Legal Identity and Housing, Land and Property Rights of Syrian Refugees from a Durable Solutions Perspective Challenges and Opportunities In Lebanon, refugees are required to register vital events with the local Personal Status Department at the district level and then with the Foreigners’ Registry at the governorate level. Birth registration is dependent on proof of marriage, which is an obstacle for refugees who do not have documents or are reluctant to approach the Syrian Embassy in Beirut to issue or validate documents.94 A lack of legal residency can also impede access to civil registration. In 2021, only 16 per cent of Syrian refugees over 15 years of age had legal residency.95 While some residency requirements for registration of vital events have been lifted,96 at least one spouse requires legal residency for marriage registration, which in turn impacts birth registration. In cases where a child has not been registered within a year of their birth, one parent requires legal residency to initiate a court process to complete the registration.97 All court proceedings involving foreigners require an investigation by the General Security Office, which is a significant deterrent for Syrians without legal residency.98 94 95 96 97 Furthermore, the vast majority of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are unable to complete civil registration processes due to limitations on their freedom of movement, a reluctance to approach authorities, and/or a lack of required documents.99 The current economic crisis and currency devaluation, together with the implications of COVID-19 and the fallout of the Beirut Port explosion, have taken a heavy toll on the refugee population. In 2021, 88 per cent of refugee households were reported to be living in extreme poverty, below the Survival Minimum Expenditure Basket.100 This has further affected access to documentation for refugees who have limited financial means and need to prioritise basic needs over the costs of obtaining civil documentation.101 An increase in confiscation and retention of refugees’ civil documentation by authorities, hospitals, landlords, and others (e.g., grocery stores) on account of debt has also been reported.102 Proof of marriage can include a family booklet, family civil status statement (not older than 1 year) or a Syrian marriage certificate stamped by the MFAs in Syria and Lebanon. Syrian diplomatic missions do not issue family booklets; however, the latter two documents can be obtained from the Syrian Embassy. An additional option for couples who were married in Lebanon is to present a marriage certificate executed in Lebanon and registered at the Syrian Embassy. 2021 Preliminary Results of the Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR Lebanon), 2021, https://data2. unhcr.org/en/documents/details/88960. In the 2020 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR Lebanon), the most commonly reported reason for not having legal residency was rejection by GSO, including inconsistent practices, (33 per cent); followed by the inability to obtain a sponsor or pay residency fees (26 per cent). The requirement for residency for birth and marriage registration ended in 2017, Government of Lebanon & UN RC/HC Lebanon, Lebanon Crisis 2017–2020 (2020 Update); UNHCR, December 2019, Global Compact on Refugees: Lebanon’s Good Practices. NRC Lebanon, February 2019, Briefing Note: Late Birth Registration for Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Note: Current waivers and suspensions of deadlines mean most cases of delayed birth registration can be completed through an administrative process not via a court process. Births that occurred between 1 January 2011 and 8 February 2019 are not bound by any registration deadline; these births can be registered administratively at the PSD and do not require a court case – Memos No. 93 and 96 issued by the PSD. Births that occurred between 8 February 2019 and 31 March 2021 can be registered administratively at the PSD within one year, taking into consideration the period from 17 October 2019 until 31 March 2021 during which the legal, administrative, and contractual deadlines were suspended. Laws No. 160, No. 185, and No. 212 on the Suspension of Legal, Administrative and Contractual Deadlines, and the PSD circulars Nos. 14 and 15. Births that occurred after 31 March 2021 shall be registered within one year. 98 99 100 101 102 Communication with NRC ICLA Lebanon, January 2021. 2020 Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees in Lebanon (VASyR Lebanon), 2020. UNHCR, 2021 Preliminary Results of the Vulnerability Assessment of Syrian Refugees (VASyR Lebanon), 2021, https://data2.unhcr.org/en/documents/details/88960. See also: UNHCR Lebanon, ‘Nine out of ten Syrian refugee families in Lebanon are now living in extreme poverty, UN study says’) https://www.unhcr.org/lb/14025-nine-out-often-syrian-refugee-families-in-lebanon-are-now-living-inextreme-poverty-un-study-says.html (accessed 27 August 2021). Communication with NRC ICLA Lebanon, January 2021. NRC Lebanon, May 2020, Briefing Note: Documentation and access to health care for refugees in Lebanon; KII for joint UNHCR/NRC regional research, 2020. 16