Dear Claudienne,

I submitted a correction of errors application to the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) in December of 2021 in order to have my birth date corrected on my birth certificate. I was born at home in Morant Bay, St Thomas on December 31, 1947, but my official handwritten paper birth record and subsequently the updated modern version of the birth certificate incorrectly lists my birth date as December 21, 1947.

Growing up my birth date was December 31 and this was significant as it was the last day of the year so it would be hard for my entire family to confuse the day of my birth, especially considering I am the youngest of nine children. I suspect that when my birth was registered it was transcribed incorrectly into the RGD records and was never verified once received. I attended primary school and the happenings in my life reflected my birth date as December 31, 1947. I obtained a Jamaican passport which also had my correct birth date as Dec 31. I emigrated to Canada in 1971 and all my Canadian documentation list December 31 as my date of birth.

I came to realise that the birth date information was incorrect in 2014, when I attempted to renew my expired Jamaican passport. The agent at the passport office told me that I could not be issued a new passport because the date of birth on my expired passport was different from the date on my birth certificate. At one point one of my elder sisters (now deceased) accompanied me to the RGD office to try to rectify the issue but I was told that I could not update my date of birth because I was not born in a hospital.

I put it aside for many years until I saw on the RGD website that I could provide school records as a means of documentation. I submitted my correction of error application and all the requested supporting documentation and after four months of back and forth including multiple e-mail, WhatsApp/online chats, and phone calls I spoke with a representative in the RGD office over the phone.

I was told that the change request had been approved and was in the final stages of completion. However, two days later I received an e-mail from the RGD that stated that my application was denied due to “lack of supporting evidence”. I am unable to get an answer as to what evidence was lacking as I can’t get in touch with anyone from the office who can provide me with further clarification or inform me what additional documentation I would have to submit to challenge the RGD’s decision.

Is there any other way that this change can be made to my birth certificate? I hope that you can assist me to get some answers.

VM

Dear VM,

Tell Claudienne contacted the RGD in May 2022 and on June 6, 2022 an RGD administrative assistant responded as follows:

“I will review the application and speak to the relevant personnel before providing a response. Please allow me some time.”

On December 7, 2022, the RGD administrative assistant e-mailed Tell Claudienne the following response :

“The customer VM [formerly known as ID] applied online to do a Correction of Error and to have her date of birth corrected from December 21, 1947 to December 31, 1947.

The application was reviewed and she was informed that a correction cannot be done to her date of birth due to lack of supporting evidence such as a hospital notification, as she was born at home. The customer was advised that a verification letter could be done and brought to the Passport Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) along with her application for a new passport.

The funds from the Correction of Error were transferred towards the processing of a verification letter. In the processing of her verification letter it was realised that VM did not have a deed poll to assume the name VFD that she has been using; and which would be needed in the processing of the verification letter.

The customer has since began the processing of a Deed Poll, which was drafted but has yet to be recorded as it has not yet been returned to the RGD by her representative. After the Deed Poll is recorded the verification letter can be processed for the customer to carry to PICA. However, no correction can be made to the date of birth.”

When you complete the Deed Poll process and have received your passport, please inform Tell Claudienne.

We wish you all the best.

Have a problem with a store, utility, a company? Telephone 876-936-9436 or Cell # 876-484-1349 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.