Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1972

What is this act about?

This law amends and expands existing laws concerning the registration of births and deaths, and also makes changes to laws about marriage registration. It updates how these vital events are recorded and managed.

Who it applies to: Individuals responsible for providing information about births, deaths, and marriages; Health boards and their chief executive officers.

At a glance

Country: Ireland
Area of law: Procedural law
Articles: 8
Source: irishstatutebook.ie
Text retrieved: 2026-06-17
Explanation updated: 2026-07-07

What does this act regulate?

The appointment of registrars for births and deaths.
The process for registering births and deaths, including in cases where attendance and signature of the informant are difficult.
The registration of certain births and deaths that occur outside the State for Irish citizens domiciled in the State.
The form and manner in which information for birth, death, and marriage registration is collected and maintained.

Who does this act apply to?

Individuals responsible for providing information about births, deaths, and marriages.
Health boards and their chief executive officers.
An tArd-Chláraitheoir (the Registrar General) and registrars of births and deaths.
Irish citizens domiciled in the State who experience a birth or death outside the State.

What are the key points?

Health board chief executive officers appoint registrars for births and deaths when vacancies occur.
An tArd-Chláraitheoir can authorize registration of a birth or death without the informant's attendance and signature if circumstances warrant it.
Certain births and deaths of Irish citizens domiciled outside the State can be registered if there was no local registration system or records are unobtainable.
The Minister for Health can make regulations to amend how birth, death, and marriage information is collected and maintained, including changes to specific sections of earlier Acts.

Procedural law

Licensing (Renewal of Licences) Act, 1923

Misuse of Drugs Act, 1984

Children Act, 1997

Courts (No. 2) Act, 1986

Animals Act, 1985

Regional Technical Colleges (Amendment) Act, 1994

Irish Legal Terms Act, 1945

Industrial Development (Encouragement of External Investment) Act, 1958

Procedural law

Legal text

Contents (8)

Section 1
Section 2
Section 3
Section 4
Section 5
Section 6
Section 7
Section 8

Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1972 Skip to content Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Gaeilge Léim go dtí an t-ábhar Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach English Gaeilge English Produced by the Office of the Attorney General Táirgthe ag Oifig an Ard-Aighne Home Legislation Acts of the Oireachtas Statutory Instruments Pre-1922 Legislation Constitution External Resources Bills (Houses of the Oireachtas) Iris Oifigiúil / Official Gazette Revised Acts (LRC) Classified List of Legislation (LRC) Translations (acts.ie) Translations (Houses of the Oireachtas) Government Publications for Sale EU Law (EUR-Lex) FAQ Disclaimer Feedback Helpdesk Search Baile Reachtaíocht Achtanna an Oireachtais Ionstraimí Reachtúla Reachtaíocht Réamh-1922 Bunreacht Acmhainní Seachtracha Billí (Tithe an Oireachtais) Iris Oifigiúil Achtanna Athbhreithnithe (CAD) (An Coimisiún um Athchóiriú an Dlí) Liosta Rangaithe Reachtaíochta Aistriúcháin (achtanna.ie) Aistriúcháin (Tithe an Oireachtais) Foilseacháin Rialtais ar Díol Dlí AE (EUR-Lex) CCanna (Ceisteanna Coitianta) Séanadh Aiseolas Deasc chabhrach Cuardach TitleTeideal Year(s) or rangeBliain nó blianta nó raon TypeCineál All Legislation Acts Statutory Instruments Advanced SearchCuardach Casta HomeBaile ActsAchtanna 1972 Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1972 Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1972 Permanent Page URL View by SectionAmharc de réir Ailt View Full ActAmharc ar an Acht Iomlán Bill History Stair Bille Commencement, Amendments, SIs made under the Act Tosach Feidhme, Leasuithe, IRí arna ndéanamh faoin Acht Print Full ActPriontáil an tAcht Iomlán Number 25 of 1972 BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES REGISTRATION ACT, 1972 ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section

Section 1

Definitions.

Section 2

Appointment of registrars.

Section 3

Authority to register birth or death without attendance, signature of informant.

Section 4

Registration of certain births and deaths occurring outside the State.

Section 5

Amendment, adaptation and modification of certain enactments.

Section 6

Amendment of section 28 of Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland), 1880.

Section 7

Amendment of section 2 (5) of Vital Statistics and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1952.

Section 8

Short title, construction and collective citation.

