These Regulations, which come into force on 1 April 2014, set out the process by which the birth or death overseas of a British citizen or British overseas territories citizens in any Commonwealth or foreign country may be registered by a registration officer. A registration officer, defined in regulation 2, means any officer in the service of Her Majesty’s Government who is authorised by the Secretary of State to register these births and deaths. The registration officer may be overseas or in the United Kingdom. Regulation 4 places an obligation on the Secretary of State to maintain registers of births and deaths.