Birth Certificate Online Application and Delay Remedy by State 2026

Every state runs an online birth-certificate portal, and the law expects the municipal or panchayat Registrar to issue the certificate once the birth is registered. The short version: apply at the correct state portal (or the national CRS portal at https://crsorgi.gov.in) within 21 days of birth, keep the acknowledgement and transaction ID, follow up with the Registrar of Births and Deaths if the file stalls, and on day 31 file an RTI application asking for the daily file-movement note sheet. A birth reported after one year of occurrence can be registered only on an order from a magistrate of the first class, under section 13(3) of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969.

1. The central law is the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969. It was amended by the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, which came into effect on 1 October 2023 and introduced a digital birth certificate (with a QR code) that works as a single proof of date and place of birth across Aadhaar, school admission, driving licence, voter list and government employment. The 1969 Act, as amended, is still the governing framework.
2. Under section 7, the State Government appoints a Registrar of Births and Deaths for each local area, usually an officer in the municipal corporation, municipal council or gram panchayat. This Registrar issues the certificate. The place of birth (not your current address) decides which Registrar has jurisdiction.
3. Section 12 requires the Registrar to issue the certificate once the birth is registered. The bare Act does not fix a day-count for issuance; the practical 30-day expectation comes from the state Births and Deaths Rules and from state Right to Public Services Acts (for example, the Maharashtra Right to Public Services Act 2015 and the Delhi Right of Citizen to Time-Bound Delivery of Services Act 2011).
4. Delayed registration is governed by section 13 in three tiers (see the Late registration section below).

1. National portal: https://crsorgi.gov.in (Civil Registration System). It redirects to the data-entry portal; the Registrar of the place of birth still verifies and issues.
2. State portals: e-District (Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir), MeeSeva (Telangana, Andhra Pradesh), Sevasindhu (Karnataka), Aaple Sarkar (Maharashtra), eSathi (UP rural), eDistrict Assam, and Kerala's KSCRS linked to Parivahan.
3. Register or log in with a mobile OTP. Use the number you will keep for the next six months, because all status messages go there.
4. Choose “Birth Registration” within 21 days of birth, or “Late Registration” if 21 days have already passed. The fee slab changes.
5. Upload the hospital discharge summary or the ANM/dai certificate, parents' Aadhaar, address proof, and the parents' marriage certificate where the state asks for it.
6. Pay the fee online. As a guide, the first copy within 21 days is free or costs ₹0 to ₹50; the late fee for 21 to 30 days is ₹2 to ₹10; higher slabs apply later. Exact figures are prescribed by each state's Rules.
7. Save the Application Reference Number (ARN) and download the receipt PDF at once.
8. Set a calendar reminder for day 30. Keep every screenshot, SMS and email as evidence if the application stalls.

• Hospital discharge summary or ANM/dai certification of birth
• Parents' Aadhaar cards (front and back)
• Parents' marriage certificate (some states such as Maharashtra ask for it, others do not)
• Address proof (ration card, electricity bill, rent agreement)
• Mother's Mother-and-Child Protection (prenatal) card
• Self-attested affidavit if registering after 21 days
• Screenshot of the online acknowledgement
• Payment receipt PDF with transaction ID
• Two witnesses' Aadhaar and signed declaration if registering after one year

The first complaint goes to the Registrar of Births and Deaths of your municipal corporation, municipal council or gram panchayat. Walk into the office on day 31 with the printed acknowledgement. Most state portals also have a built-in “Grievance” tab. If the portal grievance is ignored for a week, file a written complaint with the Municipal Commissioner (urban) or the Block Development Officer (rural) and ask for a written, dated reply.

At the same time, file an RTI Act 2005 application asking for the daily file-movement note sheet of your ARN. The note sheet shows which clerk has been sitting on the file, and that single document usually moves the file. A Registrar who neglects or refuses to register a birth without reasonable cause is also liable to penalty under section 23 of the 1969 Act.

1. Tier 1, local office: Registrar of Births and Deaths, then Additional Registrar, then the Municipal Commissioner or the CEO of the zilla parishad. Allow about 15 days at this tier.
2. Tier 2, state level: the Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths for your state (housed in the Directorate of Economics and Statistics or the Health Department, depending on the state). Send a written representation, and in parallel file an RTI application under section 6(1) of the RTI Act 2005 and a complaint to the District Collector under your state's Public Services Guarantee Act.
3. Tier 3, court or magistrate: for births older than one year, section 13(3) of the 1969 Act requires an order from a magistrate of the first class before the Registrar can register the birth; file a delayed-registration petition with the court or SDM as your state's Rules require. For wilful refusal by the Registrar, a writ petition under Article 226 of the Constitution lies before the High Court.

Section 13 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 sets three delayed-registration tiers:

1. Within 30 days of birth (after the initial reporting period fixed by your state's Rules, often 21 days): registered by the Registrar on payment of a prescribed late fee, under section 13(1).
2. After 30 days but within one year: registered only with the written permission of the prescribed authority, on payment of the prescribed fee, and on production of an affidavit made before a notary public or an officer authorised by the State Government, under section 13(2).
3. After one year: registered only on an order made by a magistrate of the first class, after the magistrate verifies the correctness of the birth, and on payment of the prescribed fee, under section 13(3).

