The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2026 has received the President’s assent, introducing a revised legal framework for the registration of births and deaths reported after the prescribed period. The amendment was published in the Gazette of India on August 6, 2026, and will come into force on a date to be notified by the Central Government.

The amendment substitutes sub-section (3) of Section 13 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, and creates a distinction between delays of more than one year but up to two years, and those exceeding two years.

Under the amended law, where information relating to a birth or death is furnished after one year but within two years of its occurrence, registration can be made only on an order of the District Magistrate, Sub-Divisional Magistrate, or an Executive Magistrate authorised by the District Magistrate having jurisdiction over the area where the event occurred. The authority must verify the correctness of the birth or death before permitting registration, subject to payment of the prescribed fee. The Act also clarifies that the term Executive Magistrate refers to an Executive Magistrate appointed under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023.

For cases where the delay exceeds two years, the amendment prescribes a stricter process. Such births or deaths may now be registered only upon an order of a Judicial Magistrate First Class, who must verify the correctness of the claim before directing registration, along with payment of the prescribed fee.