### Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance 《生死登記條例》

23. Shortened form of birth certificate
Any person shall, on payment of a fee of $70 and on furnishing the prescribed particulars, be entitled to obtain from a registrar in the general register office, a shortened form of certificate in the prescribed form of the birth of any person compiled from the records and registers in the custody of the Registrar. 
(18 of 1948 s. 2 incorporated. Amended 40 of 1967 s. 3; 53 of 1974 s. 3; 48 of 1975 s. 5; 67 of 1984 s. 8; L.N. 73 of 1991; L.N. 196 of 1993; L.N. 362 of 1994; L.N. 241 of 1995; L.N. 283 of 1996; L.N. 452 of 1997) [cf. 1947 c. 12 U.K.]

### Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance 《生死登記條例》

24. Official seal
(1) The Registrar shall cause to be made a seal of the general register office and a seal of each of the district registry offices and cause to be sealed or stamped—
(a) with the seal or stamp of the general register office all certified copies of any entry in a register given in the general register office; and
(b) with the seal or stamp of the district registry office all certified copies of any entry in a register given in that district registry office. (Replaced 80 of 1997 s. 62)
(2) Every entry and every certified copy of an entry in a register shall be received as evidence of the birth or death to which the entry relates without other or further proof of such entry: (Amended 80 of 1997 s. 62)

Provided that—
(a) no entry made in a post register book prior to 1 January 1972 shall be deemed proof of the birth or death to which it relates without other or further evidence thereof; and 
(b) no certified copy purporting to be issued from the general register office or from a district registry office shall be of any force or effect unless it is sealed or stamped as aforesaid, and unless the entry to which it relates either purports to have been signed by some person professing to be the informant and to be such person as required by this Ordinance to give information to a registrar concerning such birth or death, or purports to have been made upon a certificate from a coroner or otherwise in pursuance of the provisions of this Ordinance, or, where more than 12 months have intervened between the day of a birth or death and the day of the registration of such birth or death, unless it purports to have been made with the consent and authority of the Registrar. (Amended 57 of 1967 Schedule; 53 of 1972 s. 2; 80 of 1997 s. 62)
(3) In this section, a reference to a certified copy of any entry in a register includes a reference to such a certified copy that is produced by using the information recorded in the computer record. (Added 8 of 2006 s. 14)

### Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance 《生死登記條例》

25. Breach
Any person who—
(a) being charged with the duty of registering births or deaths, refuses or, without reasonable excuse, omits to register any birth or death of which he has had due notice as aforesaid; (Amended 80 of 1997 s. 63)
(b) having the custody of or access to any register or certified copies of any register, carelessly loses or injures the same, or carelessly allows the same to be injured whilst in his keeping or possession; or (Replaced 80 of 1997 s. 63)
(c) having the custody of or access to the computer record—
(i) alters any data in the computer record or allows such data to be altered, other than for the purpose of carrying out duties under this Ordinance;
(ii) carelessly loses or damages any data in the computer record or allows such data to be lost or damaged; or
(iii) otherwise tampers with the database in the computer record so that the data contained in it or any part of such data becomes incapable of being retrieved or reproduced in a legible form, (Added 80 of 1997 s. 63. Amended 8 of 2006 s. 15)
shall be deemed to have committed a breach of the provisions of this Ordinance.

27. Correction of errors in register
(1) With regard to the correction of errors in registers of births or deaths, the following provisions shall have effect— (Amended 80 of 1997 s. 64)
(a) no alteration in any such register shall be made except as authorized by this Ordinance;
(b) any clerical error which may be discovered in any such register shall, as soon as possible, be corrected by a registrar, who shall place his initials in the margin opposite the entry in which such error has been discovered;
(c) an error of fact or substance in any such register may be corrected by entry in the margin (without any alteration of the original entry) by a registrar on payment of the fee of $425 and on production to him by the person requiring such error to be corrected of a declaration in the prescribed form setting forth the nature of the error and the true facts of the case, and made by 2 persons required by this Ordinance to give information concerning the birth or death with reference to which the error has been made, or, in default of such persons, then by 2 credible persons to the satisfaction of the registrar having knowledge of the truth of the case, and the registrar shall initial such marginal entry and shall add thereto the day and month and year when such correction is made; (See Form 19)

### Births and Deaths Registration Ordinance 《生死登記條例》

28. Penalty
Except where otherwise specially provided by this Ordinance, any person who commits any breach or infringement of any of the provisions of this Ordinance or fails to perform any duty imposed upon him by this Ordinance shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine at level 1 or to imprisonment for 6 months. 
(Amended 22 of 1950 Schedule; L.N. 25 of 1996)

29. Forms and power to make order and amend the Schedules
(1) The forms prescribed in the Second Schedule shall be used in the cases to which they refer. (Amended 9 of 1957 s. 5)
(2) The Chief Executive may by order published in the Gazette provide for all or any of the following matters—
(a)  the form of certificate to be issued under section 23 which shall contain such particulars as may be prescribed: 
Provided that any particulars prescribed in addition to name, surname, sex and date of birth shall not include any particulars relating to parentage or adoption contained in the records and registers in the custody of the Registrar; 
(b) the particulars to be furnished by applicants for such certificates; 
(c) the manner in which such certificates are to be compiled; 
(d) the amendment of the Schedules (except Part III of Form 18 in the Second Schedule); and (Amended 27 of 1997 s. 73)
(e) the due carrying out of the Ordinance. 
(3) The Chief Executive in Council may, by notice in the Gazette, amend Part III of Form 18 in the Second Schedule. (Added 27 of 1997 s. 73)
(Replaced 40 of 1967 s. 4. Amended 71 of 1999 s. 3)

29A. Registrar may specify manner of submission
(1) For the purposes of this Ordinance, the Registrar may specify the manner in which signed register forms are to be submitted.
(2) In specifying the manner of submission, the Registrar may specify more than one manner of submission for each type of signed register form, whether as alternatives or for use by different persons or different classes or descriptions of persons.
(Added 3 of 2023 s. 13)