UNDERSTANDING STATELESSNESS IN THE SYRIA REFUGEE CONTEXT  and nationality. A second form of civil registration that is of critical importance is the registration of marriage. Marriage documentation is often a required document for birth registration and therefore the lack of formal marriage documentation can become a barrier to birth registration. The importance of birth and marriage registration for protecting refugee children’s right to Syrian nationality is widely recognised among actors engaged in the regional refugee response109 and many efforts are already underway to improve access and facilitate procedures for children born in host countries.110 This chapter gives an overview of some of the general challenges related to accessing civil registration procedures which were identified during this research and describes several good practices put in place by host governments, UNHCR and other organisations to facilitate access to civil registration. 3.1 BARRIERS TO CIVIL REGISTRATION IN THE HOST COUNTRY: PROBLEMS WITH DOCUMENTS 3.1.1 LACK OF REQUIRED DOCUMENTS A first and significant problem is that some refugees lack identity or other documents that are required to access civil registration procedures. In all of the host countries, a birth notification is given to the family by the health official assisting with a child’s birth, and this notification plays a central part in the birth registration process. Thus, where a birth notification is not available or has been lost, the birth registration process becomes complicated. In Lebanon, the vast majority of parents – approximately 98%,111 are able to obtain a birth notification.112 The Lebanese legal framework (and current practice) provides for the possibility of birth registration of children born outside of hospitals with unauthorised midwives, but if a birth occurs in these circumstances, the procedure to obtain a birth notification may not always be straight forward. The research uncovered other reasons for not obtaining a birth notification, such as (as in the example below), when there is a problem between the family and health authorities (for example due to the refugees’ inability to pay any medical fees relating to the birth) and therefore notifications are not given. Khaloud has been living in Jordan since 2012. She was registered with UNHCR and knew she was entitled to free healthcare for her pregnancy and birth, but at the time of the birth she was confused as to which hospital she should go to obtain the free healthcare. She ended up in a private hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy boy. When she was making preparations to leave, the hospital administration handed her a bill for 350 Jordanian dinars.113 She did not have that money, but she was told that she was not entitled to free healthcare there and she could not see her baby until she paid. She said that she felt she had no other choice than to take her baby boy and run away from the hospital. In doing this, she never got the birth notification, which means her son’s birth cannot be registered. When she went to the registration office, they advised her to go back to the hospital to obtain the notification. However, she knows that if she does, they will demand payment before they give her the notification.114 109 Including in 3RP, Regional Strategic Overview, 2015, available at: http://www.3rpsyriacrisis.org/wpcontent/uploads/2015/12/3RP-Regional-Overview-2016-2017.pdf. 110 See the overview presented in UNHCR, Addressing Statelessness in the Middle East and North Africa, supra n14. 111 Information provided by UNHCR Lebanon, September 2016. 112 This is a document that is needed to then obtain a birth certificate. 113 Approximately the equivalent of US$500. 114 Interview with Khouloud, Irbid Jordan, July 2016. RESEARCH REPORT 27