RGD to Roll out Online Verification of Certificates

The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has completed the first phase of the Pilot of Online Verification of Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates and is now preparing to carry out phase two of the exercise.

This is another of the RGD’s initiatives to further enhance its suite of services to its customers and to improve overall efficiency.

The process allows for the verification of documents produced by the agency, and also the facilitation of payments to take place online via its website.

Presently, the agency provides verification letters that inform an individual or institution that the information being presented on a certificate is authentic, and that the certificate was produced by the RGD.

The first phase of the Pilot was successfully conducted recently with two cohorts of primary-school students, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

Speaking with JIS News, Chief Executive Officer of the RGD, Deidre English Gosse, outlined that there are plans to expand the Pilot within the first quarter of 2018 to include private and other public entities, with a view to officially launch the project before the end of the year.

The service is expected to provide greater convenience and produce more accurate certificates in a more timely fashion, as relevant stakeholder systems will be connected to the RGD’s database to verify information of clients in relation to births, deaths and marriages.

Meanwhile, the agency is now making preparation to undertake the digitisation of registration records in preparation for the full implementation of the National Identification System (NIDS), explained Director of Records and Information Management, Alvin Morris.

Customers will be able to access the online verification service by visiting the RGD’s website at www.rgd.gov.jm.