There is going to be a major change in the rules related to the registration of births and deaths. The provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026 will come into effect from October 1, 2026. The new law has made the process more stringent than before in case of delay in registration of birth or death. In particular, for registrations delayed by more than 2 years, an order of a judicial magistrate will be required.
Registrar General Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan gave this information on Wednesday and issued a gazette notification stating that the Central Government has fixed October 1, 2026 as the date on which the provisions of the Act will come into effect.
Magistrate's order needed for delay of more than 2 years
The new law makes the process for delayed birth or death registration more stringent. Section 13(3) of the 1969 law has been amended to this effect. This section remained in effect even after the 2023 amendment. Now, if an application for registration is made more than two years after the birth or death, an order from a first-class judicial magistrate will be required. This means that registration of an event more than two years old will no longer be possible through the normal administrative process. This will require judicial scrutiny and approval.
The latest provisions of a newly enacted law that strictly regulations for delayed registration of births and deaths will come into force on October 1, Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan said.
It should be noted that the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, passed by both Houses of Parliament, became the law after the President's assent last month.
Issuing a gazette notification, Narayan said that in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-section (2) of section 1 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026 (12 of 2026), the Central Government hereby appoints the 1st day of October, 2026, as the date on which the provisions of the said Act shall come into force."
The latest law tightens regulations for delayed registration of births and deaths and requires judicial intervention for applications filed more than two years after the event. The new law amended Section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (as amended in 2023), "in order to make provisions of delayed registration more stringent".
"This will encourage timely reporting of event of birth and death," the Bill had said. The applications for registration after one year but within two years of birth or death will still require an order from a DM, SDM or an authorised executive magistrate, according to the new law.
Officials must verify correctness of event before registration
The bill says the officials must verify the correctness of the event before the registration can proceed upon payment of a prescribed fee. Moreover, the new law introduces a higher level of judicial scrutiny for reports made after two years, mandating an order from a judicial magistrate (first class).
The registration of births and deaths is mandatory under the Act and the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, was enacted to provide for the regulation of registration of births and deaths and for matters connected therewith. The certificate issued under the law provides legal identity.
It is worth mentioning that the certificate of birth or death is admissible in evidence for proving the birth or death of a person. Firstly, the Act was amended in 2023, and then the provisions of the amended law came into force from October 1 that year. Now the Centre said that these amendments are intended to "encourage timely reporting" of vital events.
