What registry offices (ZAGS) are there in Belarus
The system of registry offices in the Republic of Belarus includes civil registration departments under district executive committees, district administrations in cities, Houses (Palaces) of civil rites of city executive committees, city (cities of district subordination), settlement, rural executive and administrative bodies.
The functions of the civil registry offices are also performed by the following bodies:
– consular offices;
– diplomatic missions of the Republic of Belarus.
Competence of ZAGS
At the birth of a child, the creation of a family, the death of a close relative, a number of formal procedures must be completed. To do this, people turn, first of all, to the civil registry offices.
Based on the name itself, the registry offices register acts of civil status. Acts of civil status are actions and events that give rise to a change or termination of the actual situation of citizens.
The competence of the registry offices includes registration of changes, corrections in civil status documents (marriage certificates, name changes, death certificates, etc.), as well as the issuance of new certificates.
What are acts of civil status
Civil status acts are significant events in the life of every person and include:
– birth;
– marriage;
– change of surname, name, patronymic;
– the death of a person;
– termination of marriage;
– adoption;
– Establishment of motherhood and (or) fatherhood.
For each registration you have to pay a certain amount of money. For example, registration of marriage will cost 32 Belarusian rubles, and registration of a change of surname – 64 Belarusian rubles.
Requirements for employees of ZAGS
The position of the head of the civil registry department, the House or the Palace of Civil Rites, as well as other registry offices, requires the candidate to have a higher legal education.
Heads of civil registry offices are appointed by local executive committees in agreement with the departments of justice of higher executive committees.
To appoint a person to the position of head of the registry office, the following circumstances are taken into account:
– personal and business qualities;
– professional level;
– Being in the register of candidates for leadership personnel, which is maintained by the Minsk City Executive Committee.
Interaction between registry offices (ZAGS) and notaries
In the course of their activities, the civil registry offices actively interact with other bodies, in particular, with the notaries’ bodies.
If a person who applied to a notary for registration of an inheritance cannot provide documents on kinship with the deceased (for example, a birth certificate or marriage certificate), then the notary is obliged to send a request to the territorial registry office.
The notary’s request is binding and must be executed within two weeks from the date of its receipt.
Another example can be given. The spouses wish to conclude a marriage contract, but have lost their marriage certificate. In this case, the notary explains to them that they have the right to apply to the registry office archive for a second marriage certificate.
It is impossible to get a new document for free – a fee must be paid for a repeated certificate. So, for example, today it will cost 32 Belarusian rubles to get a second marriage certificate.
