The officially recognized legal identity in Nauru is a birth certificate.[1]Nauru’s birth registration rate is high with civil registry completeness at 98%.[2] There are multiple factors which contribute to Nauru’s consistently high birth registration rate including financial incentives for registration and coordinated data-sharing between the main island hospital where the majority of births occur and the civil registration office.[3]Under the financial incentive for birth registration, mothers receive a one-time payment of AUD 100 for presenting the birth certificate of their child.[4]Two separate birth registration databases are maintained, one for Nauruans and one for non-Nauruans.[5]
A birth certificate is required to obtain a Nauru passport, enroll in education, secure employment, obtain a vehicle license, and access banking services.[6]A national identification system has not yet been established, though legislation for the implementation of individual national ID codes was passed in 2017.[7]
