The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 is a legislative proposal, specifically a Bill introduced in the Lok Sabha on July 29, 2026, that seeks to amend the existing Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. The Bill's primary purpose is to make the provisions for delayed registration of births and deaths more stringent to encourage timely reporting of these events. The original Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, established the foundation for compulsory registration of births and deaths in India.
The Bill works by substituting Section 13(3) of the 1969 Act to introduce a stricter, two-tiered mechanism for delayed registration. For a birth or death reported after one year but within two years of its occurrence, the registration can only be made on an order from a District Magistrate, a Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or an Executive Magistrate authorised by the District Magistrate. This process requires verification of the event's correctness and payment of a prescribed fee. The Bill introduces a new Section 13(3A), which mandates that any registration delayed by more than two years can only be done on an order from a Judicial Magistrate of the First Class. This shifts the authority for very late registrations from the executive to the judiciary.
The Bill connects directly to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, which was previously amended in 2023. The 2023 amendment focused on modernising the system through digital records and giving stronger legal recognition to birth certificates. The 2026 Bill specifically amends the procedure for delayed registration under Section 13, which previously allowed all registrations delayed by more than one year to be approved by a District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or an Executive Magistrate. The process for registrations made within the first year of the event remains unchanged, continuing to be handled by local registration authorities.