CRS birth certificate: Know importance and how to register

A continuous, permanent, and required record of vital occurrences, such as births, deaths, and stillbirths, is known as civil registration. The RBD (Registration of Birth and Death) Act, 1969, oversees the registration rules for births and deaths in India. The Registrar General of India is responsible for coordinating the activities of the Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths, who is, in turn, responsible for every state and union territory. The jurisdiction at the local level falls under local registrars who are appointed by the state governments. 

India has had a Civil Registration System (CRS) since the middle of the 19th century. The British India Central Births, Deaths, and Marriages Registration Act was enacted in 1886 to establish voluntary registration. However, to ensure uniformity and comparability across the nation and for added ease in compiling the data, the RBD Act was enacted in 1969. Following the passage of the Act, India now mandates the registration of all births, deaths, and stillbirths.

What is a birth certificate?

In India, a birth certificate serves as a formal, irrevocable record of a person’s existence. A newborn who is not registered runs the risk of losing their nationality, name, and official identity. These are some applications for birth certificates:

1. For admission to schools
2. As evidence of age for employment
3. Evidence of age for marriage purposes
4. To prove parentage
5. To determine the eligibility age for Electoral Roll enrollment
6. To determine an insurance applicant’s age For registration in the National
7. For adding to the Population Register (NPR)

Now that we know what CRS is and what a birth certificate is, let’s know the additional related details.

How to register for a birth certificate through CRS?

1. Births and deaths are recorded at the location of the event and by the registrar under whose jurisdiction the event occurred.
2. The institution’s in-charge is responsible for reporting such incidents to the appropriate registrar; family members are not permitted to report institutional happenings.
3. The general public may report only domiciliary (house/home) events using this portal within 21 days of the event’s occurrence. If the event has lasted longer than 21 days, the registrar’s office must be contacted (B&D).
4. To report a domiciliary event (within the standard reporting period of 21 days), fill out the required information to register yourself for event reporting via the following link. This login id will only function for a single birth/death event; if there are twins or multiples, you must establish separate users.
   
   The CRS link address is http://crsorgi.gov.in/web/index.php/auth/signUp
   
   
5. Users will be able to register for the functional registration units only, i.e.., the registration units where this centralised application is used for birth and death registration, and only these RUs will be listed in the dropdown list of registration units on the sign-up page because it has not been implemented in all of the country’s RUs.
6. After successfully logging in, users must complete the whole birth/death reporting form (including the legal and statistical portions) to the best of their ability.
7. Take a printout of the application and deliver it to the appropriate registrar by hand at the stated address on the printed application with these supporting documents. (refer below for a list of supporting documents)
8. After successfully submitting the application, users will receive a confirmation email at the email address they provided.
9. Users will be notified through email about the status of their application as soon as the concerned registrar receives it.
10. The information about the registered event will be sent through e-mail or is easily accessible on the CRS portal’s main page using the AIN (Application Reference number).

CRS birth certificate: What are the documents required?

1. Declaration in specified proforma by parent(s).
2. Address Proof- A self-attested copy of any of the following documents can be provided as proof of address

• Voter ID card 
• Electricity/ gas/ water/ telephone bill 
• Passport
• Valid ration card 
• Aadhar card 
• Bank account passbook

In case of birth at a hospital, then the respective institution in charge will take action to report the birth.

CRS birth certificate: What is the time limit to register a birth for a birth certificate?

The event of birth must be reported within 21 days after its occurrence. If the event has crossed this time limit by more than 21 days, parents must go to the office of the relevant registrar (B&D) for birth registration.

CRS birth certificate: What is the procedure to register for a birth certificate after the time limit of 21 days?

This is dependent on how much time has passed since the required limit of 21 days. Given below are the procedures for increasing time periods after the requisite time limit.

Range of delayed days >21 days and up to 30 days

• Delayed fee
• Details in prescribed proforma

Range of delayed days >30 days and 1 year

• Prescribed proforma information.
• Certificate of non-availability.
• Delayed fees
• Informant’s affidavit/declaration
• Permission from the competent authority

Delay of more than one year

• Delayed Fees
• Prescribed proforma information.
• Certificate of Non-Availability.
• Affidavit/Declaration by the informant
• Order from a first-class magistrate

CRS birth certificate: What is the fee for registration for a birth certificate?

There is no cost to report a birth or death for registration to the required authorities within the customary 21-day window.

CRS birth certificate: Can a birth certificate be obtained if the baby is not named?

A birth certificate can be acquired without the child’s name under Section 14 of the Act. In such cases, the name may be entered by the appropriate registration body without charge for the first 12 months and for a fee for the following 15 years (starting from the date of registration).

CRS birth certificate: How to register for a birth certificate for a foreign-born Indian citizen?

If a child is born outside of India, his or her birth will be registered under the Citizenship Act of 1955 and the Citizens (Registration at Indian Consulates) Rules of 1956. However, in accordance with a provision of the RBD Act, if the child’s parents return to India with the intention of settling, the birth can be registered at the settlement site within sixty days of the child’s arrival in India. If the birth cannot be registered within 60 days, it might be recorded under the delayed registration requirements of Sections 13(2) and (3) of the Act.

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