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Birth Registration
Papua New Guinea
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Papua New Guinea
Birth Registration
Procedure and Certificates
Procedure and Certificates
Place
Where must births be reported?
Anywhere
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registration may be place of occurrence of place of residence. The civil registration law should clearly state the place where births must be reported. Reporting in the place of occurrence usually makes the registration process faster and easier for the informant. The determination of the place of usual residence may be in fact complicated for some people who have more than one residence or often move. In addition, reporting at place of occurrence facilitates declaration or notification by a health facility.
Countries with electronic systems for civil registration may allow more flexibility and allow reporting from anywhere the civil registration system can be accessed.
What are the reporting periods for birth registration specified in law?
21 days/after 21 days
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
A clear deadline for reporting a birth, especially a short one, reduces the risk of misreporting or underreporting. The deadline is typically between 14 and 30 days.
A late birth registration occurs when a birth is reported after the legally specified time period, but within a grace period, usually one year after the vital event.
Delayed birth registration is the registration that occurs after the grace period has expired. Delayed birth registration may occur many years after the event, and may require additional evidence.
In terms of Sections 23(3) and 24(3) of the Civil and Identity Registration Act, persons with a duty or authority to give notification of births to the Registrar-General must do so within 21 days from the date of the birth.
Section 26 states that, if the persons with a duty to notify a birth fail to do so within 21 days, the Registrar-General may take all reasonable steps to obtain the information required, including compelling “other notifiers of birth” to provide information. If the Registrar-General is satisfied with the information obtained about the birth under these procedures, the Registrar-General must register the birth.
Section 27(3) makes provision for late registration of a birth, provided that the evidentiary requirements specified by regulation have been met. The current regulations do not set out any evidentiary requirements, but the regulations that go with the Civil and Identity Registration Act 2024 are (as of January 2026) still forthcoming.
Are there any fees or fine for late or delayed birth registration?
No
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Fees are not effective in preventing late or delayed registration and may act as a disincentive for registration. If fees are charged for delayed or late registration, policymakers should consider having a fee-waiver process for those for whom fees are a hardship. More effective results to increase registration rates are observed through educational programmes aimed at the public. Some countries have opted to impose a penalty for failure to register or, more precisely, refusal to register, rather than impose a fee for late registration.
What is the minimum information required for birth registration?
Minimum information required goes beyond UN recommendations but registrar has discretion to register birth without all information
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The information required for legal purposes is minimal, and usually consists of: given name; surname; date of birth; birthplace; sex; and names of both the parents. It is preferable that information on both parents is provided but registration should not be denied if the mother cannot or will not name the father. Registrars should be authorized to complete registration with the available information to strive for universal registration. Failure to provide statistical data elements such as the weight of the child, should also not prevent birth registration.
The regulations and forms in force as of January 2026 are contained in the Civil Registration Regulation 1967 issued under the Civil Registration Act 1963, which has been repealed by the Civil and Identity Registration Act 2024. These regulations remain in force insofar as they are consistent with the new legislation until new regulations are enacted. This analysis is based on the Birth & National Identity Registration Form on the Civil Identity Registry website, which appears to be the one used in practice.
The Birth & National Identity Registration Form asks for the child’s date of birth; given names and family name; place of birth (including hospital if relevant); sex; place in birth order; type of birth (single, twins, triplets, etc); and whether the child is the natural, adopted or fostered child of the parents. For both mother and father, the form requests national identity number; given and family names; date of birth; nationality; occupation; denomination; place of origin (including country, tribe and clan); and current residential address. The Form also asks for information about any marriage between the parents: type of marriage (civil, customary or “defacto”); date of marriage; and marriage registration number.
In addition, in terms of Section 27(1) of the Act, the Registrar-General must register a birth if the information provided is “complete, or adequate for the purpose of registration”. Section 27(2) authorizes the Registrar-General to require the person notifying the birth to provide any missing information by a specified date or to take other reasonable steps to obtain missing information; however, the Registrar-General must register the birth “if sufficient information is provided, even if some information remains missing”.
