#Jamaica, April 14, 2018 – Kingston – The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) is appealing to persons who have applied and paid for documents and have not collected them to do so now.  Marketing and Planning Manager at RGD, Nicole Whyte, told JIS News that there are thousands of uncollected birth, marriage and death certificates in storage at the agency’s offices islandwide.

“Over the years, persons have applied for their marriage, birth and death certificates and have not come to collect them,” she lamented.

She noted that the RGD discontinued its delivery service some time ago, so persons are expected to collect certificates at the RGD location they would have indicated when they applied.

“So, when persons apply for these certificates, they must indicate or state which location they want them to be sent to and should pick up the documents at the said location.   All certificates are printed at the head office at Twickenham Park and then dispatched to the various locations for collection,” she pointed out.

Mrs. Whyte told JIS News that the complimentary first birth certificates prepared for children born between 2007 and June 2017 are also among the uncollected documents.

“We have a lot of these certificates that were not collected, so if your child was born and registered within that period, then a complimentary certificate would be at the RGD waiting for you to collect,” she said.

“We urge persons to collect these certificates… . If you have applied and paid for it or are being given a complimentary one, it only makes sense to collect it,” she appealed.

Noting the importance of the documents, Mrs. Whyte said, “Your birth certificate is needed to prove your identity and is a critical document that persons should have in their possession.  The death certificate shows proof of death and is needed in cases where there is a will, or to claim on a life insurance policy, so it is good to have these documents to conduct various businesses and procedures”.

Persons may contact the RGD at 749-0550 or 619-1260 and make arrangements for collection.

Release: JIS