Dear Claudienne

I am desperate. I was born in St Catherine, Jamaica, in 1955 and have lived overseas since 1967.

On returning to Jamaica and producing my original birth certificate I was told that I needed an updated one.

Upon receiving the updated certificate , I noticed discrepancies in the entry number and my date of birth. I tried to tell the staff at the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) of the discrepancy, but was told that the RGD does not make mistakes.

I provided the RGD with proof of the error such as the school I attended and my fathers’ confirmation. All of my previous passports had the correct date of birth. However, because the date of birth on the certificate I got from the RGD is different from the birth date in my previous British passports, it is preventing me from obtaining a new British passport.

I have tried various avenues to get this corrected, without success. I am desperate to have this error corrected. If this situation is not corrected, I fear I may lose pension benefits from my former employers overseas.

A certified signature to indicate the corrected date of birth, I feel, would be sufficient.

I truly hope you will be able to assist me.

OD

Dear OD

The RGD has advised Tell Claudienne that the records in their repository have your date of birth as July 1, 1955.

You sent Tell Claudienne a scan of the Certificate of Registry slip (commonly known as the pink and white slip) your parents obtained from the local district registrar who registered your birth. The Certificate of Registry slip has July 15, 1955 as your date of birth.

However, the certificate of Registry slip that you got from your parents is not a birth certificate.

The RGD has advised Tell Claudienne that the records in their repository “reflect your date of birth as July 1, 1955.”

Your attorney requested the RGD to verify a Certificate of Registry document for you to take to the British Immigration to have your passport renewed, but she was informed that they could not verify the document with the July 15, 1955 birthdate.

The legal officer at the RGD told your lawyer that you would have to obtain a verification letter under the signature of the registrar general, upon application and the payment of the requisite fees to assist in regularising your passport and any other official document.

Tell Claudienne received the following email from the RGD:

“With reference to your email re OD, correcting the date of birth on birth registration form bearing entry number EY4402/1955, please be advised of the following:

Amongst the documents we received via email from your office, it included a Certificate of Registry for OD reflecting her date of birth as July 15, 1955.

The RGD located both records bearing entry number EY4402/1955 (original and duplicate) for OD to verify the date of birth; both records retrieved from our repository reflect her date of birth as July 1, 1955.

Prior to the email received from your office, the customer had produced the said certificate of registry to the RGD on January 13, 2016, and was duly informed by one of our customer service representatives, that the copy is not authentic.

The customer was advised to apply for a verification letter in 2016, which she did. A verification letter was issued to the customer dated January 26, 2016.

The verification letter outlined the information the agency has in its possession for an individual. It states the birth registration number, the date of birth, place of birth, mother’s name and the registration date. It confirms that the copy issued by the RGD to the customer is authentic.

On September 5, 2018 a letter written by our legal officer was sent to the attorney-at-law representing OD advising that the RGD cannot verify the Certificate of Registry submitted that bears the date of birth July 15, 1955.

On November 19, the legal officer spoke with the attorney-at law representing OD, concerning the matter, based on an email received from your office on November 12, 2019. She reminded her of the importance of the verification letter. The counsel promised to contact her client regarding the verification letter.

The RGD has exhausted all avenues and the customer, along with her attorney-at-law, were duly informed.”

Please take the RGD verification letter to the British immigration authorities to have your passport renewed.

We wish you all the best.