General Register Office delivers first computer generated certificates

The General Register Office (GRO) on Monday issued its first set of computer-generated birth certificates.

The new electronic system also produces death and marriage certificates, which will feature embedded security markings, including a Quick Response (QR) Code to the top left corner.

Registrar General, Mr. Raymon Cummings told DPI, “This QR Code could be read by a special App which can be downloaded by any smartphone and you use that App to scan the code, which allows you to see certain special characteristics, which persons who need certificates to be used in the identification and authentication of individuals doing business with them will have access to.”

Mr. Cummings said there are other security features which can be provided upon request, via email at groguyana@gmail.com or WhatsApp 610-9394.  Once a request is made and the verification process is successful, the hidden codes would be released.

GRO Registrar General, Mr. Raymon Cummings demonstrates how the document can be scanned

The Registrar General also said the traditional birth, death and marriage certificates are still valid and he will continue to engage various agencies to ensure they are accepted.

“I urged them not to discard them but to keep using them until that time when they will no longer be accepted which I would average we are hoping that we would have that generated within the next year or year and a half,” Mr. Cummings said.

Persons registering now for birth or marriage certificates or those seeking to obtain death certificates will receive the new computer-generated document. Those who have already applied through the Guyana Post Office need not reapply.

“We have your application in storage. We have already entered them into the system, so it’s just a matter now of rolling out and the printing of those certificates. We were waiting the actual stock of paper to print it on,” Mr. Cummings added.

Staff of the General Register Office at work.

He said the new system also reduces the incidence of human error and urged persons who have found errors on their documents to contact the GRO for redress.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jomo Ellis, his wife Lakeitha and daughter Jada are the first recipients of the computer-generated birth certificates.  In an invited comment, Mrs. Ellis said her family is honoured to receive the first set of electronic documents from the GRO.