Family in Guinea-Bissau

Families in Guinea-Bissau often organize care, financial assistance and support for older or dependent relatives through kinship networks, neighborhoods, and religious or traditional communities. Formal options also exist, including civil marriage, birth and death registration, and state and community-based protection services. There is no documented nationwide single point of contact for all family matters; responsibilities and available services differ, especially between urban and rural areas. Marriage is generally possible from the age of 18 for all genders. An exception from the age of 16 with the consent of parents or a legal representative is described differently in the available information: the UNICEF profile states it generally, while a 2024 field report distinguishes between girls from age 16 and boys from age 18. The responsible registration office or a court should therefore confirm how the rule currently applies. The marriage must be registered during the ceremony; a fee may apply, and a certificate is available on request. Depending on the case, proof of age and birth, proof of residence, the presence of both spouses or a power of attorney, and witness testimony may be required. For foreign spouses, an additional certificate of capacity to marry may be required. Parents or other authorized informants must register a birth. The statutory deadline is 30 days; registration remains free for children up to the age of seven, after which fees or penalties may apply depending on the child’s age. Possible documents include the parents’ identity documents, their presence, a birth notification from the health facility, or a vaccination card. Registration can take place nationwide, while health facilities are increasingly being integrated into the digital civil registration transition system (SIREC). According to the available 2019 MICS survey, 46 percent of births of children under five were registered; in 2025, 40,306 free certificates were issued, including 8,760 for children under one year of age, at 60 health facilities. Health-care, community health-worker and parenting-program services are available for pregnancy, childbirth and early childhood. In 2025, 45,203 pregnant women received regular antenatal care, and 6,361 mothers, fathers or caregivers took part in parenting programs. For high-risk pregnancies, referrals and, where available, temporary accommodation for mothers can make access to treatment easier. Whether a birth takes place at home or in a facility is also shaped by the availability of relatives and the influence of mothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. According to the available information, maternal mortality was 667 deaths per 100,000 live births. For poor or particularly vulnerable households, the Guinea-Bissau human-capital program (Guinea-Bissau Human Capital Project) provides for cash transfers and an expansion of the national social registry (National Social Registry) through 2030. The reviewed information identifies 3,500 vulnerable households as the target, but does not provide reliably confirmed general application deadlines or payment amounts. In cases of violence, forced marriage, child marriage, female genital mutilation or risks to children, the police, women and children’s protection institute (Institute of the Woman and Child (IMC)), health and social workers, and local protection mechanisms can be involved. Female genital mutilation has been prohibited by law in Guinea-Bissau since 2011; according to current UNICEF information, however, more than half of women aged 15 to 49 and 30 percent of girls under 15 are affected. The seven legal access centers (Access to Justice Centers) provide legal information, mediation and referrals; from 2022 to 2024, they handled 7,711 cases, almost half of them involving women as affected persons. A child protection organization (AMIC) can arrange temporary accommodation for children at risk; safe family reunification is preferred, while alternative placement may be considered if the danger continues. Outside urban centers, protection services and access to justice remain weaker. According to the 2019 survey, 26 percent of women aged 20 to 24 had been married or in a union before their 18th birthday. An older 2014 survey reported an average household size of 7.7 members and polygamous households among 44 percent of married women. Customary-law arrangements may influence control over property, separation and the care of children; however, formal legal status cannot be determined reliably from family practice alone. Birth registration strengthens a child’s legal identity. Death registration is also mandatory; the statutory deadline is 24 hours, registration itself is free, and the death certificate should be issued within three days, although a fee may apply for the certificate. The required documents include, in particular, a medical death certificate, an identity document, and the date of death and age. The death certificate may be required for burial, inheritance and access to social support. For divorce, custody, maintenance and adoption, there is insufficient reliable current information on uniform procedures, fees or enforcement; no general entitlement can therefore be inferred.