In forceUpdated to 30 Sep 2026

Contents

Registration of Births and Deaths Act 2021 · Updated to 30 Sep 2026 · Part 3 · Births

21. Alteration of child’s name in register of births

(1)

This section applies to a child whose name is entered in the register of births at the time of registration of the child’s birth, but does not affect any application for change of name under section 15(3), 17(3) or 18(3).

(2)

A responsible person for a child mentioned in subsection (1) may apply to the Registrar‑General to alter the name of the child entered in the register of births.

(3)

The application by the responsible person (called in this section the applicant) under subsection (2) must be made within one year after the child’s birth.

(4)

The applicant must also provide to the Registrar‑General any information or evidence the Registrar‑General requires that supports the application, or verifies the accuracy of the matters contained in or accompanying the application, within the time the Registrar‑General requires.

(5)

The Registrar‑General may alter the child’s name in the register of births if —

(a)

the Registrar‑General is satisfied that the applicant has complied with the requirements relating to the application;

(b)

the altered name provided by the applicant for the child complies with section 19(1), and the Registrar‑General does not refuse the altered name under section 19(2);

(c)

the child’s name entered in the register has not been altered before under this section or section 11(1) of the repealed Act; and

(d)

the child is not deceased.

(6)

In this section, “responsible person”, for a child, has the meaning given by section 8(5).

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Part 4