Also called NABC, the non-availability of birth certificate is an alternative document used as a birth proof in case you have lost the original one or yours is an unregistered birth in India.

Being a legal document, the municipal corporation, surpanch of gram panchayat or para-medical doctors or staff can issue the birth certificate. If yours is registered and the proof is physically damaged, you can apply for it from the civil body called the municipal corporation. Its registrar will issue non-availability of birth certificate (NABC), provided that you have some other proofs of your birth. In village, the para-medical staff or surpanch issues it.

What if yours is unregistered birth?

The unregistered birth has a specific condition to get registered. The applicant has to request to the SDM or any other A-gazette officer in India to write a sworn statement, stating his/her name, address and then, attest it with the stamp and signature.

Then, a request is raised to the registrar of the Municipal Corporation to issue the NABC. This governing agency should be located where the birth took place.

Circumstantial documents needed

• For birth taken place in hospital:

If the applicant was born in any hospital or nursing home, the zonal MC office is the competent person to raise a request with.

• For birth taken place in vehicle:

If the applicant was born in the moving vehicle, the place where the delivery took place would be the place where the request should be raised with the Municipal Corporation of the area.

• For birth take place at home:

The vaccination centre near where the applicant’s home is the ideal place to apply for this certificate.

• For birth take place in jail:

If your birth place is a specific jail, the jailer or incharge of the jail would issue the proof to show to the Municipal Corporation.

How to apply?

• Directly from the Municipal Corporation

1. For this, you need to directly visit the respective district or place of the birth. Consider the aforementioned conditions if you have any kind of confusion in where to get it from.
2. Place a request with the Health Officer or Registrar at the registration office. The registrar may provide an application form to fill up.
3. Alternatively, he/she may be issued an affidavit on the letterhead of the gazette officer. Consider the aforementioned information about the grade of the officer.

What does the affidavit look like?

The affidavit should be drafted on the stamp paper, which is worth INR 20 or more.

• Make sure that it has been drafted in front of the gazette officer or the magistrate.
• It reads the name of the beneficiary as an affiant.
• It should also read the name of parents or relative, whosoever is referred as an evidence of the birth.
• Make sure that the location of the birth should be rightly mentioned.
• The format of the date should look like this- MM/DD/YYYY.
• At the end, the signing authority will mark its stamp while mentioning the designation.

Checklist of other supporting documents
These are grouped under two categories:

• Primary-damaged copy of the birth if yours is the case of damaged birth certificate
• Secondary- this is the case of unregistered birth. For this, you need to enclose the unique affidavit of the affiant issued by the sub-divisional magistrate or magistrate, affidavit of parents or witnesses and address proofs, adhaar cars, driving licence or voter id, and adoption paper if the applicant is stepped.

Besides, the letters issued by the particular incharge, as mentioned above would also be needed. So, always check the list of all supporting documents before visiting the authority.