How to obtain a birth certificate and a death certificate in Jammu and Kashmir

Why do we need birth certificate and how to get birth certificate in Jammu and Kashmir?

A birth certificate is the most important document of identity for any person to avail host of services offered by the Government of India. The date of birth certificate serves the purpose of establishing ones age in obtaining significant services from the Government. Birth certificate can be used to obtain the following important documents

• Aadhar Card
• Election Card
• Passport
• Driving Licence
• PAN Card
• Admission to Schools or Colleges
• Registering a Marriage
• Settlement of Inheritence and Property Rights

Types of Births?

There are two types of Births. One is Institutional and the other is Non Institutional. Institutional Births are the ones that occur in Institutions like Hospitals and under the expert supervision of Doctors and Nurses whereas Non Institutional Births are the ones that occur at Homes. Here is the Birth Certificate Form to be used below.

How to obtain a birth certificate in Jammu and Kashmir?

In case of Institutional Births it is the sole responsibility of the Institution to register the birth; in this case I am considering Hospital as the Institution. The Hospital will inform the concerned Registrar of Births and Deaths about the event. If the birth has occurred in a Hospital within Jammu Municipal Limits the Hospital record will be sent to Registrar of Birth and Death at Jammu Municipal Corporation and in case of birth in Hospital within Srinagar Municipal Limits the Hospital Record will be sent to Srinagar Municipal Corporation.

Here is a list of Documents for Obtaining Birth Certificate.

To Obtain Regular Birth Certificate within 29 days of Birth

• An application form.
• A Birth form duly signed by the applicant (parent in this case)
• Discharge Card by the concerned Hospital which is considered as Hospital Record.
• A One Rupee Stamp as Ward Receipt .

To obtain Birth Certificate after 30 days of birth upto 1 year

• A Birth form duly signed by the Parent
• An Affidavit stating the parentage of the child and the place and date of birth of the child.
• If the applicant belongs to the area falling outside the municipal limits he/she has to produce the Hosp[ital record of birth within the Municipal Limits.

After all the formalities have been completed and your application is processed you will be required to pay a fee of Rs. 40 at the Registrar Office for collecting Birth certificate.

Even after the passage of one year, if the Date of Birth is not registered then it will be done by the court order of First Class Magistrate.

Also Read

• List of Wards of Jammu Municipal Corporation

In cases of Non Institutional Births and if the births have occurred beyond the municipal limits; the law authorizes the head of the family or the nearest relative to report the birth to the concerned Chowkidaar, Numberdaar of the Village. The Chowkidaar/Numberdaar of the village will enter the record in the record books and will forward it to the nearest Police Station of the area.

A caution of advice to the couple who are expecting parenthood. Do double check your Hospital Record spellings when you are admitted for the Delivery of your Child.

The reason for advising you to double check is that most of the time it will happen that the data entry operator at the Hospital will enter your spellings incorrectly. Now, when you apply for the birth certificate at the Registrar Office, expect another tedious, futile and numerous to and fro journeys from the Hospital to the Registrar Office of Births and Deaths and to the Courts for correcting your names.

Can we apply for birth certificate online?

The answer is No. we can not register for Birth Certificate Online in Jammu and Kashmir. Online Birth Certificate registration is available in some states of India but not in Jammu and Kashmir. Delhi is one of the states which empowers it citizen to give the facility of online Birth Certificate Registration.

We searched the portals of Jammu Municipal Corporation and the Srinagar Municipal Corporation; the two major Municipal Corporations of the state to check birth certificate online but what we found was interesting enough.

Yes, there were links of Online Birth Certificate under the E-Governance Tab of the JMC and SMC website but it lead no where. It gave a privacy error. It meant that the site is not safe to work at. So it is very evident that neither JMC nor SMC birth certificate can be registered online.

How to get death certificate in Jammu and Kashmir?

To get Death Certificate within one month of death following documents are required

• Ward Receipt of Re1
• Death Registration Form with report of confirmation of the event by the Ward Officer concerned.
• Receipt of Shamshan Bhoomi and in case of death of Non-Muslim proof of cremation.
• In case of Accidental Deaths: Copy of an FIR from the concerned Police Station.

To get Death Certificate One Month after till 1 year

• Affidavit with report of confirmation of death event by Ward officer concerned.

To get Death Certificate after 1 year

• Court order for registration of death
• Form duly signed by the immediate relative of the family member

Can we apply for death certificate online?

No, you have to follow the procedure offline by submitting all the required documents along with an application form to the Registrar, Vital Statistics, Municipal Corporation, Jammu/Srinagar.

Conclusion.

It is disheartening to come to this conclusion that despite being in the front runners to the race in becoming one of the smart cities, the summer capital Srinagar which has Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) and winter capital Jammu which has Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) have not been able to provide the service of online birth certificate and online death certificate to its citizens.

We hope that the online registration for Births and Deaths is taken up at the earliest and the common man is relieved of the paper work and long queues at the government offices. Let the services be functional at the ground level rather than just as invalid links on the government websites.