Applying Death, Birth and Passport
Through Online Portal
As per the Annual Report on “Medical Certification of Cause of Death” for the year 2011, out of the total registered deaths of 48,29,664 in 27 States and Union Territories, a total number of 9,65,992 deaths (5,95,784 Males and 3,70,208 Females) have been reported. Although the report is about a decade old, it shows the importance of making sure that the death of individuals is registered so the Government can work on getting the correct statistics of births and deaths within the country. This information goes a long way in understanding the primary causes of death, the illnesses linked to a specific country, and how to combat them, making registering births and deaths a crucial task.
With the new processes that the Registrar of births and deaths, along with the Government have put in place to assist people with a better system when applying for their death certificate, it does not take long for people to appeal for their documents and receive them. Deaths are a sensitive time for the people involved, and since there isn’t a lot of time taken between the passing and the last rites, this is something that has to be handled fast and with a lot of tact.
How to apply for death certificate?
If people are using the internet, the process for applying for a death certificate is quite simple. They have to fill out and submit an online application form and upload a couple of documents and certificates as well. The online form asks for a couple of details including:
- Date and place of death
- The address of the deceased
- The full names, including the maiden name of a married woman. Applicants should also mention any former married or other names by which the deceased individual was known.
- His/her occupation (if applicable)
- Details of their wife, husband, or civil partner
- Details of Government pension or other benefits.
The website informs users about the content they need to be uploading, and if there are any issues with the details, they have already put up. Here is a list of the paperwork needed by the Registrar before registering and processing the death certificate:
- Medical certificate mentioning the cause of death
- NHS Card also called the medical card, usually has all the information about their health
- Birth certificate of the deceased
- Driving license of the deceased, or any other proof of identification
- Marriage or civil partnership certificate
- Passport of the deceased
- Utility bill or any other document proving the address.
After processing all the information, the applicant will be informed when the certificate will be ready, and they will receive it. If all the information entered is proper, the processing takes about a day or two. However, if there were complications concerning the cause of death, it takes some time to handle the processing since the authorities are involved, and they have to give the go-ahead.
Four reasons why people should regularly apply for their birth certificate
According to the Indian Government, registering a birth is mandatory and is something that needs to be done by every parent for their child. According to NFHS-4 (National Family Health Survey), in India, 77% of all children under the age of five, living in urban areas had registered their births and possessed birth certificates. In rural India, on the other hand, the statistic was 56.4%. There seems to be a correlation between household wealth and registering birth certificates with 82.3% of children under the age of five in the highest income wealth group having birth certificates, and only 40.7% in the poorest.
What are the main reasons why birth certificates are significant?
For beginners, the birth certificate is the first document that a child would have as some form of identification. While there are documents and certificates like the ration card that connect the child with a family, this will be the first document that is truly theirs.
Needed for everything
While there are multiple uses to a ration card, including registering for various Government schemes moving forward, children need their birth certificate to register for documents that are theirs and that they would need moving forward in life. They need their birth certificates when signing up for school or for other records, like driver’s licence, election card, PAN card, Aadhaar card and other similar certificates, that are proof of an individuals address.
Statistical information
The Government uses the number of registered births and deaths to calculate a proper mortality rate in India. This information gives the Government a better understanding of the health of the people around them. They then use this information to calculate other information and the causes of these issues.
All births are not registered, although it is mandatory. The main reason for this is only registered medical practitioner’s work on the registration process of the children who are born in hospitals. However, India being a country as large as it is, has a lot of children that are not born without the assistance of registered medical staff. This can be quite an issue since they could have been given birth to, in unhealthy conditions, and might even miss getting their infection and proper medical shots when of age since they are not registered.
Long-distance travelling
When applying for a passport, the applicants need to provide their birth certificates, otherwise, the process will not move forward. This process will get quite challenging for people without one. It is the main document needed when getting a visa as well. India allows people to move within the country, without any documentation, but if they are moving across international borders, they have to provide their certification.
The birth certificate registration website assists a great deal with making the process that much easier. Furthermore, it also handles making changes to a birth certificate in the case that there are typos. It allows people to apply for a new birth certificate if they lost their previous one. Overall, the website makes the process easier, completely cancelling the need for people to make multiple trips to the Registrars office.
Can I renew my passport without having to download forms or use the web portal?
The simple answer is obviously, yes, but it seems like a much longer process. All the same, here are steps to get this done.
Before we get into the details, passports have varying expiration dates, although the most common is ten years, especially if the passport has been applied for at the time the applicant was between 16 to 18 years. Make sure you are renewing a passport that is in need of renewal and that you are doing it about six months before the expiration, thereby giving the passport authorities some time to process your request.
What are the other methods of getting a passport renewed without going to the office?
There are easier options for handling a passport renewal and they are:
- Through the mail and postal system (which is similar to handwriting everything)
- Through their multiple online portals.
What is the process of getting your passport renewed through their office?
This process does take a couple of trips to the office if the applicant doesn’t want to download the forms of the website directly.
Post going to the passport office to collect the required forms, the applicants would be given a date when they would have to return with the filled out applications and the supporting documents. This means another trip where people have to submit all their forms, applications, and supporting documents at the office. These usually include proof of identification, proof of address to show citizenship, documents to prove all the details that have been mentioned in the form. Finally, the applicant has to pay the processing fee as well.
They would then be told of the date it would be ready and would have to provide information on whether they wanted it mailed to them.
How far are the offices from my address?
The whole reason that people do not prefer handling this through the office is that at times it needs applicants to clear their schedules to travel to the office on a workday since this can only be done during work hours. However, every state in the country has an office, in fact, some of them even have two offices but they are usually located in the main cities, which means it takes a while for people in the rural parts of the state to access them.