exempted according to the administrative edict of the Interior Ministry No; 962/4/9 (11/d), dated Dec. 26, 1991.

b)    For military personnel during the service, the number of the military card and the body that issued it shall be written down, together with the words “officer”, “non-commissioned officer”, or “private”.

11-          A family card shall be given to its owner in person.  He must be present before the secretary of the civil register, with his personal identity card.  In the case of illness, an official may be assigned to obtain the fingerprint.

12-          A wife may obtain a family card in the case of her husband’s absence, after due verification of her personal identity card.  The husband’s absence means his inability, for sound reasons, to come to the secretariat of the civil register. Such an excuse can be verified through an administrative investigation (edict of the Ministry of the Interior No. 3045/4/2, dated Oct. 29,1989, and the letter of the Assistant Ministry of the Interior for Civil Affairs No: 233/4/2/2, dated March 19,1997).

13-          The family card is given to replace a lost one, on the basis of a statement duly organized by the competent police unit.

14-          The family card is given to replace a damaged one without a statement reporting the damage, provided that the damaged card is submitted to be kept in a special file.

15-          A family card may be given to individuals living outside the area of the secretariat of the civil register where their files are kept, by permission from the secretary.  Such a card shall carry the number of the person’s last family card, and the reasons of granting him/her a new card in the new place of residence.  A notification shall be sent to the secretary of the civil register at the old address.

16-          A family card is recorded in the register of family cards, together with the special number on the card.  The general number of the card is also recorded in the register of family cards. The special number shall also be entered into the civil register, opposite to the name of the person concerned, in the special column, with the reasons of granting the card.

17-          In the case of an event of stripping a person of his/her civil rights, such an event shall be recorded on the family card.

18-          If a mistake occurs during the organization of a family card, the secretary of civil register shall be responsible for writing a report; and the mistaken card shall be kept in a special file.

19-          The owner must submit the family card to the secretary of the civil register whenever a new event occurs, so that the event may be added to the contents.

20-          The mother’s family name must be noted in the entry of the person concerned.  When it is not found in that entry, it shall be taken from the special column of her name (edict No.5342/8 (11/d), dated November 4, 1973.

21-          A toll of 3 Syrian Pounds is obtained in the form of a financial stamp, stuck to each family card.

Marriage Deeds

Marriage to Foreigners:

     Syrians or Palestinians registered with the Establishment of Palestinian Refugees in the Syrian Arab Republic shall not be allowed to marry a foreign (non-Arab) spouse except by prior permission from the Minister of the Interior (legislative Decree No.272, dated Nov.3, 1969). Even when approved by a rule of court, such marriage shall not be registered if there is no prior approval by the said Ministry.  Every marriage deed of this sort shall be referred to the public prosecutor’s office to file a lawsuit against the person concerned (circular of the Interior Ministry No. 4037/4/4/5 (11/d), dated April 14, 1970).

Documents Required for License to Marry a Foreigner:

1-                   The Syrian Spouse:

-The Syrian spouse shall submit:

-                     A record from the competent secretariat of the civil register;

-                     A marriage license from the competent recruitment section;

-                     A photocopy of the identity card; and

-                     An application written on a white sheet of paper, with a financial stamp attached, at the value of 3 Syrian Pounds.

2-                   The Foreign Spouse:

     The foreign spouse shall submit:

-                     A record or birth certificate from his/her country, translated in to Arabic, endorsed by the Syrian embassy in that country and the Syrian Foreign Ministry, or from the Patriarchate in Damascus accredited by that country if the foreign spouse is Christian;

-                     A document of blood analysis proving safety from AIDS;

-                     A photocopy of the passport, or a translation of the foreign name.  The original name before marriage should be written in block Latin letters; and

-                     A photocopy of the marriage deed, translated into Arabic and endorsed by the Syrian embassy in the foreign country where the deed was issued, and by the Syrian Foreign Ministry.

Marrying Arabs:

     If one of the two spouses is a citizen of an Arab country and the other is a Syrian Arab, the marriage shall not need the prior approval of the Syrian Interior Ministry.

     However, if that other Arab country stipulates the approval of such mixed marriages by its Interior Ministry, the approval must be attached with the papers required.

Syrians Marrying Abroad:

     The marriage shall be registered at the Syrian embassy, and the documents sent to the secretary of the civil register in order to have their contents duly copied in the civil status records of the spouses.

Divorce

-                     The competent authority that ruled for divorce shall send the ruling to the secretary of the civil register in the place where the event occurred.

