The Registrar General's Department (RGD) recently launched its Hotel Interface for Marriage Applications (HIMA) at a function held at the Couples Sans Souci hotel in St Mary.

The software, developed in-house by the RGD's software team, makes the entire wedding process easier and greatly reduces the time frame between marriage and issuance of certificate.

"It allows all hoteliers to manage the wedding product such that every visitor to our country will leave the Jamaican shores with the (marriage) certificate," said the RGD's CEO, Patricia Holness.

"Every hotel in Jamaica will be able to tap into this software via our website and electronically manage across several properties, managed by wedding coordinators, by types of weddings, by destinations from which persons came so that they will be able to manage the product," explained Holness.

No wait required

Hoteliers will no longer be required to wait in line at RGD locations to pay for services as credit cards may be used. Otherwise, a deposit may be paid to enable the process.

Holness explained that marriage officers would play a significant part of the process, as they would now be required to return marriage registers to any of the RGD's nine locations within 24 hours, as stipulated by law.

In short, HIMA facilitates the creation of application for marriage certificates from the comfort of offices on any property, provides mechanism to monitor the processing of their marriage applications as it moves through the RGD production process, provides special forms for querying applications and providing information to the RGD as applications are processed, allows hoteliers to submit and pay for applications for marriage certificates and monitor the number of weddings and applications created by each property.

Meanwhile, the RGD has reported that it performed over 700 weddings last year at its offices islandwide.

Early next year, the RGD will be offering bridal parties to couples getting married and there is also a prposal to offer counselling.

- C.G.