SUBJECT: CIVIL DOCUMENT SECURITY IN GUYANA: THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 GEORGETOWN 000552

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR CA/FPP

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFRD KCRM CVIS CPAS CMGT ASEC GY
SUBJECT: SUBJECT: CIVIL DOCUMENT SECURITY IN GUYANA: THE
GENERAL REGISTRAR'S OFFICE


1. SUMMARY: A Vice Consul covering the anti-fraud
portfolio and a Fraud Investigator LES visited the General
Registrar's Office (GRO) to observe how civil documents in
Guyana are issued and safeguarded. Although these systems
are becoming more secure, there are gaps in the systems
which cause concern to the Consular Section. END SUMMARY.

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A short overview of birth records in Guyana
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2. Before 1987 requests for birth records were submitted
to the Registrar General by the midwife or attendant.
Although regulations were in place to allow both parents'
names, whether married or not, to appear on the birth
record, due to poor legal interpretation this was not
generally practiced until approximately 1983. Before that
time, the father's name generally only appeared if the
parents were married to each other. Guyanese law states
that once a man marries a woman, the children held in common
can have his name listed on their birth certificate. This
means that even if a man were to marry a woman when they
were each 65 and the woman's child was 40, the child's birth
certificate could be amended to read that the mother's
husband is the father of the child. When this is done, the
birth registration is `re-registered' and the re-
registration is noted on the birth certificate.

There is a plan underway, supported by the GRO, to pass
a law that would allow a man to petition the court to
have his name added to a child's birth record. If this
law is passed, this could become a new vehicle for
fraud. It is not clear whether or not there would be
any note on birth certificates indicating that the
father's name was listed through a petition to the
court.

Parents can also `late register' a child. Most late
registrations take place shortly before a child enrolls
in nursery school. In some cases, the Consular
Section sees beneficiaries who were not registered
until months before they were petitioned for by a
relative. A late registration can be done at any time.


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REQUIREMENTS TO REGISTER A CHILD AND THE ISSUANCE PROCESS
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3. Many of the usual safeguards to ensure accurate birth
registrations in the U.S. are not practiced in Guyana. To
register a child the parent(s) must complete a registration
form (which is a triplicate form) and bring the completed
form to a registration center. There are 400 registration
centers located in health clinics and hospitals throughout
Guyana. Until recently, approximately 2002, regulations
requiring parent(s) to provide identification to register a
child was not strictly enforced. This means that a brother
could easily stand in for another brother and sign for a
child as if it were his own. The Consular Section knows of
incidents where this has occurred.

The registration form and the fee (which does not even
cover the cost of paper and shipping, let alone staff
salaries) are forwarded to the GRO in Georgetown where
the registration form is filed and the birth
certificate is issued.

Birth certificates are written by hand by approximately
twelve clerks. The clerks must account for each birth
certificate. At the beginning of the day, they sign
for a quantity of blank certificates. Each clerk has a
log book in which they record the certificate number
and the name of the person to whom it was issued.
Based on FPU checks, the certificate number and the
name do not always match. At the end of the day, the
clerks return the unused certificates to their manager.
The Registrar said that it is possible that some of the
clerks could alter information on a birth certificate
during the transcription process due to lack of
oversight.

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THE DOCUMENT ITSELF
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4. Birth certificates are printed on whatever paper is
available to the printer, according to the Registrar. Over

GEORGETOWN 00000552 002 OF 002


the last year, there have been at least three different
paper stocks used: a light green polka dot, a stark white
and a white with a light green overlay. This constant
changeover in paper stocks makes it difficult for new
Consular officers to authenticate birth certificates. On
the other hand, once a Consular officer becomes acquainted
with the various paper stocks and when they were issued,
s/he can easily distinguish a 1999 certificate from a 2004
certificate. Birth certificates are printed in batches of
50,000 certificates. Each batch requires a separate tender.
Although the same printer has been used for a number of
years, he is not assured of being awarded the contract and
does not keep extra stocks available. The Registrar would
like to use a more secure and consistent paper stock but
does not have the space available to store the paper.

Security features in birth certificates are
inconsistent. Some birth certificates have embossed
certificate numbers, others do not. In a recent print,
some of the certificates had embossed numbers, while
others did not, making it difficult for Consular
officers to detect fake birth certificates. One fairly
consistent security feature throughout the birth
certificates is the embossed "Certificate of Birth"
across the top and an embossed border. The ink color
is not consistent, changes from print to print and
changes within a printing as the ink runs out. There
are no watermarks, threads or UV-sensitive ink in any
of the birth certificates. The Registrar would like a
more secure document, but has no funds to pay for these
security features.

The most secure of the security features is the dry
seal. Each birth certificate is sealed with a dry
seal. The dry seal changed from the word `GUYANA' to
the coat of arms of Guyana in late 2001.



5. If there were a fire at the GRO all birth records for
all persons born in Guyana would be destroyed. The GRO is
located on the fourth floor of the Guyana Post Office
Building, a concrete structure in the clustered downtown
Georgetown area. Along one wall, which is made entirely of
windows covered in mesh, there is a walkway. All of the
walls inside the structure are made of wood, as is the racks
on which the bound volumes of birth certificates are kept.
There are two sets of original bound volumes in which all of
the birth certificates are recorded. They are both kept in
the same office.

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BIRTH CERTIFICATE FRAUD
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6. The Consular Section sees a number of fraudulent birth
certificates every week. Although some of these appear not
to be on authentic birth certificate paper stock, many of
them are. Recently, after admitting to presenting a
fraudulent birth certificate, two applicants said that a
relative in New York sent the birth certificate to them. In
both of these cases, the birth certificates were printed on
authentic paper, but with a counterfeit seal.

Consular Officers and the Registrar General believe
that some of the paper stocks have been stolen or that
the printer prints extra copies for document vendors.


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OPPORTUNITIES TO ASSIST
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7. The Registrar's Office is plagued with opportunities
for fraud and misfeasance. This directly impacts the safety
and security of the American people. Persons could easily
obtain a legitimate document with altered information.
These documents could facilitate visa issuance. One of the
Mission's MPP indicators is to provide equipment and
training in record keeping to the Registrar's Office. USAID
has a proven track record of improving registry databases in
other countries. The Mission feels that upgrading the
registry system should be a priority project for USAID in
order to meet the MPP indicator.

BULLEN