New INDEX thematic briefing: Birth registration and the prevention of statelessness in Europe

5 May 2020 / Austria / Belgium / Bulgaria / Cyprus / Czechia / France / Germany / Greece / Hungary / Italy / Latvia / Malta / Moldova / Netherlands / North Macedonia / Norway / Poland / Portugal / Prevention and reduction / Serbia / Slovenia / Spain / Switzerland / Ukraine / United Kingdom

Birth registration is a key way to prevent statelessness and ensure every child can acquire a nationality. Yet, some children in Europe still face the risk of statelessness due to persisting barriers to birth registration.

Our new briefing, Birth registration and the prevention of statelessness in Europe: identifying good practices and remaining barriers, is the first in a series of thematic briefings using extensive country analysis of law, policy and practice from our StatelessnessINDEX. The briefing examines data from 24 countries to identify good practice and barriers preventing children from having their birth registered.

The briefing was drafted based on data collected before the COVID-19 outbreak, so does not reflect any very recent changes to law, policy and practice. You can read more about how stateless people in Europe are being impacted by the current crisis, including in relation to access to birth registration, in our policy statement. Notwithstanding any recent changes, the analysis in the briefing if anything remains even more relevant as Europe responds to the fallout from the pandemic.


Download the briefing (pdf)

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