To,
The Registrar of Births and Deaths
[Municipal Corporation / Council / Gram Panchayat name]
[City], [State] [PIN]

Subject: Non-issuance of birth certificate, ARN [number]

Respected Sir/Madam,

I, [Full Name], parent of a child born on [date of birth] at [hospital], applied for the birth certificate online through [portal name] on [application date]. The Application Reference Number is [ARN] and payment of ₹[amount] was made on [date] vide transaction ID [txn ID].

As on date, [X] days have passed and the certificate has not been issued. Section 12 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 requires the Registrar to issue the certificate once the birth is registered, and the State Rules and the Right to Public Services Act of [State] require service within the notified time.

I request you to issue the birth certificate within seven days of receipt of this complaint, failing which I shall be constrained to file an RTI application, approach the Chief Registrar at the state level, and seek a writ remedy in the Hon'ble High Court.

Yours faithfully,
[Name]
[Mobile] [Email]
[Date]

Enclosures:
1. Online application acknowledgement
2. Payment receipt
3. Hospital discharge summary
4. Parents' Aadhaar copies

To,
The Public Information Officer
Office of the Registrar of Births and Deaths
[Municipal Corporation / Council / Gram Panchayat name]
[Address]

Subject: Application under Section 6(1) of the Right to Information Act, 2005

Sir/Madam,

I, [Name], resident of [address], request the following information regarding application ARN [number] dated [date] for the birth certificate of [child name]:

1. Daily file-movement note sheet of the said application from the date of submission till date.
2. Names and designations of all officials who handled the file.
3. Reasons recorded in writing for non-issuance of the certificate.
4. The number of pending birth-certificate applications older than the notified service period in this ward as on date.
5. Action-taken report on the grievance filed against this application.
6. Copy of the State Rules under the 1969 Act and the citizen charter of this office.

I am enclosing the ₹10 application fee as [IPO / court-fee stamp / as permitted by the State Rules]. I am an Indian citizen.

Yours faithfully,
[Name]
[Mobile] [Date]

Where the delay has caused a concrete loss, such as a school seat denied, a passport held up or a scholarship lost, the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 allows you to sue the municipal body for deficiency in service. The pecuniary limits, notified by the Consumer Protection (Jurisdiction) Rules 2021, are: District Commission up to ₹50 lakh; State Commission ₹50 lakh to ₹2 crore; National Commission above ₹2 crore. You can file through the e-Daakhil online portal of the consumer commissions; the filing fee starts at ₹100 for claims up to ₹5 lakh. Claim refund of fees, compensation for the delay, mental harassment and costs.

Some High Courts have held that a Registrar's statutory functions may not always amount to a “service” under the CPA 2019, so a parallel writ petition under Article 226 is the safer route for outright refusal. For a public servant who wilfully disobeys the law with intent to cause injury, a complaint can also be lodged under section 198 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

• RTI application format and full guide
• AI RTI Drafter, free tool
• PIO Reply Checker
• Consumer court e-Daakhil filing route

Section 12 of the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 requires the Registrar to issue the certificate once the birth is registered (the Act says “as soon as the registration is completed”). The bare Act does not fix a day-count. The practical 7-to-30-day timelines come from the state Births and Deaths Rules and from each state's Right to Public Services Act, under which you can claim a service-level default.

Under section 13(3) of the 1969 Act, a birth reported after one year of its occurrence can be registered only on an order made by a magistrate of the first class, after the magistrate verifies the correctness of the birth. File a delayed-registration petition (with the court or SDM as your state's Rules provide) along with affidavits from two witnesses, any hospital or school records, and the parents' Aadhaar. Once the magistrate passes the order, the Registrar registers the birth and issues the certificate.

Yes. The national Civil Registration System portal at https://crsorgi.gov.in lets you initiate an application, but the Registrar with jurisdiction over the place of birth (not your current residence) is the one who verifies and issues the certificate. Be prepared for documents to be routed to that Registrar.

Fees are prescribed by each state's Rules, not by the central Act, so figures vary across states. As a guide: the first copy within 21 days is free or ₹0 to ₹50; the late fee for 21 to 30 days is ₹2 to ₹10; for 30 days to one year it is ₹5 to ₹50 plus an affidavit; after one year there is the magistrate process plus ₹50 to ₹100 for the certificate. Duplicate copies usually cost ₹20 to ₹50.

No. The certificate records the place of birth and the parents' address at the time of birth. If your Aadhaar shows a different current address, submit an affidavit explaining the change. The Registrar cannot refuse the application on that ground alone.

File a complaint with your State Anti-Corruption Bureau or the state Lokayukta. In parallel, file an RTI application asking for the file movement and any noting on your file. Bribe demands are punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Most states also run dedicated anti-corruption helplines that accept anonymous complaints.

File the in-portal grievance, then visit the Registrar's office with the printed acknowledgement. At the same time, file an RTI application asking for the daily file-movement note sheet. The note sheet identifies the official holding the file and usually breaks the logjam.

Yes. The Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Act, 2023, in force from 1 October 2023, provides for a digital birth certificate that serves as a single proof of date and place of birth across services such as Aadhaar, school admission, driving licence, voter list and government employment, and carries a QR code linked to the central database.

Last reviewed: 17 July 2026.