{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/births-and-deaths-registration-act-1953/section-26",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/births-and-deaths-registration-act-1953/section-26.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/Eliz2/1-2/20",
  "legislation_title": "Births and Deaths Registration Act 1953",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/births-and-deaths-registration-act-1953",
  "path": "section/26",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "26",
  "heading": "Quarterly returns to be made by registrar to superintendent registrar.",
  "text": "(1) Every registrar shall in the months of January, April, July and October on such days as may be appointed by the Registrar General—\n(a) make and deliver to the superintendent registrar in the prescribed form a true copy, certified by him in the prescribed manner, of all the entries of live–births, still–births and deaths made in the registers kept by him during the period of three months ending with the last day of the month immediately preceding that in which the copy is required by this subsection to be made;\n(b) if no live–birth, still–birth or death has been registered in his sub–district during that period ...\n(i) deliver to the superintendent registrar a certificate in the prescribed form to that effect.\n(ii) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .\n(1A) The duty imposed by subsection (1)(a) of this section does not apply, as regards any particular three-month period, to any registrar who provides the relevant information to the superintendent registrar in an approved electronic form within the time allowed.\n(1B) For the purposes of subsection (1A) —\n(a) the relevant information is the information contained in each entry mentioned in subsection (1)(a) of this section made during the three-month period in question; and\n(b) the time allowed, in relation to each such entry, is the period of seven days beginning with the day on which the entry is made.\n(2) Where a certified copy is delivered to the superintendent registrar under subsection (1) of this section, the superintendent registrar shall verify the copy and, if the copy is found to be correct, shall certify it in writing to be a true copy; and where a certificate that there have been no registrations is so delivered, the superintendent registrar shall countersign the certificate.\n(3) Where the superintendent registrar is provided with any certificate or information in electronic form under subsection (1)(b)(ii) or (1A) of this section he shall if satisfied of its authencity apply an electronic signature to it.\n(4) In this section—\n...\n...\n“three-month period” means any such period of three months as is mentioned in subsection (1) of this section.",
  "extent": "E+W",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Word in s. 26(1)(b) omitted (1.12.2021) by virtue of The Births and Deaths Registration (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2021 (S.I. 2021/1231), arts. 1(2), 3(5)(a)(i)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in s. 26(1)(b)(1A)(2) substituted for words in s. 26(1)(b) (13.11.2006) by The Registration of Births and Deaths (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2809), arts. 1(1), 3(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in s. 26(1)(b) substituted (1.12.2021) by The Births and Deaths Registration (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2021 (S.I. 2021/1231), arts. 1(2), 3(5)(a)(ii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "S. 26(1)(b)(ii) omitted (1.12.2021) by virtue of The Births and Deaths Registration (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2021 (S.I. 2021/1231), arts. 1(2), 3(5)(a)(iii)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "S. 26(2) renumbered as s. 26(1B) (16.11.2009) by The Registration of Marriages etc. (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/2821), arts. 1(1), 15"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in s. 26(1B) substituted (16.11.2009) by The Registration of Marriages etc. (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2009 (S.I. 2009/2821), arts. 1(1), 15"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Words in s. 26(2) substituted (13.11.2006) by The Registration of Births and Deaths (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2809), arts. 1(1), 3(3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F8",
      "text": "Words in s. 26(2) substituted (1.12.2021) by The Births and Deaths Registration (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2021 (S.I. 2021/1231), arts. 1(2), 3(5)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F9",
      "text": "S. 26(3)(4) inserted (13.11.2006) by The Registration of Births and Deaths (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/2809), arts. 1(1), 3(4)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F10",
      "text": "Words in s. 26(4) omitted (1.12.2021) by virtue of The Births and Deaths Registration (Electronic Communications and Electronic Storage) Order 2021 (S.I. 2021/1231), arts. 1(2), 3(5)(c)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [
    {
      "type": "omitted",
      "affecting": "ukpga/2025/18",
      "affecting_title": "Data (Use and Access) Act 2025"
    }
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Eliz2/1-2/20/section/26",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T11:16:51.735695+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}