‘Strange’ birth certificate requirement for first time passport applicants

Jun 05, 2014 News

-Senior officials unable to justify new criterion

By Kiana Wilburg

The Guyana Police Force has announced that first time applicants for Machine readable passports are required to present a birth certificate that was obtained no more than six months prior to the date of application.
The announcement was made by the Police Public Relations Department yesterday in response to queries from this newspaper, after a first time applicant who travelled all the way from Anna Regina, Essequibo only to be told that the birth certificate he presented to immigration officials was invalid.
The 45-year-old father said that his plans to soon leave Guyana’s shores in search of better opportunities and to improve the standard of living of his family have now been delayed by the Central Immigration and Passport Office.
Seerie Singh, a construction worker, said that he is not only disappointed but annoyed because $13,000 of his hard earned money had “gone down the drain.”
Singh said, “When I first applied for my passport I used the birth certificate I had all my life. Now I need a new passport so I thought that is the same birth certificate I would use. I don’t know about any other arrangement besides that.
“Now when I go to the passport office (yesterday) with all my necessary documents, they decide to inform me that I have to go and get another birth certificate now. They told me it must not be older than six months.
“I don’t understand that. The passport form does not have that explained on it. I read it several times so I know what I am talking about.”
He added, “I never saw any ad in the papers or on television. When this requirement put in place? When they do things like this they should do their best to inform the public and ensure they do so properly. Change the information on the application form.
“This is ridiculous man. I am an honest, hardworking father and now that money which could have been spent in another area is now wasted. I want them to compensate me. How could this be right? When I asked questions as to why my birth certificate cannot be used the immigration officers there told me that they just following orders and if I have queries I should carry it to the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
Officers at the Immigration Office when queried about when this new requirement was put in place and why said that they are simply following instructions.
A senior official at the Passport Office, said, “I don’t know why we are asking for a birth certificate that has been issued within six months. I can’t tell you what is the difference between that and the one you get at actual birth. It is the question we ask ourselves every day. We are only following the instructions from the Ministry of Home Affairs.”
When calls were made to the administration of the Home Affairs Ministry for better clarity on this “directive”, a female employee said, “Madam, we know about the matter yes and like the Passport Office, we too are following a directive. Take all your questions to the Office of the President because that’s where the instructions came from.
“Like you, we don’t know why this new requirement is in place.”
Later yesterday afternoon the Police Public Relations Office issued a press release but still failed to shed light on why the new requirement was in place.
“The Guyana Police Force Central Immigration and Passport Office is informing members of the public that persons applying for a Machine Readable Passport for the first time are required to submit a Birth Certificate, the issuing date of which must not be more than six months prior to the date on which the application is being made.”