Djiboutian civil records are held at home, in a system built on the French model, and the embassy’s role for families abroad begins with registration. Being on the consular record is what makes later procedures possible and is the thing the embassy asks nationals to do first.
Quick facts
For a child born in the United States to Djiboutian parents, the American birth certificate goes through the legalisation chain and is translated into French, with the parents’ documents establishing the connection. What exactly the embassy needs is a question for the embassy.
Fees breakdown
| Service | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Registration as a national | Free to register | Online form |
| Civil certificates | Charged in Djibouti | Through the civil registry |
| Legalisation of foreign certificates | Not published | Ask the embassy |
| U.S. certificate | $15–$50 | State vital records office |
| French translation | Per page | Where required |
Obtaining a certificate from the registry in Djibouti generally needs someone there to attend in person, as in most of the region.
How to file
- Register with the embassy if you have not already.
- Ask what a birth, marriage or death file requires in your circumstances.
- Order the U.S. certificate and put it through the legalisation chain.
- Arrange the French translation.
- Arrange for a relative in Djibouti to obtain records held there.
- Keep copies of everything before it travels.
Required documents
- Djiboutian identity documents held by the family.
- Child’s U.S. certificate, legalised and translated.
- Parents’ passports.
- Parents’ marriage certificate where applicable.
- Photographs where a document is being issued.
- Completed forms in French.
Where to file
At the embassy in Washington, or through the civil registry in Djibouti for records held there.
Additional notes
Register the family
It is free and it is the step every later procedure assumes has happened.
Ask before assembling
Requirements are not published, so one conversation saves collecting the wrong documents.
Names in French and Arabic
Transliteration varies. Settle one spelling and use it consistently across every document.
Keep copies
With a single mission and international post, a lost package sets a file back months.