Importance of Birth Registration in India

The official and permanent record of the existence of an individual is done through birth registration. Getting a birth registration certificate for your child is really very important to safeguard the right of your child to an official identity and a recognized name. Although, birth registration should be done at the time of the birth of the child, however, if an individual wasn’t registered at the time of birth or there are any rectification required in the birth certificate, one must not take it lightly and get it corrected as soon as possible for proper identification and delivery of just rights.

As per Article 7 of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the importance of birth registration at the time of birth has been highlighted as follow

“The child shall be registered immediately after birth and shall have the right from birth to a name, the right to acquire a nationality and as far as possible, the right to know and be cared for by his or her parents.”

With no documentation of registration of birth, an individual will have no way to prove their age, nationality or even their entire occurrence and may join millions who face discrimination and lack of access to basic health, hygiene and education. This could not just harm a child but may promote many shortcomings of the society such as child trafficking, early marriage, child labour or even detention and execution as an adult. This could also impact the nation as a whole since registration of birth and death are vital for a nation to maintain proper statistics, demographics and overall growth. It also hugely affects the country’s strategies for child mortality and child survival and helps to identify the population at risk, a compilation of population estimates and maintaining electoral rolls for the country. 

In India, an estimated 26 million children are born every year of which about 10 million go unregistered.

According to the data collected through registrations of birth in India following graph has been designed

The current birth registration levels in India showcase about 58% of births. There is a huge disparity between the states with respect to birth registrations. While states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat show registration of about 90% there are states as low as birth registrations of 11% such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh and others. These states along with Madhya Pradesh also account for approximately one-quarter of all children born every year in India.

The national legal framework for registration is the 1969 Registration of Births and Deaths Act. The Registrar General, India is the central authority for unifying and coordinating the registration work in the country and at the state level, each State has a Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths who has the overall responsibility of coordinating, unifying and supervising the work of registration. 

Let us now throw some light on the registration of Birth and obtaining a birth certificate 

If you are an Indian and are expecting a child, it could prove very beneficial for you to understand the procedure of obtaining a birth certificate for your baby. Applying for a birth certificate when the child is born is not a difficult process and it starts getting complicated with the age of the child. Legal consultants at Lawtendo could initiate a smooth and easy process for the registration of birth for your child or even an adult and help you in providing a birth certificate which is one of the most valuable documents for your existence.

Birth Certificate is issued by the Municipal Corporation or Municipal Council in every city (urban areas). In villages (Rural Areas) it could be obtained by approaching Tehsildar or the Gram Panchayat Office in certain places.

A step-by-step guide to the application of a birth certificate

Step 1: There is a form which is obtained from the registrar of birth’s office in the municipal authority.

Step 2: This form needs to be appropriately filled and submitted to the authority (Usually within 21 days in case of a newborn child’s birth registration). Having a legal consultant assist you in the process could take a lot of burden off your shoulders and let you enjoy the whole delivering process during the time without having to worry about the identity of your child.

In case the birth is not registered within 21 days of its occurrence, police verification is required to obtain the certificate. With our ever-expanding legal base in every state, city, district and village in Indi, we can get a birth certificate for you with little or no hassle at all.

Step 3: The verification of the Birth (Birth time, date, place, parents verification, nursing home verification and others) is done by the registrar.

Step 4: After the successful verification by the registrar is complete, the birth certificate is issued.

Step 5: Usually frequent follow-ups at the municipal authority is required after applying for the birth certificate. Here, our consultants take the pain to follow up with the authorities on your behalf so that you save a lot of time and energy.

Step 6: Usually a birth certificate with proper follow-ups could be obtained within 14- 20 days of filing the application.

Documentation Requirement to Obtain a Birth Certificate

Birth Certificate of both the Parents

Marriage certificate of the parents

Proof of birth in the form of a letter from the hospital

Identity proof of both the parents for verification

Apply for a birth certificate online

Obtaining a birth certificate and registering for the same is no less than a fundamental duty and right of every individual in India and it must be promoted to provide every child with the best start in life and a bright future. With India being the second-most populous country in the world, it becomes even more important to have your identity verified and updated in government records so that your existence is not misused.

At Lawtendo, we cater to your requests for obtaining a birth certificate in no matter which city, district and provide you with a full array of legal consultants to protect your identity from being misused.