SRINAGAR: Stricter provisions governing the delayed registration of births and deaths will come into effect from October 1, 2026, under the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026.
Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan notified the commencement date through a gazette notification, stating that the Central Government had appointed October 1 as the date on which the provisions of the amended law would take effect.
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was passed by both Houses of Parliament and became law after receiving the President’s assent last month.
The amendment further tightens the procedure under Section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, for cases where registration is sought after the prescribed period.
Under the revised provisions, registration sought more than one year but within two years of a birth or death will require an order from a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or an authorised Executive Magistrate. The competent authority will have to verify the correctness of the event before registration, subject to payment of the prescribed fee.
Where an application is made more than two years after the event, an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class will be required.
The 1969 Act regulates the registration of births and deaths in India and makes registration mandatory. Certificates issued under the law serve as legal proof of a person’s birth or death and are admissible as evidence for establishing the event.
The Act was previously amended in 2023, with the amendments coming into force on October 1 that year.
