Key Changes in Birth and Death Registration Rules

The Centre has introduced stricter rules for the registration of births and deaths to make the process more accurate, transparent and timely. The changes under the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026 will come into force from October 1. If a birth or death is registered after one year but within two years of the event, an order from a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate or an authorised Executive Magistrate will be required. The process will also involve verification and payment of the prescribed fee.

For registrations delayed by more than two years, an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class will be mandatory. The stricter verification mechanism is aimed at improving the reliability of birth and death records and preventing false or unverifiable late registrations.