-                     The secretary of the civil register shall apply the divorce document to the civil status record of the divorcees, write down the event in the divorce register, and transfer the content of the event to the civil register to insert the sign of divorce on the records of the divorcees.

-                     If the record of the divorcees is written down in the secretariat of a civil register, the divorce document shall be sent to that secretariat for verification.  Then the document shall be registered in the record of divorce events with the secretary of the civil register of the place where the even has occurred.  A divorce statement is sent to the secretariat of the area where the divorcees are registered, in order to insert the sign of divorce on their records.

Non-Syrian Marriage and Divorce Events in Syria:

1-                   The secretary of the civil register shall send the marriage and divorce statements concerning non-Syrian subjects to the Ministry of the Interior through the serial chain of command, in order to be sent to their governments via the Foreign Ministry.

2-                   Upon request, the non- Syrian concerned may be given a copy of the event reported, after sticking a stamp to it with the value of 3 Syrian Pounds.

Registering a Foreign Wife in the Civil Register:

     A foreign wife is registered in the civil register as if she were Syrian, and in a separate column.  In the column of notes in the husband’s record, it shall be noted that he is married to a foreign wife (circular of the Ministry of the Interior No. 24 of 1996).

The Legal Period to record Marriage and Divorce Documents:

     Marriage and divorce documents shall be submitted to the secretary of the civil register where the event has taken place within 15 days of becoming effective in the center of the secretariat of the civil register, and 30 days if the event has occurred outside that center (Article 22/amended by legislative Decree 102 of 1969).  After the expiry of the legal period, the person concerned shall pay 10 Syrian Pounds in the form of a stamp.

     The day when the document becomes effective is not calculated within the legal period.

     If a document is submitted within the legal period, but its registration was delayed because of the process of verification, it shall be registered without a fine.  The secretary of the civil register must mention the date of reference very clearly to prove that it has been submitted within the legal period, and record it in the file of letter summaries.

     As for marriage and divorce rulings, the legal period shall start as of the date when these rulings become final.

Death Document

A death certificate is organized by the headman in three copies, with an appendix containing the names of the heirs.  The cause of death shall be written down in the certificate by the doctor.  Where there are no doctors, the testimony of the headman that the death has been natural shall suffice.  A medical report, written on a special sheet that can be obtained from the Doctors’ Union for 25 Syrian Pounds, shall be attached to a recent death certificate.  However, such report need not be attached to a death certificate whose legal period has expired. Cases of death in areas where no doctor is available need no medical report, even if they were recent.  A document of a quittance from the Directorate of Supplies, showing that the deceased person’s card of supply has been returned to the supply card committee, must also be attached to the death certificate. The personal identity card and the election card of the deceased shall be withdrawn from the heirs.  If such cards are lost, a written statement shall be taken from the person submitting the death certificate.

Persons Allowed to Submit Death Certificates:

1-               Reporting the death is the duty of relatives who have attended it, or been informed of it, the doctor who saw it, or any person who learned of it (Article 47 of the law of civil status).

2-                A death certificate shall be submitted to the secretary of the civil register where the event has occurred, if it has taken place in the center of that register, within fifteen days, and within 30 days if it has occurred outside the area of that center.  The day of the event is not calculated with that legal period.  If the day of its expiry is the end of the week (on Friday) or an official holiday, the following day shall be considered the end of the legal period.

3-               If a death certificate is submitted within the legal period, but its registration was delayed due to verification and other processes, it shall be subsequently registered without fine.  The secretary of the civil register must write down the date of reference very clearly to show that it was within the legal period, and was noted in the record of message summaries.

4-               A death certificate shall be registered if it is submitted after the legal period defined in Article 22 of the law of civil status, before the lapse of a year after it has occurred.  This shall be on the basis of an administrative inquiry.  The person who failed to submit the certificate shall pay a fine of 10 Syrian Pounds in the form of a stamp stuck to it.

5-               A death certificate shall not be registered one year after the event except on the basis of a decision issued by the Committee of the Registration of Undisclosed Persons in the governorate.

Stages of the Registration of a Death Certificate:

1-               If the death occurs in the area of the secretary of the civil register where the deceased is registered, the said secretary shall record it in the register of death events; and the sign of death is noted on the record of the deceased after verification.

2-               If the event occurs in an area other than that where the deceased has been registered, the secretary shall verify the contents of the death certificate with the identity or family card of the deceased.  When there are no documents proving the record of the deceased, the secretary of the civil register shall send the recent death certificate to the relevant secretary in the place of the record of the deceased for verification and conformity, pursuant to edict No. 2372/9/3, dated Dec.14, 1969, which provides for the consistency of civil status documents. After that, the certificate shall be registered in the register of death events, and the secretary of the civil register sends a statement to the competent secretary in the place of the deceased person’s record, in order to insert the sign of death therein after entering the statement in the file of special incoming correspondence.

