One of the major changes to expect from revised law governing persons and family is the designation of the new registrars for birth record.

The new amendments in the law will enable registration of new born babies be registered at the hospitals and other health facilities.

Nonetheless, the current law allows civil registrar to do it in the office, the amendment also intends to bring some changes to facilitate timely service delivery at the place of the birth – so as to maximize and facilitate registration of all birth records.

The new law governing persons and family as well as relations between persons would authorize the registration of the new born babies to be carried out by the following new civil registrars, namely: Director of Nursing at District's and Referral Hospitals; Head of Health Center; and Head of Private Health Facility.

A civil registrar is an officer in charge of civil status at the level of decentralised administrative entity, a representative of Rwanda in a foreign country and any other person authorised by law plus the staff at a health facility designated by the law.

Civil status for persons is only established and proved by civil status records issued in conformity with provisions of this amended law.

It is also established exceptionally by judgments replacing or correcting these records or by judgments in relation to civil status.

Declarations of civil status is made before the civil registrar who records the following declarations: birth; marriage; death; acknowledgment of a child born out of wedlock; adoption; guardianship to a minor or a person of full age; granting of Rwandan nationality.

The new civil registrars are set to start training about the new changes and tasks ahead.