Family in Côte d’Ivoire

A civil marriage is entered into before the civil registrar and requires personal consent and a minimum age of 18. The marriage is documented by a marriage certificate (acte de mariage); a family record book (livret de famille) may summarize family relationships. A religious or traditional union without a civil certificate does not have the same effects under civil law, and a polygamous union is not a legal form of marriage. The municipal registry office (mairie), or the civil status centre (centre d'état civil), is generally responsible for births, marriages, and deaths. Births are generally registered at the place of birth. The required documents usually include the medical birth certificate, identity documents of the parents or the reporting person, and, depending on the circumstances, a marriage certificate or prenatal acknowledgment. Registration should take place within three months; in the event of delay, a supplementary judgment (jugement supplétif) may be required. A 2026 UNICEF profile based on the 2021 DHS noted that 99 percent of births had been registered before the first birthday, but only 44 percent had a birth certificate. The rate is lower in rural, poorer, and less-educated households and in some regions. A birth certificate makes it easier to prove identity, attend school, inherit, and later exercise political rights. The mother is established as a parent through the birth; the father may be legally established outside marriage through acknowledgment or a judgment. Parental authority (autorité parentale) combines the rights and duties of both parents toward a minor child and guides care, upbringing, and support according to the child’s best interests. Pregnancy, childbirth, newborn, nutrition, vaccination, and postnatal services are provided through health districts and health facilities. In 2026, access to modern contraception was free in 67 health districts across 19 regions; specific conditions, costs, and availability nevertheless depend on the program and facility. Certain employees insured by the National Social Insurance Fund (CNPS) are eligible for family benefits. These include total prenatal benefits of 13,500 FCFA, maternity benefits of 18,000 FCFA, and family allowances for children over one and under 14; an extension is provided for vocational training until age 18 and for study or disability until age 21. These benefits require, among other things, employment or insurance coverage, civil-status documents, medical evidence, and in some cases proof of school attendance. No uniform nationwide family-care benefit for older, disabled, or dependent relatives has been documented. Such care is mainly provided by households, relatives, and local social services. In cases of violence, neglect, exploitation, trafficking, child labour, or child marriage, social services, child-protection services, the police, the gendarmerie, courts, and health facilities may be contacted. The free number 116 is available around the clock for children in distress; 1308 is available free of charge to report gender-based violence. The president of the competent tribunal may issue a protection order within 24 hours, for example prohibiting contact, ordering separate living arrangements, or regulating parental responsibility, visitation, or financial contributions. Care by relatives and private household placements are common, but without monitoring by social services they can create risks of exploitation and abuse. Formal foster families require ministerial approval, valid for three years and renewable; monthly follow-up visits, protection, care, upbringing, and maintaining relationships with the birth family are part of the arrangement. Adoptions and placement as a State ward (Pupille de l'Etat) proceed through the competent adoption authority, a social assessment, a placement process, and the tribunal. After separation, custody, support, and visitation may be regulated by the tribunal. Community, religious, or mediated solutions may help in practice but do not replace a civil-law decision. In a consensual divorce, the agreement also covers the consequences for the children and spouses; there is a three-month waiting period, after which the tribunal may confirm the decision within one month. The court may reject an agreement if it does not sufficiently protect the children or spouses. A death is generally reported within 15 days to the municipal registry office at the place of death. The death certificate is needed, among other things, for burial, inheritance, and certain support benefits, while burial and mourning are usually organized by the family and relatives.