Older, handwritten certificates still valid – Registrar General

Registrar General of the Guyana Register Office (GRO), Raymond Cummings said while new certificates are becoming mainstream, older handwritten versions of those certificates could still be used.

In May 2021, GRO commenced producing computer-generated birth certificates in a bid to modernise its services.

Cummings told DPI Tuesday, that this, of course, is granted that the certificates are stored properly and kept in good condition.

“Those certificates are still valid. The GRO has never decommissioned any certificate. Over the years, as technology improved, there has been a change in the type of certificate used. All of those are still valid, and those would have been the ones that were handwritten,” he said.

However, damaged certificates which are torn or have the seal missing would not be considered valid.

“So, there is no need for persons to go into a panic and start worrying about having these certificates. It will take time for us to produce certificates for everyone, and therefore persons can use the copies that they have, once it’s in good order, they can use it.”

As time goes by, the registrar general assured, new registrants, will receive their copies of the new computer-generated certificates.

He clarified that contrary to some beliefs, computer-generated certificates are not typed, but rather printed from the GRO database. This database is created from registrations that have been done over the years.

When a person applies for a certificate, that information is then brought up from the database and printed.

The GRO is currently working on having all marriage and death certificates, as well as certificates for registration of overseas births and adoptions, be computer-generated as well.