THE Registrar General’s Department (RGD) will be hosting a registration fair on Tuesday, February 26 at the Gayle Seventh-day Adventist Church in St Mary.

The fair, said a release from the RGD, is another of the agency’s efforts to ensure all Jamaicans are fully registered.

“The fair will target persons who have never been registered, and those who are not sure if they were ever registered (meaning they have never seen a birth certificate before),” said the release.

“It is important to note that the RGD does not issue birth certificates for birth records which do not have a surname. Therefore, persons with no surname on their records will also benefit from this undertaking. The services will be offered free of cost to persons who fall within any of these categories,” it added.

In addition, the RGD said it will also facilitate people making applications for birth, death, and marriage certificates, as well as other record updating activities, including correction of error and addition of father’s particulars (status). People applying for these services are expected to make payment on the day by utilising the RGD’s express, 7-day or ordinary services, where applicable.

“We all know how important a birth certificate is and the challenges we can encounter when we don’t have one. It is on this premise that we encourage the residents of Gayle and its environs, who are/or know of someone having birth certificate related issues to take advantage of the upcoming fair. Remember, without a birth certificate you are unable to obtain a passport, a TRN, or claim benefits from PATH or claim your pension,” the RGD said.

It said, too, that uncollected certificates will also be issued, so St Mary residents who made an application and did not collect the certificates from the RGD are encouraged to visit the location and collect their certificates on the day.