Article 1 of the Civil Registry Code (CRC) makes birth registration compulsory for all births, including children born to parents of foreign nationality in the territorial jurisdiction of Mozambique.
Article 6 of the Civil Registry Code, allows births registered by competent foreign authorities or Mozambican consular agents to be transcribed into the national civil register. Parents can apply for transcription into the Central Register through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Therefore, the system provides for registration of births abroad by transcription (after verification of foreign documents) rather than direct registration.
The Civil Registry Code defines a live birth as, "a live birth, to whom legal personality must be attributed, is one who is born complete and alive, that is, one who presents vital signs after the end of the birth process must be considered born alive."