Acts Referred to Health Act, 1970 1970, No. 1 Registration of Births and Deaths (Ireland) Act, 1863 1863, c. 11 Registration of Marriages (Ireland) Act, 1863 1863, c. 90 Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland), 1880 1880, c. 13 Vital Statistics and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1952 1952, No. 8 Number 25 of 1972 BIRTHS, DEATHS AND MARRIAGES REGISTRATION ACT, 1972 AN ACT TO AMEND AND EXTEND THE BIRTHS AND DEATHS REGISTRATION ACTS, 1863 TO 1952, AND TO PROVIDE FOR CERTAIN AMENDMENTS TO ENACTMENTS RELATING TO THE REGISTRATION OF MARRIAGES. [29th November, 1972] BE IT ENACTED BY THE OIREACHTAS AS FOLLOWS:

Definitions.

1.—In this Act— “the Acts” means the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1863 to 1952; “health board” means a health board established under the Health Act, 1970 .

Appointment of registrars.

2.—(1) Where a vacancy in the office of registrar of births and deaths for a registration district exists at the passing of this Act or occurs subsequently— (a) the chief executive officer of the health board in whose functional area the registration district is situate shall, subject to such directions as may be issued by an tArd-Chláraitheoir from time to time, appoint a person to be the registrar for that registration district; (b) section 23 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Ireland) Act, 1863, shall, from the beginning of the section to “as the case may be, of the dispensary district”, cease to have effect in relation to that registration district.

(2)The office of registrar shall not be an office under a health board.

Authority to register birth or death without attendance, signature of informant.

3.—Where none of the persons who under the Acts have the duty to give to a registrar information of the particulars to be registered concerning a birth or death is available to attend at the office of the registrar and to sign the register or could do so only with undue hardship, an tArd-Chláraitheoir may, if satisfied that the circumstances so warrant and on submission to him of the information required, authorise and require the registrar to register the birth or death without the attendance and signature of any of those persons.

Registration of certain births and deaths occurring outside the State.

4.—(1) This section applies to the birth outside the State of a child of an Irish citizen domiciled in the State and to the death outside the State of an Irish citizen domiciled in the State, where— (a) there was not at the time of the birth a system of registration of births or at the time of the death a system of registration of deaths, or (b) it is not possible to obtain copies of or extracts from civil records of the birth or death.

(2)An tArd-Chláraitheoir may, on production of such evidence as appears to him to be satisfactory, cause a birth or death to which this section applies to be registered in the appropriate register to be maintained in Oifig an Ard-Chláraitheora.

(3)The register in which a birth is entered and the register in which a death is entered under subsection (2) shall be deemed to be registers maintained under the Acts, and the Acts shall apply and have effect accordingly.

(4)After the passing of this Act, no entries shall be made in the Foreign Register kept pursuant to section 41 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Ireland) Act, 1863.

Amendment, adaptation and modification of certain enactments.

5.—(1) The Minister for Health may by regulations prescribe the form and manner in which information required to be registered concerning a birth, death or marriage is collected and maintained and the person by whom the information is to be given and for those purposes may by the regulations make such amendments to and adaptations and modifications as may be necessary of the following provisions: (a) sections 15, 16, 30, 47 and 48 of the Registration of Births and Deaths (Ireland) Act, 1863; (b) sections 6 , 13 , 14 and 15 of the Registration of Marriages (Ireland) Act, 1863 ; and (c) sections 1, 10, 11 and 27 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland), 1880.

(2)Every regulation made under this section shall be laid before each House of the Oireachtas as soon as may be after it is made and if a resolution annulling the regulation is passed by either such House within the next subsequent twenty-one days on which that House has sat after the regulation is laid before it, the regulation shall be annulled accordingly but without prejudice to anything previously done thereunder.

Amendment of section 28 of Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland), 1880.

6.—Section 28 of the Births and Deaths Registration Act (Ireland), 1880, is hereby amended by the insertion after “in pursuance of section six of this Act” of “or of a registration made on the authority of an tArd-Chláraitheoir”.

Amendment of section 2 (5) of Vital Statistics and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1952.

7.—

Section 2

(5)of the Vital Statistics and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1952 , shall not operate to prevent the disclosure of information to which that subsection relates to persons engaged in medical or social research or to medical officers of health boards where the Minister for Health consents to such disclosure and in accordance with the terms of the consent.

Short title, construction and collective citation.

8.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act, 1972.

(2)The Acts and so much of this Act as relates to the registration of births and deaths shall be construed together as one and may be cited together as the Births and Deaths Registration Acts, 1863 to 1972.

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