A bill that will modernise the way births and deaths are registered in Ireland has been signed into law by the President.

Under the legislation, families will be able to register the birth or death of a loved one online for the first time.

Reforms under the Civil Registration (Electronic Registration) Bill 2024 will also allow an interim death certificate to be issued to families in cases where a coroner’s inquest has not been concluded.

Stillbirths

The bill will also introduce changes aimed at supporting families who have experienced a stillbirth.

The Department of Social Protection says that the changes are designed to increase the access to the Register of Stillbirths, while still respecting the privacy of their families and loved ones.

An optional Record of Stillbirths, which will be publicly available, will be established for those who wish to avail of it.

These changes will be available retrospectively in cases where families have suffered a stillbirth in the past.

August date for births

“These reforms are about giving people greater flexibility when it comes to registering major life events and are designed to bring Ireland in line with the practices in place in other countries,” said Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys.

The new online service will be available for births in August and deaths at a later date.

Under the provisions of the bill, deaths will be electronically notified to the General Register Office within five working days from the date of death, and the next-of-kin will be then notified of their duty to register the death within 28 days using the existing in-person service or the new online facility when developed.

The department says that the new online service will be available to people who have an authenticated SAFE identity (in the form of a Public Services Card issued by the Department of Social Protection) and a verified MyGovID account.

The existing process of in-person registration for births and deaths will remain in place.