Registration of is the newly enacted law, which aims to tighten regulations for the delayed registration of births and deaths, will be effective on October 1. Registrar General of India Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan confirmed the date recently.
The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 was passed by the two Houses of Parliament. It became law following assent from the President,
Narayan shared via gazette notification, “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 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”, the bill said as per news agency PTI.
“This will encourage timely reporting of event of birth and death,” the Bill also said.
The bill mainly focuses on provisions of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. This provision will primarily affect people who will register a birth or death more than one year after the event.
The new law tightens the existing norms while also mandating an order from a judicial magistrate (first class) for birth and death registrations if made more than one year after the event, reported PTI.
With this law in effect, birth or death registrations which are delayed by more than one year require an order from a district magistrate, sub-divisional magistrate, or an authorised executive magistrate.
This rule will continue to apply for delays of up to two years under the new rule, as per the report.
In case of further delays, such as after two years of its occurrence, such births and deaths will only be registered on an order made by a Judicial Magistrate of the first class.
A strict verification of the correctness of the information will be followed in all cases. The official must first verify the details of the event before proceeding with the registration of birth or death after payment of the applicable fee, added PTI.
The registration of births and deaths is mandatory under the Act. The certificate issued under the law provides legal identity for school admission, registration, Passport and more.
A birth or death certificate is admissible in evidence to prove the birth or death of a person.
The Act was previously amended in 2023, and the provisions of the amended law came into force from October 1 of the same year.
According to the government, these amendments are intended to “encourage timely reporting” of vital events like birth and death.
