The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has digitised the application and payment process for search of Wills and Deeds, as well as the application and payment process for authenticated copies of the documents.

This means that Jamaicans and members of the diaspora can now apply online at the RGD website to receive verified copies of Deeds and Wills, if they are misplaced or damaged, instead of going to the physical location.

At the launch of the services today (December 7), Charlton McFarlane, RGD chief executive officer, said the new process forms part of the department’s efforts to join the new digital age.

“The RGD is being digitally bold and this is deliberate. We have been unrelenting in our focus, and this has permeated the entire organisation. It has impacted in a positive way our public facing services since 2020, and it has led to an explosion of our digital or otherwise suit of services,” stated McFarlane.

He noted that the RGD has increased its online products and services by 160 per cent since January 2020, and this technological advancement has enabled the department to increase access, accessibility and customer services.

These new services are only available to persons who have recorded their Deeds and Wills with the RGD, stated McFarlane as he further urged Jamaicans to record their documents, because it will be to their benefit.

“Many persons, they may have their Wills and they don’t record it and then they lose it. But, when they record it, it is with us for safe keeping and we are saying, if you now lose it, simply go online and apply and we will gladly produce an authenticated copy,” he stated.

In addition to these services, Jamaicans and members of the diaspora can now track their application process regarding any of the department’s services from anywhere in the world.

When someone fills out an application form at the RGD, they are given a tracking number that they can use to request updates on the process of their application.

Now, applicants can insert that tracking number on the RGD website and receive updates from anywhere in the world, without leaving their house or calling the department.

McFarlane noted that “a lot of persons who call [the RGD] and who call and say they cannot get through, what they are calling to do is to get a status update on their application. If they can log on and get that update, space will be freed up for person who have other queries.”

The RGD is the only repository in Jamaica for birth, marriage, still birth and death records. It was first established in 1876, located in the then capital of Jamaica, Spanish Town.

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