Bermuda birth certificate: new access requirements
Bermuda restricted access to certified birth certificates from 21 September 2026. Check that you are an eligible applicant and obtain the Registry General’s guidance for the identity, relationship or written authority needed for your category.
Prepare the official request
- Identify whether you are applying for your own record or for another person.
- Check the official eligible category: the subject; a parent or guardian; a child or grandchild aged 18 or over; a person authorised in writing; a qualifying legal representative; or the specified police or public officer.
- Obtain the Registry General’s current guidance note for your category.
- Prepare the identity and entitlement evidence it specifies, including written authority where required.
- Submit the request through the Registry General and keep the receipt and collection instructions.
Keep the right evidence
A register search and a certified certificate are different services. The September notice says people outside the eligible categories can still search the register and obtain a plain copy of an entry, but cannot receive a certified birth certificate on that basis.
Tell the Registry whether the recipient requires certification before paying. Do not present an ordinary register copy or a phone scan as a certified certificate. The new rules also affect applications already in progress; follow any direct request from the Registry for further evidence.
If a recipient accepts a personal working copy, you can prepare an accepted reference scan as a PDF. The result is an image-based PDF. It does not preserve selectable text, interactive fields or an original digital signature. Keep this output separate from any original, certified copy or unchanged official file required for submission.
For a travel application, see Bermuda passport renewal. For hospital information, see BHB medical-record requests, which do not supply the Registry’s birth certificate.
Questions
Did certified-copy access change in 2026?
Yes. The official notice states that the new restrictions took effect on 21 September 2026.
Does paying for a search make me eligible for a certified copy?
No. The notice distinguishes access to a register search and a plain entry copy from eligibility for a certified certificate.
Where do I confirm the documents for my category?
Request the Registry General’s current guidance note and follow its identity and entitlement requirements.