What evidence is required for on-time birth registration?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Registrars should require proof as to the veracity of the information to be registered. Proof or evidence required for registration must be sufficiently stringent to provide assurance of the accuracy of the information without being so burdensome so burdensome as to discourage or prevent registration. Documentary evidence is always preferred. For birth registration, the most common form of documentary evidence is the notification of birth (from health sector or local leader), but if this is not available, testimony or affidavits of witnesses may be substituted.
The Civil and Identity Registration Act does not address the issue of evidence required for birth registration, aside from the requirements for registering a man as the father of a child.
Law Source
Are there additional or alternative documents required for late or delayed birth registration?
Unclear
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
While late and delayed reporting should be discouraged, the procedures should not be so restrictive as to prevent late and delayed reporting of events. Laws that require a court order for late or delayed registration present a significant barrier to registration. For late registration (within 1-year grace period), the provision of a notification of birth, or other evidence required for on-time registration, should be sufficient. For delayed registration (after 1 year), the law may require additional evidence such as a witness statement.
Section 27(3) of the Civil and Identity Registration Act makes provision for late registration of a birth, provided that the evidentiary requirements specified by regulation have been met. The current regulations (issued under the repealed Civil Registration Act 1963) do not set out any evidentiary requirements, but the regulations that go with the Civil and Identity Registration Act 2024 are (as of January 2026) still forthcoming.
Does the registrar (local or other level) have the authority to correct minor errors (such as data entry errors and typographical errors)? If yes, are such changes free of charge?
Yes, registrar can make corrections free of charge.
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The civil registration agency should have authority to correct errors such as obvious spelling, date or typographical errors.Providing the registration agency with authority to make these types of corrections relieves the applicant of having to spend time and money applying to courts. No fee should be charged for minor clerical errors.
The Registrar-General is empowered under Section 9 of the Civil and Identity Registration Act to delegate functions to Senior Registry Officials, including the power to correct clerical errors. Section 71 makes it clear that this applies only to clerical errors or errors that are apparent upon examination of a document; only the Registrar-General may order the amendment, cancellation or voiding of entries in the Register.
Section 79 of the Act allows for fees to be imposed for the correction of errors, but no fees for this have been prescribed as of January 2026.
Does the registrar (local or other level) have the power to add omitted information (such as name of baby, in the case of late naming, and paternity information)? If yes, are such changes free of charge?
Yes, a registrar can add omitted information, free of charge.
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
The civil registration agency should have authority to add information omitted in the original record, such as the late addition of a baby name within the time frame for late naming, or adding uncontested paternity information. Providing the registration agency with authority to make these types of amendments elieves the applicant of having to spend time and money applying to courts. No fee should be charged for adding omitted information
Section 71(6) of the Civil and Identity Registration Act provides that only the Registrar-General may order the amendment, cancellation or voiding of entries in the Register.
Section 33 of the Act makes provision for birth registration of a newborn child to take place without a name, or under a temporary name. In such a case, the Registrar-General will issue a unique identity number for the child, and the parents or guardian of the child must provide the name of the child to the Registrar-General within 28 days. Section 79(1)(e) states that adding the name of a child in this manner is free.
In terms of Section 28 of the Act, where the birth of a child born outside marriage is already registered without anyone being named as the father, a father can be added if the Registrar-General is satisfied by a letter or other satisfactory evidence that both the mother and the person acknowledging himself as the father agree that his name or other particulars should be added to the birth registration. Section 79 of the Act allows for fees to be imposed for the addition of paternity information, but no fees for this have been prescribed as of January 2026.
Is the original birth certificate provided free of charge?
Yes
Recommended Practice based on International Guidelines
Legislation should require the registrar, upon completion of registration, to issue an original birth certificate to the parents of the child free of charge. Ideally, the local registrar has the power to issue a birth certificate, as this will shorten the time frame for certificate issuance.
