Serbia and Montenegro: Whether birth certificates issued in Cetinje in 1972 had an expiration date or whether they are valid indefinitely; content; language; application form; normal waiting period for a birth certificate issued in 2002 to a person born in 1972; whether a family member can pick it up on their behalf
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 9 November 2004 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | SCG43117.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Serbia and Montenegro: Whether birth certificates issued in Cetinje in 1972 had an expiration date or whether they are valid indefinitely; content; language; application form; normal waiting period for a birth certificate issued in 2002 to a person born in 1972; whether a family member can pick it up on their behalf, 9 November 2004, SCG43117.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/42df618219.html [accessed 2 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In an 8 November 2004 telephone interview with the Research Directorate, an attaché from the Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro in Ottawa provided the following information, which applies to Serbian birth certificates including those issued in Cetinje in 1972:
Serbian law stipulates that birth certificates older than six months are no longer valid, and therefore do not have indefinite validity. However, the attaché indicated that due to the difficulty that many Serbians in Canada would face in travelling to Serbia to retrieve a new birth certificate, there have been instances where exceptions have been made and an expired birth certificate has been permitted for official purposes (for instance to obtain a Serbian passport). The attaché further commented that those living outside Serbia usually do not need to get their birth certificate renewed every six months, because they conduct all the business requiring it (such as getting a new passport) at the same time.
Serbian birth certificates contain the bearer's name, date and place of birth, parent's names and marital status, and whether or not the bearer is deceased. According to the attaché, these certificates would have been issued in Serbian only. The attaché indicated that there is no application form; rather, officials in Serbia ask questions and fill out their own form in order to verify the applicant's identity and issue the certificate. The normal waiting time to obtain a birth certificate ranges from a few minutes, if the applicant applies in person, to the basic mailing time, if requested from abroad. An applicant who applies through a local Serbian embassy might wait a month for the birth certificate to arrive. The attaché mentioned that the applicant's relatives could obtain the birth certificate on their behalf, and that the procedure is fairly simple (they only need to give the applicant's name, date and place of birth). Following such a procedure, the applicant would likely obtain their birth certificate in a matter of days.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection.
Reference
Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro in Ottawa. 8 November 2004. Telephone interview with an attaché.
