Guinea: Knowledge Base profile
Published 4 September 2025
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About: Guinea
This document contains useful information about Guinea 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 2.0
- published for Home Office staff on 1 September 2025
Changes from last version of this document
This document has been updated with formatting changes.
Guinea: names
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Guinea.
Names in Guinea consist of:
- at least one forename
- a patronymic or family name
Guinea: nationality
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Guinea.
Dual nationality is not recognised in Guinea.
Guinea: legitimacy and parental responsibility
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Guinea
Legitimacy
Guinea recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.
A child will be considered:
- legitimate:
- if their parents are married at the time of birth
- if their parents marry after the birth and the parents acknowledge before or during the ceremony that the husband is the father
- illegitimate if their parents never marry
Parental responsibility
Both parents will have parental responsibility if they are married.
If the parents are not married the parent with custody of the child with have parental responsibility. Custody is determined by the courts.
Guinea: adoption
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Guinea.
Adoption is legal in Guinea.
Guinea: surrogacy
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Guinea.
Surrogacy is recognised in Guinea but has no legal framework.
Guinea: gender recognition
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Guinea.
Transgender citizens are not recognised in Guinea.
Guinea: civil partnerships and marriage
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Guinea.
Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are not allowed in Guinea.
Guinea recognises:
- civil marriage
- customary marriage
Whilst customary marriages are recognised in Guinea, these marriages do not have to be registered. Only customary marriages which are registered will result in the couple receiving the full legal protection provided by a civil marriage.
Religious marriages are allowed, but they must be registered through the same process as a civil marriage to be legally recognised.
Guinea: documents
This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Guinea.
Birth certificates
Births records are kept locally in the region where the birth occurred.
Births must be registered within 6 months of the date of birth. The timeframe is increased to 8 months where the birth occurred in another municipality or country. Late registration is allowed and a note will be included in the margin of the certificate.
Marriage certificate
Marriage records are kept locally in the region where the marriage occurred.
Marriages must be registered immediately for marriages occurring in Guinea, or within 3 months for citizens who marry abroad. Late registration is not allowed.
Marriages must be registered through the civil process, failure to do so results in imprisonment.
Death certificates
Death records are kept locally in the region where the death occurred.
Deaths should be registered within 3 days. Late registration is allowed and must be transcribed by the civil registrar after a judgement has been made by the courts.