NRC I Displacement, HLP and access to civil documentation in the north west of the Syrian Arab Republic actors and other non-government actors. It was reported by the research team that actors issuing civil documentation often use Government of Syria templates which are widely available. It appears that some of these templates may be exact copies of Government of Syria templates, i.e. including the Government of Syria logo etc., while others are designed on the basis of Government of Syria templates, but may not be exact copies or contain Government of Syria logos. Over three quarters of household survey respondents reported that they did not experience any problems using documents issued by non-state actors within the respective areas where they were issued, and where problems were experienced or anticipated, this was because it was unclear whether the documents would be recognised outside of the areas where they were issued. Concerns were raised over the fraudulent issuance of documents by household survey respondents and in FGDs and KIIs. It was reported by the research team that it is very easy to obtain fraudulent documents in north west Syria and that businesses have been established specifically for this purpose. In FGDs, security concerns in relation to using documents issued by non-Government of Syria actors outside of the areas where they were issued were also raised, as well as problems of identity theft, leading to violation of rights, such as HLP rights. On the other hand, it was reported in FGDs that these documents can be useful in proving identity and ensuring rights within the areas where they are issued, including upon marriage; protecting HLP rights in relation to property transactions; and proving educational achievements, thereby improving employment opportunities. Key informants pointed to the challenges associated with many people having lost civil documents and lack of access to the Syrian Government Civil Registry database in order to verify the identity of those seeking documents from them, often IDPs. A key conclusion, then, is that unless people have sufficient resources to pay facilitators to obtain lost or missing Government of Syria-issued documentation or to update status in areas of Syria under Government of Syria control, for instance, when key life events happen, there are extremely limited options for people living in areas outside of Government of Syria control to obtain or update vital official civil documentation. Yet they need 26 I NRC Assessment Report