18-year wait for birth certificate

A teacher who claims she embarked on the process of getting a birth certificate from the Registrar General Department (RGD) in 1998 is yet to be outfitted with this most important document, which is a prerequisite for other national identifications.

Icilda Linton, 51, told THE STAR that she has been required to pay for searches of the RGD's database on multiple occasions to the point where it has become burdensome.

Paying money

"They gave me a form to fill out, declaring that I was not registered originally. Since 1999, I have been paying money. My receipts are lost, but it should be on their system. They tell me they don't see my application on their system from 1999. They want me to do an extreme search," Linton said.

Linton is without a TRN and a passport and claims that she has a son overseas and cannot visit him.

"I'm just trying to get a birth certificate. My mother didn't register any of her six children. Only my last sibling was registered. If my son sends me a dollar, I have to ask somebody to collect it for me. All the relevant documents were signed by the RGD, and to start the process over, it is going to be next to impossible. My mother is dead and I would have to go back to Trelawny," she said.

Originally from Mack Hill District in Clarks Town, Trelawny, Linton told THE STAR that she was asked in the initial stages to have a pastor and former school teacher sign documents, which she did.

"I've been waiting for long because I don't know how long it takes. They keep giving me the runaround like it's a money-making something," she said.

When THE STAR contacted the RGD, the agency said Linton last conducted a search in 2014. Our news team was also told that there is no evidence that Linton applied for a late registration of birth.