Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

Registration of information - Births - Registration of births

19: Birth record must indicate if person is New Zealand citizen by birth

You could also call this:

"Your birth record shows if you're a New Zealand citizen by birth."

Illustration for Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration Act 2021

When you are born in New Zealand, the Registrar-General must register your birth. They must also indicate in your birth record if you are a New Zealand citizen by birth. This happens if the Registrar-General is satisfied that you are a New Zealand citizen by birth under the Citizenship Act 1977, or if they are told by the chief executive of the department responsible for the Citizenship Act 1977 that you are a New Zealand citizen by birth. The Registrar-General looks at information to decide if you are a New Zealand citizen by birth. They consider information from your guardian, your parent's birth record, and details about your citizenship or immigration status. They also check if your parent has immunity from jurisdiction under the Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Act 1968 or the Consular Privileges and Immunities Act 1971, or if they are enemy aliens under the Citizenship Act 1977. The Registrar-General uses this information to decide if you are a New Zealand citizen by birth and updates your birth record accordingly.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM7273630.

This page was last updated on 6 December 2025 — View changes

Topics:

Immigration and citizenship > Becoming a citizenFamily and relationships > Children and parenting

18: Registrar-General may decline to register certain names, or

"The Registrar-General can say no to some names that don't follow the rules."

20: Birth record must include parents’ details, or

"Your birth record must include information about your parents."

Part 2Registration of information
Births: Registration of births

19Birth record must indicate if person is New Zealand citizen by birth

When the Registrar-General registers a birth, the Registrar-General must indicate in the birth record that the person born is a New Zealand citizen by birth if—
the Registrar-General is satisfied that the person is a New Zealand citizen by birth within the meaning of section 6 of the Citizenship Act 1977; or
the chief executive or other appropriate officer of the department for the time being responsible for the administration of the Citizenship Act 1977 informs the Registrar-General that the person is a New Zealand citizen by birth.

In deciding for the purposes of subsection (1)(a) whether a person is a New Zealand citizen by birth, the Registrar-General must have regard to all of the following information that is available:
information provided by any guardian of the person:
the birth record of the person’s parent or parents:
information about the citizenship status or immigration status of the person or the person’s parent or parents:
whether the person’s parent or parents have immunity from jurisdiction under the Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities Act 1968 or the Consular Privileges and Immunities Act 1971, or are enemy aliens (within the meaning of the Citizenship Act 1977).

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