Public Education

The Registrar General’s Department has a budding public education campaign which seeks to inform customers about the products and services offered by the Agency.

The campaign takes the form of the following:

POWER TO ENTER SATISFACTION

A Power to enter satisfaction is a legal document created by a lending/financial institution, giving an agent (for example, a friend, family or attorney) authority to act on one’s behalf.  The authority to enter satisfaction at the margin of the Bill of Sale is recorded in the RGD Books stating that all monies borrowed have been paid.

 Step 1

 In order to carry out this process one needs to ensure that all requirements are met. These include:

 ·        Draft of Power to enter satisfaction detailing:

1.     Name of Parties involved

2.     Date of Execution

3.     Signatures of parties (Grantor, Grantee and Justice of the Peace)

4.     Seal of Signatory (a Justice of the Peace or Notary of the Public)

5.     Liber and Folio number of Bills of Sale being released.

·        Stamp Duty paid within 30 days of execution date. Documents that are not stamped within the prescribed period will attract a penalty.

·        Document submitted for recording

 

Stamp Duties are assessed as follows:

·        Stamp duty is $500

·        Penalty on late stamp is calculated 5% per annum + $10.

 Step 2

Assessing of the Documents

 The Recording of Documents fee at the RGD is calculated at $210 per legal sheet. A legal sheet is designated to consist of 160 words and figures.

 To determine the number of legal sheets for a Power to Enter Satisfaction, count the number of words and figures that appear on the document. (For ease, add all the words and figures in one line and multiply this by the number of lines on said document.) The total figure is then divided by the designated 160 words per legal sheet. If it does not divide exactly, and the remaining words are less than 80, it is considered a ½ sheet. If they are more than 80 words it is considered 1 sheet.

 The resulting number of sheets is then multiplied by $210 to determine the basic cost for recording each document.

 Important

The Power to Enter Satisfaction must be recorded before use at the Registrar General’s Department Island Record’s Office, Twickenham Park,

St Catherine.

 

 

The Different Types of Marriages

  The Different Types of Marriages

As in births and deaths and other vital events the Registrar General’s Department has a role to play in marriages; all marriages solemnized in Jamaica must be sent to the Civil Registration and Vital Statistics Department (Marriage Unit) of the Registrar General’s Department where it is logged, coded, recorded and file for safe keeping.

                               CLICK HERE  TO  READ DETAILS

What you need to know about wills part1

ABOUT PAPER WRITING

 

This is a document prepared by an individual, regarding the distribution of his/her estate upon his/her death while he/she is alive. Amendment can be made on the document while the individual is still alive, however the last “Paper Writing recorded will revoke the pervious one made. For a paper writing to be recognized then that are some requirements that must be included:

 

• Name of Testator
• Name, address and occupation of two witnesses
• Signatures of parties (Testator and Witnesses)
• Date of Execution

This document attracts no Stamp Duty

What you need to know about Wills Part2

                                             ABOUT WILLS

 Death is an uncertain and untimely event that one can never be adequately prepared for. Although this is the case, a will can be prepared to accommodate the dissecting of your estate and/or property among family members and loved ones. If you don’t have a will now is the time to do so and if you have one and you need to make an amendment then do so promptly do not wait for the inevitable to happen. Make sure your will is properly documented as the court will look at the will as your final proof of wishes.

                                         WHAT IS A WILL?

A will is a document containing your instructions, expression or your wishes as to how your property and assets should be distributed after your death. Any person, of any age, should seriously consider making a will at the earliest. Please note that a will should not only be considered by people who have reached an age where death is not far, but people die at all ages and this should be at the forefront of anyone mind especially when property and assets are to be allocated to those you intended to benefit.

A valid will is a will that is accepted by the court and put into effect by the court granting what is know as probate.  Probate is approval or acceptance by the court of how your assets are to be handled.

 

• A valid will must have the following features:
• It must be in writing-handwritten, typed or printed
• It must be signed with your signature at the end of the document
• It must be witnessed by at least two other people present at the time of signing. They need to acknowledge they were present and must sign as witnesses in your presence.

Please note that they don’t have to be together at the same time of signing.

Original wills are kept today at the Island Record Office (IRO) an arm of the Registrar General’s Department. Copies of proved wills for 100 years are kept at the Supreme Court and these are mainly use by the legal profession. The wills are probated by the Courts after the testator is dead. The larger estates are probated by the supreme courts and the smaller estates are probated by the Resident Magistrate Court. Please note that the Supreme Court wills are not recorded while the Resident Magistrate Wills are recorded. After the wills have been probated same must be lodged to the Registrar General’s Department for safe keeping.

RGD and You

The “RGD and You” is a five minute radio drama programme written and produced by the staff of the RGD. Talent for the production is also drawn from members of staff at the Agency.

The programmes are designed to inform and educate you about the services of the Agency. It became necessary to undertake this and other public education programmes because many customer complaints stem from a lack of understanding of registration procedures and the requirements for properly completing applications for the Agency’s services.

We also use the “RGD and You” to inform and educate the public of the many non-traditional services that the Agency offers, for example, Registry  Weddings, Genealogical Research and Drafting of Deed Polls, and how to access all its services.

You may tune in to the following stations at the times listed below to listen to the RGD and You.

RADIO Station	DAY	TIME
Hot 102	Mondays	12:15 p.m .
IRIE 107	Fridays	6:12 p.m.
Klas 89	Tuesdays & Wednesdays	10: 15 a.m.
Klas 89	Thursdays & Fridays	11:35 a.m.
Kool Radio 99	Tuesdays	1:00 p.m.
Love 101	Thursdays	7:10 a.m.
Newstalk	Mondays-Saturdays	2:15 p.m.
Power 106	Wednesdays	7:57 a.m.
Radio 2	Mondays & Wednesdays	1:15 p.m.
RJR 94	Fridays	9:30 a.m.
Roots FM	Mondays	7:25 a.m.
Roots FM	Wednesdays	6:25 p.m.
TBC	Everyday	12:30 p.m.

Overseas Education Program

The RGD has approximately 1.2 million customers residing overseas. Each year the representatives from the Agency take the products and services to these customers.  

Outreach meetings are usually held in communities where a large number of Jamaicans reside.

Click here to read a report on the RGD's 2004 North American Outreach.

Local Education Programs

Each year the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) conducts over 1,000 outreaches across the island. The outreaches provide the opportunity for individuals to ask questions about the registration procedures or about the products offered by the Agency. The outreaches are a unique public education tool as they provide a more personal interaction between the customer and the RGD.

Outreaches are held in communities across the island at, schools, libraries, health centres, clinics, markets, community centres, fairs, expos, service clubs, banks, other businesses, churches and public gatherings.

Anyone interested can invite the Agency to visit and conduct an Outreach in their community and the Agency is also prepared to offer its services and products at the same time, if you so desire.

All request must be sent in writing to: The Marketing and Planning Manager, Registrar General's Department, Twickenham Park, St. Catherine

Marketing & Planning Manager Sydian Brissett converses with a customer at UNFPA World Population Day Exhibition		CEO DR. P. Holness hands Ms. Hetty Sarjeant Head of UNFPA a token from the RGD booth at the UNFPA World Population Day Exhibition-October 2003