New birth certificate to be issued after completing legal process

• Nationality of parents and their ethnic group will be included in the new certificate
• Quick Response (QR) code, a Bar Code, a watermark and hologram sticker as new features

By Ajith Siriwardana

The Registrar General’s Department said yesterday the proposed digital birth certificate, which had excluded religion and marriage details of parents, would be issued to people in all three languages after completing the legal process.  

Registrar General N. C. Vithanage said the new birth certificate which would be issued in keeping with international standards and protective techniques, had rectified shortcomings identified in the old one.   

He said marriage details of the parents which had negatively affected some children had been removed from the new birth certificate.   
A statement issued by the Registrar General’s Department said the new certificate will be equipped with new features such as Quick Response (QR) code, a Bar Code, a watermark and hologram sticker to meet international standards.   

The statement said the new certificate issued with the signature of the Registrar General will include the identical number given at birth and it will be named ‘National Birth Certificate’ instead of ‘Birth Certificate’ as previously named.   

Mr. Vithanage said details of the religion will not be included in the new birth certificate just as in the old one and added that however, nationality of parents and their ethnic group will be included in the new certificate.   

• QR code, Bar Code, watermark hologram sticker