Exploring the Interface Between Birth Registration and Citizenship Determination: A Scoping Study in Seven Countries in Southern Africa Table 2: Citizenship data in birth registration record and birth certificate Country Citizenship Data Reflected in Birth Registration Record Reflected in Birth Certificate Parent Child Parent Child Botswana     Eswatini   (Embedded in UIN)   (Embedded in UIN) Lesotho     (Indicated by full or abridged certificate) Malawi     (Indicated by assignment of UIN) Namibia   NA  (Indicated by form of birth certificate) Republic of Congo  NA  NA South Africa   (Separate registers for citizens and non-citizens) NA  (Inferred from electronic vs. paper certificate) Children born outside the country of their parent’s citizenship: Registering a birth and claiming citizenship Six of the seven countries—all but Namibia—have a process for parents to apply for birth registration for a child born abroad. This birth registration application process requires the parent to submit proof of their own citizenship, as well as a birth certificate from the country in which the birth occurred or a birth notification or other document from a hospital as proof of the event (based on what is available in terms of documentation for the birth of a foreigner). Upon review of the documentation, the civil registration authority will record the birth in the register and issue a birth certificate showing the original facts (of a birth abroad), which can be used as proof of citizenship. In Namibia, birth certificates are not usually issued to children born to Namibian citizens abroad. Instead, the Namibian Citizenship Act lays out a process for children to claim citizenship by descent by registering the birth at a diplomatic mission abroad or with the civil registration authorities within one year after returning to the country. After registration, the child is issued a certificate of registration of citizenship. Only in cases where the parents were not issued with a birth certificate by the host country will a Namibian birth certificate be issued. 16