# **_Registration of refugees and asylum-seekers_**

Registration is the most common method of collecting data on refugees and asylum-seekers, accounting for 77 percent of UNHCR’s data on refugees at the end of 2014.<sup>62</sup> Asylum-seeker and refugee statistics are generally based on government and/or UNHCR registration records (UNRWA maintains registration records for Palestinian refugees).<sup>63</sup> Individual registration of refugees and asylum-seekers is the first step towards establishing a person’s identity, legal status and protection needs. Registration involves the collection of information including, but not limited to, name, sex, date of birth, country of origin, marital status, and place of displacement, and the issuance of documentation.<sup>64</sup> Refugees living outside of camps, sometimes irregularly, are underrepresented in registration exercises. While the majority of refugees in camps have been registered on an individual basis, refugees outside of camp environments are difficult to identify and capture in registration activities. In fact, refugee registration is used almost exclusively in camps established by or in collaboration with UNHCR (UNHCR 2015). Moreover, some refugees may not register because they are unaware that they should, and others may be reluctant to do so because they are skeptical of the integrity of the registration process (e.g. fair access to entitlements or opportunities for durable solutions) or lack confidence in protection measures. Individuals in irregular migration flows may also choose not to apply for asylum due to fear of declaring themselves to the authorities.

A significant challenge with refugee registers is keeping them up to date. Individual registration can provide a robust snapshot of the stock of refugees and asylum-seekers, but registers need to be updated regularly to reflect flows, i.e. increases in refugee and asylum-seeker numbers (births, new arrivals) and decreases (deaths, departures, durable solutions). In situations of sudden mass influxes, existing registration capacity may not be adequate and the scope of registration data is then rationalized.<sup>65</sup> Additionally, it may not be possible to capture all demographic changes in the case of highly mobile populations. If registration is linked to the provision of services or other entitlements, there may be strong incentives to register births and new arrivals and weak incentives to deregister, leading to the inflation of the register over time or even instances of fraud and abuse (e.g. multiple registration, “borrowing children” etc.) (UNHCR 2003). Consequently, data from a refugee register may overestimate the number of refugees, requiring periodic corrective action through the verification of records. For example, in 2014 a verification of registration records for Somali refugees in the Dadaab camps in Kenya led to the deactivation of tens of thousands of records for individuals that are believed to have returned spontaneously to Somalia (UNHCR 2015). Additional problems with refugee registers include security concerns or inclement weather preventing refugees from accessing registration sites (UNHCR 2003) and the application of data protection principles.

# **_Registration of IDPs_**

Individual registration is not as common a method of estimating numbers of IDPs as it is for refugees. In principle, individual registration of IDPs is not used to determine the ‘status’ of an IDP, since IDPs have the same rights and entitlements as other citizens and do not need to apply or be granted a special legal status.<sup>66</sup> Rather, registration of IDPs can provide a basis for: (a) establishing the number, location, and key demographic characteristics of displaced populations; (b) providing protection and assistance; (c) keeping track of family relationships; (d) preventing fraudulent access to scarce humanitarian assistance; (e) facilitating the issuance of temporary identity cards to replace lost personal documentation (Brookings 2008); and (f) providing social security benefits.<sup>67</sup> Full IDP registration by international organizations is not

> 62 By the end of 2014, individual refugee registration was the source of about 77 percent of the data on refugees; estimation accounted for 13 percent of data, combined estimation and registration for 5 percent and other sources for 5 percent (UNHCR 2016).

> 63 UNHCR may undertake registration activities when national governments do not have the capacity to do so.

> 64 Additional data can also be recorded such as education and occupation.

> 65 Insufficient budgetary resources, staff, training or materials.

> 66 Countries with national legislation that provides a legal status for IDPs are an exception to this international standard.

67 The scope of data collected depends on the objectives of the registration exercise, for example in Kenya, registration of individuals displaced by the 2007 and 2008 post-election violence excluded ‘integrated’ IDPs, i.e. those who had