The first name is the name of culture which is a name given to the child by its family. The last name is the family name which the child inherits and this, in Jamaica is usually inherited from the father. Special arrangements are made for registration of children born to parents who will continue to reside in a Spanish speaking country, for example Mexico where the surname is not the name of the father but both mother and father.
The RGD recognizes however in the earlier years prior to the 1960’s children born out of wedlock were registered with a first name only. These records do not provide sufficient information to produce a birth certificate as the RGD will not issue a certificate without a surname. A surname is important for identity purposes.
With nations moving to tighten their borders around the world, the issue of securing an identity is crucial.
Internal Evidence
If on carrying out a search in our records you identify that you do not have a last name the RGD recommends that either a late entry of name be conducted or if the father is available to complete the required forms, then the father’s particulars may be added and thus the child will have the father’s last name.
More
The RGD has even gone a step further to make the Late Entry of Name process easier, by making use of internal evidence. When someone enters a surname after one year of registration, the Registrar General needs to be assured that the evidence exists that the name being taken was used by the individual.
By applying the internal evidence arrangement the RGD will use any of the following as evidence that the name you now require has been used by you; these include:
- Marriage Certificate – showing your names at birth and father’s names
- Children’s Birth Certificate (Name must be on the document) – showing names of father and mother
Additionally, other evidence may be accepted which carries the last name such as:
Land title
Bank Statement
Driver’s License
The RGD realizes that more mature persons may not have access to a school record from the school they attended.
A Late Entry of Name or LEN is also required when Births occur in private or public hospitals or birthing institutions and the mother did not name the child within one year of birth.
Additionally, the LEN process may be used to correct an incorrect spelling of a name or names entered on line 7 and the declarants can prove that the correct spelling of such name has been used since birth.
An application for Late Entry of Name requires the following documents:
1. A statutory declaration completed by the mother/father or by a relative having knowledge of the birth. It is usually required that the declarant be at least ten (10) years older than the person and must state his or her age and relationship to the individual, and state the reason why the person was not named within the year of registration. Where it is impossible to secure a declarant ten (10) years older then a special request can be made to the CEO/Registrar General for special arrangements to assist the family.
2. This declaration must then be signed by the declarant in the presence of a Justice of the Peace. It will also be necessary to provide the RGD with a valid photo identification.
3. A certificate of naming or (Form K) must also be completed and signed by the same person who makes the above declaration. This form K states specifically the name that is required.
4. The Baptismal or Christening Record (Form J) must be completed by the current minister of the church/assembly where the person was baptized or extracted from the christening records where the infant was christened/baptised.
5. The School Record Form must be completed by the present Principal of the First Primary School attended and the particulars must be taken from the School’s Admission Register.
Where there are no available records a letter from the Principal of the school must be submitted.
6. A list of all children born to the mother (alive or deceased) must be submitted, giving the full name, district, parish and approximate year of the birth of each child.
The process afterwards is for the RGD to confirm the documents received, interview the relevant declarants and if necessary pay a visit to family members. This is necessary to protect the identity of individuals and ensure that the information provided on the LEN application is authentic.
Important
In the event a person is making an application on behalf of another individual living overseas or who is sick or unable to attend the office, an authorization letter or a Power of Attorney and a valid form of identification is required. (The Power of Attorney must be recorded in the Island Record Office) before it can be used.
The cost of applying for a Late Entry of Name is:
$2,200.00 Regular service (two copies)
$2,950.00 7-day service (two copies)
$5,200.00 Express service (2 copies)
Fees are subject to change after being gazetted.
The Late Entry of Name application is accessible on our RGD website @ www.rgd.gov.jm.com. On visiting the website please from the menu “application”, and then scroll to “Late Entry of Name” where you can down load the relevant form.
The guidance provided above will assist you in making an application for LEN. However, if after reading you are still uncertain please feel free to contact us at information@rgd.gov.jm.