Nagaland makes birth certificate sole proof for school admissions, government jobs

KOHIMA: The Nagaland government has made birth certificates the sole mandatory document for school admissions, government employment and access to a range of official services. Advisor for Economics and Statistics, Evaluation and IT&C, S Sethronkyu Sangtam on Tuesday said that the government enforced the Nagaland Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Rules, 2024.

Sangtam said registration of births and deaths is a critical state responsibility that establishes the legal identity of individuals and enables effective planning of welfare programmes. He said civil registration is a continuous, permanent and compulsory process covering vital events such as births, deaths, marriages, fatal deaths and divorces.

He said that the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 was amended by Parliament in 2023 and came into force across the country from October 1, 2023. In line with this, the state assembly passed the Nagaland Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Rules, 2024, which were notified on February 8, 2025.

Under the amended rules, a birth certificate will now be the only valid document for school admissions, government job appointments, issuance of driving licences, registration for Unique Identification (UID), marriage certificates and other official purposes. Sangtam said the birth certificate will also be the sole proof of date and place of birth for persons born on or before October 1, 2023.

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Nagaland establishes 1,474 registration centres

He urged citizens to ensure timely registration, stating that reliance on other documents such as school certificates will no longer be sufficient. To improve access to registration services, the state has established 1,474 registration centres across Nagaland.

In rural areas, registration units have been set up in every recognised village, with government teachers designated as registrars. Community health centres and primary health centres also function as registration units, where the nurse-in-charge acts as the registrar.

In urban areas, registration facilities are available at the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, offices of District Economics and Statistics Officers and all district hospitals. Highlighting key procedural changes, Sangtam said the requirement of a notarised affidavit for delayed registration beyond 30 days but within one year has been removed. Instead, a self-attested document along with approval of the competent authority will be sufficient.

For registrations delayed beyond one year, approval will now be granted by the district magistrate or an authorised sub-divisional magistrate to expedite the process. The amended rules also prohibit the use of abbreviations in a child's name on birth certificates.