NRC I Displacement, HLP and access to civil documentation in the south of the Syrian Arab Republic recording paternity, thereby conferring Syrian nationality on a child if the father is Syrian. Marriage certificates and the family book also pertain to inheritance, proving the relation of spouses or offspring to the deceased, and serving as the basis to claiming any share of an estate. The situation for children is particularly grave. Almost a quarter of the surveyed household members aged 14 and above, and thus eligible for a Syrian national ID card, are without national ID cards. Almost half of children under five (304 out of 675), are not included in the household’s family booklet. The family booklet is the first official government recognition of a Syrian child in relation to their existence, identity and nationality. Continued noninclusion in the family booklet has negative consequences for Syrians, as it would render them unable, later in life, to obtain other documents, such as an ID card or passport. One third of children under five (195 out of 675), are not only not listed in the family book but also do not have a birth certificate (Bayan al Wiladah).20 Some of these children do have birth notification documents (Shihadet al Wiladah)21 but as most are issued in NGCAs, it is unclear whether they will be accepted by Government authorities. The children who might be considered most at risk of lack of legal identity and of statelessness, are those whose existence is not recorded in any family booklet, on a birth certificate, nor even on a birth notification document. In the survey, over one quarter of children under five fell into this category. 20% No access to civil documents at all Access to Government of Syria documents 7% 73% Access to de facto authority documents Figure 5: Household survey (n=734): Access to legal identity and civil documentation in displacement 20 Bayan al Wiladah– Birth registration certificate. 21 Shihadet al Wiladah – Birth notification is the notice of the occurrence of birth by an individual or institution to the registrar of vital events in a country. The notification is usually done by health institutions and birth attendants. The birth notification only has a record value, it is not a legal registration record. Prior to the conflict in urban areas hospital authorities issued birth notification documents and sent them directly to the civil registry department. 16 I NRC Assessment Report