NEW DELHI: The Centre has circulated a draft amendment bill to further tighten the process for delayed registration of births and deaths by introducing stricter approval norms, particularly for cases reported more than two years after the event of birth and death.
The move, proposed through the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, is aimed at improving the credibility of India’s civil registration system while discouraging fraudulent or excessively delayed registrations.
The Bill, circulated among Members of Parliament and expected to be introduced shortly, proposes a significant overhaul of the existing framework for delayed registration. The changes are intended to encourage timely reporting of births and deaths while ensuring greater scrutiny of cases involving long delays.
Under the current provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, registrations delayed by more than one year require an order from the District Magistrate (DM), Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), or an Executive Magistrate before they can be recorded.
The proposed legislation introduces a two-tier approval mechanism based on the length of the delay.
For births or deaths reported between one and two years after the event, the existing system will largely remain unchanged. Applicants will continue to require approval from the District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or an Executive Magistrate having jurisdiction over the place where the birth or death occurred.
However, registrations delayed beyond two years will face significantly stricter scrutiny. In such cases, approval will be granted only on the orders of a First-Class Judicial Magistrate, shifting the authority for very late registrations from the executive to the judiciary.
The Bill also mandates that the designated authority must verify the authenticity of the reported birth or death before granting permission for delayed registration. Applicants will also be required to pay a prescribed fee, the amount of which will be notified separately through rules framed under the Act.
Legal experts are of the view that the intent of the government is bring in additional safeguards to reduce the scope for fraudulent registrations while ensuring that genuine applicants with valid reasons for delayed reporting continue to have a legal avenue for obtaining registration.
They further said that the proposed amendment seeks to strike a balance between ensuring universal registration and safeguarding the system against misuse. While genuine applicants will continue to have a legal mechanism for delayed registration, cases involving prolonged delays will now be subject to substantially higher scrutiny.
Registration of births and deaths is mandatory under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 and the certificates issued under the law serve as crucial legal documents.
A birth certificate is the first official proof of identity for an individual and is required for school admissions, Aadhaar enrolment, passports, voter registration, inheritance claims, access to government welfare schemes and several other legal and administrative purposes.
Similarly, a death certificate is essential for settling inheritance disputes, processing insurance claims, availing pension benefits, transferring property, closing bank accounts and updating government records.
The Statement of Objects and Reasons accompanying the Bill reiterates that certificates issued under the Act constitute legally admissible proof of the birth or death of a person.
