To streamline procedures and remove legal confusion, the Office of the Registrar of Births and Deaths in Gujarat has issued a fresh circular clarifying the process for issuing revised birth certificates to adopted children.
The circular, dated December 15, 2025, aims to standardise how local authorities update birth records following legal adoptions under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, and its 2023 amendment.
The move comes after the state observed that sub-registrars were interpreting existing guidelines inconsistently, leading to confusion and delays. To ensure uniformity and protect the rights of adoptive parents and children, the government has withdrawn earlier ambiguous instructions, including a circular issued in August 2024.
As per the new directive, once an adoption is legally finalised under the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act (HAMA), 1956, or the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (amended in 2021), adoptive parents can approach the Registrar of Births and Deaths. On submission of a valid adoption deed or court order, the registrar is required to update the birth records to reflect the names of the adoptive parents.
The Health and Vital Statistics Department said the clarification is intended to make the process simpler and more transparent. By strictly aligning birth registration with national adoption laws, the government seeks to ensure revised birth certificates are issued without unnecessary bureaucratic obstacles. District registrars, municipal commissioners and chief officers of municipalities have been directed to sensitise staff to ensure uniform implementation across Gujarat.
The update is expected to bring relief to many families who earlier faced delays or conflicting demands while obtaining official documents for adopted children.
Recently, the Gujarat High Court also ruled that once an adoptive parent submits a valid adoption deed, the registrar has no authority to verify it further and must update the name as per law, unless there is a contrary court order.