Document #1312965
IRB – Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (Author)
In a telephone interview with the Research
Directorate, officials of the Embassy and the Consulate General of
the Republic of Angola in Ottawa, and New York, explained that
Cedula Pessoal is the equivalent of a birth certificate (5
& 6 Oct. 1998). It is mandatory for every Angolan to have a
Cedula Pessoal and this system has been in force for a
very long time. Without it, he stated, a child may not be admitted
into a school or university, and an adult cannot obtain an identity
card or passport. Cedula Pessoal is issued by the Ministry
of Justice or the Central Registry in the city of Luanda.
It is generally white in colour but
sometimes it is blue. On the front cover is the logo of the
Republic of Angola and on the inside is inscribed the name of the
bearer, names of the mother and father of the bearer, date and
place of birth of the holder, date of issuance, and the signature
of the registry manager.
If an individual loses it, the Cedula
Pessoal can be re-issued by the Ministry of Justice. He
explained that because of the war, many adults have lost their
Cedula Pessoal. For those Angolans born outside of Angola,
a Cedula Pessoal can be obtained from the Embassy within
seven to 15 days.
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 to refugee status or asylum.
References
Consulate-General of the Republic of
Angola, New York. 5 October 1998. Telephone interview with the
Research Directorate.
Embassy of the Republic of Angola,
Ottawa. 6 October 1998. Telephone interview.