THE OLD birth certificate forms are still valid, but according to various public complaints and the Registrar General's Department (RGD), fewer and fewer places seem inclined to accept them.
According to the complaints and the RGD, more and more places, among them various embassies and the Passport Office, are asking for the new type of birth certificates being offered by the RGD.
"What we say is that as long as it was produced at the Registrar General's Department, and is certified, it's valid. It is just that some organisations are requiring the one on the secured paper because they can be sure that the information is correct," said RGD head, Dr. Patricia Holness.
She stressed that while the old birth certificate forms are valid, it is up to the respective organisations to determine if they would accept them.
"Often, if it's old and if people can't read it well, then they'll ask the person to go for another one but there is no policy here on that. Once it's certified, it is acceptable but the option lies with the person receiving it. If they want to ask for another one, they are free to do so," she said.
In addition, Dr. Holness said that the information can sometimes be wrong on the old certificates because people do not write clearly, which forces organisations to seek clarification with the RGD when they see a correction on the old forms.
"Sometimes they take the old copy and then confirm with us that the information is correct and there are times when the information provided on the white one (the old form) is not correct because it was not done here," she said.
To cut down on this and to ensure clear and correct information, many prefer the new form.
A spokesperson at the Passport Office denied that persons with old birth certificates were being turned away, stating that what is not accepted is a photocopy of the original birth certificate. "Once it is legible, once it bears a seal and the stamp or we accept that it is your birth certificate, then we accept the document," the officer said.
