Eritrea: Knowledge Base profile
Updated 17 March 2026
© Crown copyright 2026
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eritrea-knowledge-base-profile/eritrea-knowledge-base-profile
Version 4.0
About: Eritrea
This document contains useful information about Eritrea which will assist His Majesty’s Passport Office staff process passport applications.
Contacts
If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.
If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.
Publication
Below is information on when this version of the document was published:
- version 4.0
- published for Home Office staff on 2 March 2026
Changes from last version of this document
This document has been updated with information about parental responsibility in Eritrea.
Eritrea: legitimacy and parental responsibility
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Eritrea.
Legitimacy
Eritrea does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means all births are considered legitimate whether the parents are married or not.
Parental responsibility
In Eritrea, a child’s:
- mother automatically has parental responsibility for her child unless it is removed by a court
- father will have parental responsibility if he:
- is married to the mother; or,
- is not married to the mother but is named on the birth certificate; or,
has a court order granting him parental responsibility
Eritrea: documents
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Eritrea.
Birth certificates
All births in Eritrea must be registered within 90 days at a civil registration office. Late registrations are allowed and a penalty is applied.
Birth certificates are issued when a birth is registered.
Some Eritrea birth certificates do not record the father’s details separately as his name is recorded as part of the child’s name. The mother’s name is always recorded separately on the certificate.
Copies of their birth certificates can be obtained from the Office of Civil Status in Asmara or the equivalent office in the area where their birth was registered.
Identity Documents
Eritrea issue national ID cards. For an Eritrea passport to be issued, the holder must have a National ID.