Somalia: Requirements and procedures for a statutory declaration, including the statute of legislation that governs steps towards declaration (2021–March 2023)
For information on affidavits, see Response to Information Request SOM200883 of January 2022.
1. Legislation on Statutory Declarations in Somalia
Information on legislation about statutory declarations in Somalia was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a representative of the Somali Canadian Association of Etobicoke (SCA) (also abbreviated as SCAE), a non-profit NGO whose main objective is to support Somali immigrants and refugees in Canada (SCA n.d.), explained that legislation governing statutory declaration in Somalia exists but its implementation varies, as "every province has its own local rules and regulations" (SCA 2023-02-15). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Executive Director of the Somali Development Center (SDC), "an [i]mmigrant-led and minority-run organization" based in Boston that provides services to refugees and immigrants (SDC n.d.), similarly stated, regarding legislation, that "nothing is applicable throughout [all] the regions of Somalia" (Executive Director 2023-02-16). In contrast, according to the head of Garsoor Public Notary, a public notary firm in Mogadishu (Garsoor Public Notary n.d.), statutory declarations fall under civil law which applies throughout the national territory (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
The same source stated that there is no specific authority responsible for enforcing the civil law, except for the courts, and explained that
[translation]
if the declarant goes back on what they declared in the statutory declaration or does not comply, then it falls to the courts to enforce it. There could be slight variations in the enforcement of civil law on statutory declarations depending on the judge and the nature/content of the statutory declaration itself, but these would only be slight, and generally they are enforced in the same way across regions. (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24)
According to the SCA representative, government officials are responsible for enforcing the legislation on statutory declarations inside Somalia, while that enforcement overseas is done by embassies (SCA 2023-02-15). In contrast, when asked which authority is responsible for enforcing the same legislation, the Executive Director of the SDC stated that there is "no judiciary system worthy of citing in Somalia at the present" (Executive Director 2023-02-16).
2. Requirements and Procedures for a Statutory Declaration
2.1 Requirements Concerning the Declarant
Information on the requirements concerning the declarant was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
The head of Garsoor Public Notary emphasized that there are three main requirements for declarants: they [translation] "must be 18 years of age or older, they must be in a good mental health condition, and they must not be forced or coerced to make the statutory declaration" (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
2.2 Requirements Concerning Documents to Be Provided
The SCA representative stated that the full name of the declarant is required but identity documents are not, since "[m]ost" Somali people do not have such documents (SCA 2023-02-15). According to the same source, forms and written notes made by a doctor can also be required for medical cases (SCA 2023-02-15).
In contrast, the head of Garsoor Public Notary stated that an identity document or a passport, issued by an official authority, is sufficient to obtain a statutory declaration in Somalia (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
2.3 Requirements Concerning the Official Approving the Declaration
According to the SCA representative, statutory declarations can be made before government officials, judges, doctors, and/or religious leaders (SCA 2023-02-15). The SDC's Executive Director similarly stated that government doctors, government courts, designated officials or judges are the persons before whom a statutory declaration is made in Somalia (Executive Director 2023-02-16). Furthermore, the head of Garsoor Public Notary explained that statutory declarations are to be made before a lawyer, a designated official, a notary public, or a court (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
2.4 Requirements Concerning the Statutory Declaration Itself
The SCA representative stated that, to be considered valid, the statutory declaration must contain the declarant's full name, the date of declaration, the declaration's description, two witnesses, and the issuing person's signature (SCA 2023-02-15). According to the head of Garsoor Public Notary, [translation] "many elements" included in a statutory declaration will depend on what is being declared, but usually, the common elements are the name of the declarant, the date of the declaration, and the description of the declaration (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
According to the SCA representative, a statutory declaration may be used by some Somali people as proof of identity or could be used to get other identity documents such as a passport (SCA 2023-02-15). The head of Garsoor Public Notary stated that a statutory declaration is used when a commitment is being made by the declarant to another party (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
The same source also stated, without providing further details, that some fees must be paid for a statutory declaration and there is a particular format of the paper on which the statutory declaration is made (SCA 2023-02-15). The head of Garsoor Public Notary similarly explained that usually there is a fee (between US$10 and US$50) to be paid to the firm that provides the statutory declaration, whether they are a notary or lawyer's firm, or an authenticator of contracts (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24). The same source added that if the declarant is unable to pay, the declaration [translation] "may" be filed free of charge (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
The same source noted that there is no particular requirement regarding the format of the statutory declaration, but their firm commonly uses legal size paper (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
2.5 Steps to Be Followed to Obtain a Declaration
According to the SCA representative, the declarants go to the relevant institution (such as a hospital or church) and provide their names before obtaining their statutory declarations, in addition to being examined by a doctor, for declarations made for medical purposes (SCA 2023-02-15). The head of Garsoor Public Notary noted that the person filing the statutory declaration must do it on their own behalf, and two witnesses must be present (Garsoor Public Notary 2023-02-24).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
References
Executive Director, Somali Development Center (SDC). 2023-02-16. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
Garsoor Public Notary. 2023-02-24. Interview with the head.
Garsoor Public Notary. N.d. "Garsoor Public Notary." [Accessed 2023-02-20]
Somali Canadian Association of Etobicoke (SCA). 2023-02-15. Correspondence from a representative to the Research Directorate.
Somali Canadian Association of Etobicoke (SCA). N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 2023-02-16]
Somali Development Center (SDC). N.d. "Who We Are." [Accessed 2023-02-16]
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Association of Somali Women Lawyers; law firms in Somalia specializing in administrative and public law (5); Mogadishu University – Legal Clinic; private lawyer and human rights activist specializing in administrative and public law; professor specializing in public and constitutional law in Somalia at a Somali university; Puntland Legal Aid Centre; Puntland State University – Legal Aid Clinic; Somalia – Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs; Somali Association of South Africa; Somali Bar Association; Somali Canadian Cultural Society of Edmonton; Somali Canadian Education and Rural Development Organization; Somali Centre for Family Services; Somali Public Agenda; Somaliland – Ministry of Interior; Somaliland Women Lawyers Association; UN – UNDP Somalia, UN Assistance Mission in Somalia; University of Hargeisa – Legal Aid Clinic; Watershed Legal Services.
Internet sites, including: Amnesty International; Asylum Research Centre Foundation; Australia – Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Austrian Red Cross – Austrian Centre for Country of Origin & Asylum Research and Documentation, ecoi.net; Factiva; France – Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides; Freedom House; Human Rights Watch; Mareeg Media; Netherlands – Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Norway – Landinfo; Norwegian Refugee Council; Somali Canadian Association; Somalia – Ministry of Interior, Federal Affairs and Reconciliation, Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs; UK – Home Office; UN – Refworld, UNDP, UNHCR, UNICEF; US – Department of State, Library of Congress.