Births and Deaths Amendment Act to Come Into Force From October 1

The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026, will come into force on October 1, the Registrar General of India, Mrityunjay Kumar Narayan, has confirmed through a gazette notification. The legislation was passed by both Houses of Parliament and received assent from President Droupadi Murmu.

The amendment tightens Section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, which was last amended in 2023. According to the government, the change is meant to encourage timely reporting of births and deaths.

The revised provisions primarily affect those who register a birth or death more than a year after the event. Under the new framework, registrations delayed by more than one year but up to two years will require an order from a district magistrate, a sub-divisional magistrate, or an authorised executive magistrate. If the delay exceeds two years, an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class will be mandatory.

In every such case, the official concerned must verify the correctness of the information before completing the registration, which will be done after payment of the applicable fee.

Registration of births and deaths is compulsory under the Act, and the certificate issued serves as legal proof of identity. It is required for purposes such as school admission, Aadhaar enrolment and passport applications, and is admissible as evidence to establish a person's birth or death.

The 2023 amendment to the Act had also come into force on October 1 of that year.