Dear Claudienne,

My passport expired in June 2011. For work and personal reasons I will need to travel overseas very soon. As a requirement for a new passport each applicant must produce a new birth certificate, but unfortunately I do not have one. Both of my parents are deceased, and after searching through their documents I have not found my birth certificate.

I visited the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) for them to do a search for my birth certificate.

I paid for two searches, one at the RGD’s Montego Bay office and the other at their head office in Spanish Town. On both occasions I was told that no record of my birth could be found as my parents did not register me.

Interestingly, when my mother’s name was entered in the system they found the names of three of my older siblings born in 1960, 1961 and 1962. I found it strange that even though I was the last child and was born on December 27, 1969, they chose not to register me .

The RGD then informed me that to ascertain my birth record I needed to pay for a form search. They explained that this would involve a search of all the birth records of all the children born in the parish of St James in 1968, 1969 and 1970.

I dragged my feet for some time, then in June 2014 I decided to pay $12,000 to the RGD to have them do the form search.

I provided the RGD with all the information needed, such as my mom’s name, siblings’ names, place of birth, parish of birth, the name of the nurse who delivered me at home and my father’s name.

In the latter part of October 2014 my record was found and I paid a sum of $3,000 for two copies of my birth certificate. I received the certificates in the early part of November 2014 and the information appeared to be correct. The records showed that I was registered on January 20, 1970.

On November 19, 2014 I visited the passport office in Montego Bay to apply for my passport. When I presented my ID along with my application to the agent, to my surprise I was informed that the surname on the ID was different from the surname on my birth certificate.

I was advised that for my application to be accepted, the RGD would have to do the necessary correction.

I visited the RGD office in Montego Bay on Monday, November 24, 2014 and spoke with a customer service agent. I showed her my documents and told her that in my two expired passports the spelling of my surname was the same as on the ID.

She said that the birth certificates would be returned to the head office as it appeared that a mistake was made or that someone had misread an ‘R’ as an ‘N’. She said that she would try to expedite the process.

On November 25, 2014, the customer service agent left a message on my phone advising me that checks with the Spanish Town RGD head office had determined that the last name on the birth certificate was correct. I was told to visit the office and collect the birth certificates as I would have to do a late registration or a deed poll.

When I went for the birth certificates on November 26, 2014, I pointed out to the agent that my mother and father had lived together for almost 40 years. I was upset and argued that the RGD was suggesting that my mother was unfaithful to my father and had given birth to another man’s child during their union.

I told her that it was quite interesting that approaching my 45th birthday my surname had suddenly changed. I told her that I would be taking this matter to the highest level.

To get a clearer picture of this situation, please note these facts:

(a) I attended Montego Bay Infant School 1975-1976 with the surname on my ID.

(b) I also attended Barracks Road Primary School 1976-1981 with that surname.

(c) I sat the Common Entrance Examination and passed to attend Cornwall College 1981-1986 with the surname on the ID. I sat the CXC in 1986 with the surname on the ID. My parents had submitted birth certificates to all of the school administrations with the surname on my ID.

(d) I was issued and travelled on Jamaican passports in 1987 and 2001 respectively with that surname.

(e) My particulars are on my son’s birth certificate issued by the RGD in 1993.

(f) My particulars are on my daughter’s birth certificate issued by the RGD in 2004.

(g) I used my Jamaican birth certificate and passport to naturalise my twins as Jamaican citizens in 2008 at PICA, an agency of the Ministry of National Security.

(h) I applied and received a marriage certificate from the RGD in January 2014, with the surname on the ID.

So instead of admitting that an error was made in the spelling of my surname, the RGD is telling a hard-working taxpayer of Jamaica that after 44 years I don’t know my true identity.

Please assist me to have this matter resolved.

MB

Dear MB,

We asked the RGD to investigate your complaint and note that they have contacted you. Tell Claudienne has received the following statement from the RGD.

“With reference to the complaint e-mailed to us on December 2, 2014, the matter was brought to the attention of the chief executive officer, and it was decided to have the name treated as a clerical error.

MB was contacted and asked to present copies of his IDs to facilitate this process. The IDs will be sent to the head office through our Montego Bay office.”

Please let us know when you receive the birth certificates with the correct spelling of your surname.

Good luck.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 936-9436 or write to: Tell Claudienne c/o Sunday Finance, Jamaica Observer, 40-42 1/2 Beechwood Avenue, Kingston 5; or e-mail: edwardsc@jamaicaobserver.com. Please include a contact phone number.