New rule allows multiple birth certificate-holders to cancel unwanted ones

The Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration has implemented a new rule, allowing individuals with more than one birth certificate to keep only one of their choice and cancel the others at their convenience.

The cancellation process can be completed through a separate online application, according to the new guidelines.

As per the old regulation, individuals were required to retain their first birth certificate and cancel any additional ones. 

The Registrar General's office on 5 July sent a letter to upazila nirbahi officers (UNOs), as well as registration offices across the country informing them about the updated rule.

While the new rule has been implemented, there was a lack of response to the cancellation of multiple birth certificates. Besides, many people complained that they found the online birth certificate registration server down, said relevant sources.

Regarding the matter, Registrar General Md Rashidul Hassan told The Business Standard that many people are not aware of the changes due to frequent updates and decisions regarding birth registration procedures. They will take steps to inform all about changed guidelines.

He also said there is no problem with their servers. Sometimes they have to shut down some servers for a short period of time due to maintenance work or for data security. Users may face problems during that time. However, there are many people who are not skilled in using the internet and complain about malfunctioning servers without understanding the system properly.

Besides, officials at the registration offices sometimes try to avoid their duties by telling service seekers that the server is down, he added.

The official letter from the Registrar General's office, titled "Approval Procedure for Cancellation of Birth and Death Certificates," outlines the new provisions for cancelling unnecessary certificates.

It says a new facility for the cancellation of multiple birth certificates has been incorporated into the birth and death registration software BDRIS. This will allow individuals to retain their preferred birth certificates and cancel any superfluous ones.

The decision to amend the rules was taken to address the issues faced by individuals with multiple birth certificates online.

The previous requirement of retaining the first certificate and cancelling others proved troublesome, especially for those who had utilised the second or third birth certificate numbers in their national identity cards and passports. This often led to confusion between the birth certificate and the identification documents. To alleviate such complications, the rules have been revised to allow the cancellation of multiple birth certificates.