     As for a certificate coming after the expiry of the legal period, it needs verification, the attachment of a copy of the record of the deceased, while his identity and election cards are sent to the secretary of the civil register in the area of the deceased person’s record.

3-               The secretary of the civil register shall send a copy of the death certificate and the appendix concerning the heirs to the competent financial directorate, writing down the number of his letter on the copy of the death certificate retained by him, and in the column of notes in the record of events, pursuant to edict No: 19773/59/1, dated Oct. 13, 1959.

4-               The death certificate shall also be sent to the military recruitment section.

5-                

Registration of the Death of Non-Syrians:

     Death events of non-Syrians occurring in Syria shall be registered in death registers, taking into consideration the provisions of Article 22, amended by Decree No. 102 of 1969, and Article 25 of the law of civil status, amended by legislative Decree No. 165 of 1967, as well as Article 45 of the law of civil status, amended by legislative Decree No. 102 of 1969, and legislative Decree No. 146 of 1970.

     The secretary of the civil register sends two copies of a death statement, one to the Ministry of the Interior, and the other to the Migration and Passport Branch in the governorate.

     Upon request, the persons concerned may obtain a copy of this statement, after sticking a stamp to it with the value of three Syrian Pounds.

Registering Deaths in Prisons, Quarantines and Hospitals:

     The certificate is given by the managers of these institutions or those acting on their behalf, accompanied with the medical report, to the competent secretary of the civil register.  In such cases, there is no need to ask for the testimony of the headman, according to Article 50 of the law of civil status.

Registering the Death of the Stillborn:

     The death of stillborn babies is registered on the basis of a certificate given by the doctor or the midwife, with no need for a certificate from the headman or the signature of the two witnesses.  The organizer of the certificate shall write in the column of the name: “a stillborn baby”; and the death certificate is registered as an event only.

Registering Deaths by Accidents:

     A death certificate is organized by the headman or the hospital manager, who shall attach a copy of the police report.  The forensic doctor shall write down the cause of death in the document.  Then it is submitted to the competent secretary of the civil register, in order to have it duly registered, taking into consideration articles 22, 25 and 45 of the law of civil status.

Registering the Death of Syrians Abroad:

     Death events of Syrians resident abroad shall be registered with the Syrian Embassy.  The Syrian Consul sends a death statement, through the serial chain of command, via the Ministry of the Interior, to the secretary of the civil register where the deceased has been recorded, in order to insert the sign of death into his record after entering the statement into the register of special correspondence.  The secretary then sends notice to the competent financial department.  When registering the death event at the embassy fails, it shall be registered with the secretary of the civil register where the deceased has had a record, on the basis of Article 19 of the law of civil status, and Article 8 of the regulations of legislative decree No. 102 of 1969.

Registering Death in Airplanes and Ships:

     The pilot of the airplane organizes a death certificate to be submitted to the nearest secretary of civil register, Syrian consul, or the first airport the airplane reaches.

     If a ship sinks with its cargo, or a plane falls and some or all the passengers and crew are lost, and it is impossible to organize a death certificate, the Interior Minister shall decide, three months after the accident, to declare the people on board missing, listing their names.  Then the secretary of the civil register or any person concerned can obtain a decision that the death has occurred, issued by the competent committee of registering undisclosed persons in the place of the decease’s record.  A copy of this decision is sent to the secretary of the civil register in that area, where a death sign is inserted into the record of the deceased. 

     The secretary of the civil register shall send monthly lists of the dead to the branch of political security and the directorate of supplies in the governorate.

Registering Death during Pilgrimage:

     Article 54: The head of the official mission accompanying the pilgrimage convoy registers the event, after verification, in a special record, prepared for this purpose.  Upon his return to Syria, he shall submit to the Interior Ministry a death certificate about each event, containing all the necessary data that can be obtained and processed.  The certificate is delivered to the secretary of the civil register concerned, in order to insert the sign of death opposite the name of the deceased in his record.

     Deaths of pilgrims not documented according to the paragraph above can be registered within a period of 30 days following the date of the arrival of the last group of pilgrims, on the basis of a testimony organized by the headman of the quarter of the deceased, signed by two witnesses of the pilgrims who have attended the death or learned of it.  The death even may be registered according to the method defined in Article 19 of the law of civil status and Article 8 of the regulations of legislative decree No. 102 of 1969.