NEW DELHI: The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026, came into force on Thursday, introducing stricter procedures for registering births and deaths reported after the prescribed time limits.
Under the amended law, separate procedures will apply to cases where information is furnished more than one year after the occurrence and those reported after two years.
For cases reported after one year but within two years of a birth or death, registration will require an order from a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or an Executive Magistrate authorised by the District Magistrate having jurisdiction over the place where the event occurred.
The order can be issued only after verifying the correctness of the reported birth or death and on payment of the prescribed fee.
For cases reported more than two years after the occurrence, a stricter procedure will apply. “Such births or deaths can now be registered only on an order issued by a First Class Judicial Magistrate having jurisdiction over the area where the event took place. The registration will similarly require verification of the correctness of the information and payment of the prescribed fee,” an official said.
The amendments substitute sub-section (3) of Section 13 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, and insert a new sub-section (3A).
The Office of the Registrar General of India under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs notified the commencement of the amended law through a Gazette notification dated September 16.
“Exercising powers under sub-section (2) of Section 1 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026, it fixed October 1, 2026, as the date on which the provisions would come into force,” the notification reads.
The legislation was passed by the Lok Sabha on July 31, 2026, and by the Rajya Sabha on August 4 amid disruptions.
Introducing the legislation, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, provides the statutory framework for registering births and deaths and that birth and death certificates have significant legal value, including as evidence of the occurrence of an event.
According to the statement of objects and reasons accompanying the amendment, the changes followed consultations with state governments, Union Territories and other stakeholders. The government said stricter procedures for delayed registration would encourage timely reporting of births and deaths.
