Tanzania: Births and Deaths Registration Act 1920 (as amended to 1993)

Published: 20/Apr/1993

Laws of Tanzania, Chapter 108: Ordinance No. 12 of 1920 (amended by Ords. 29 of 1922, 20 of 1926, 19 of 1943, 39 of 1949, and 30 of 1955; and by Acts Nos. 11 of 1976, 13 of 1988, 19 of 1992, and 1 of 1993)

The law provides, inter alia:

11. Duty to register births

In the case of every child born alive after the commencement of this Act, the registration of whose birth is compulsory, it shall be the duty of the father and mother, and, in default of the father and mother, of the occupier of the house in which to his knowledge such child is born, and of each person present at the birth, and of the person having charge of such child, to register the birth within three months of the birth.

12. Registration of child born out of wedlock

No person shall be bound as father to register the birth of a child born out of wedlock and no person shall be entered in the register of as the father of such child except at his own request and upon his acknowledging himself to be the father of the child and signing, or affixing his mark to, the register as such.

13. Registration of exposed child

If any living new-born child, the registration of whose birth is compulsory, is found exposed, it shall be the duty of any person finding such child, and of any person in whose charge such child may be placed, to give such information as the informant possesses for the purpose of registering such birth.

The most recent amendment (by the Written Laws (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act, 1993), was to remove the possibility of late registration of births more than 10 years after their occurrence, without approval of the registrar general.

Download file: here

Themes: Identity Documents, Birth Registration
Regions: East Africa, Tanzania
Year: 1920, 1993