The Birth Certificate is the most important identity document that anyone could ever need. It makes it possible for people to benefit from a wide range of schemes that the Government has put out for them. That’s not all, the Government also dictates that every Indian citizen must mandatorily have a birth certificate.

There are multiple purposes to having a birth certificate but the most prominent one is that it assists with providing Government verification about the details of the birth of each Indian citizen. Furthermore, this documentation will also be needed when dealing with other Government services like the right to vote, admission to schools and Government Service, the right to marry at the legally permissible age, settlement of inheritance and property rights, and obtaining Government-issued identity documents like a driving license, passport, or Aadhaar.

According to the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, in India, it is mandatory under the law to register every birth or stillbirth with the concerned State or Union Territory Government in 21 days of its occurrence. Most of the details relating to the child do not have to be provided at this point, with a rule that even allows the parents about a month to come up with a name.

Since this is such a crucial step, the Government has provided for a well-defined system to register births, with the Registrar General at the centre and the Chief Registrars in the States, running through district registrars to the village and town registrars at the periphery. Furthermore, they have worked toward making the process even easier and created an online system for people to go through the process without even having to leave the house.

What are the steps to apply for a birth certificate?

Parents have to register the birth of their child before they begin the process of applying for a Birth Certificate. This has to be done with the concerned local authorities and they have 21 days from the time of the birth. The process to get this done is also quite easy and needs the candidates to fill out an application form at the Registrar’s office. These forms have to be submitted with valid supporting certification. All the documents submitted are reviewed at the Registrar’s office themselves and if everything is according to protocol and matches the details and hospital records, the birth certificates are issued by the Registrar.

In case the birth has not been registered within the specified time, the certificate is only issued after police verification which is usually ordered by the revenue authorities. Furthermore, some fines have to be paid for people who do not handle this process in the stipulated time as well.

If candidates use the online approach, there is a website allowing them to upload their information directly. The details are still verified by the same authorities but the only difference being that it does not need multiple trips to the office. It allows people to fill out the online forms and submit their details directly.