A new law went into effect January 1 that affects persons born on the island of Puerto Rico even if you live in the US. As of July 1, 2010, all existing Puerto Rico Birth certificates are invalid. I don't think that many people picked up on the press releases but time is running out.
The following information is gathered from those press releases.
The new law was enacted to address the unlawful use of Puerto Rico issued certificates and affects some 4.1 million people. The US Department of States Bureau of Diplomatic Security found that 40 percent of some 8,000 cases of passport fraud involved identity fraud using Puerto Rican birth certificates.
Something had to be done. Our Homeland Security Department has not yet defined a policy or solution to deal with this, but Puerto Rico did take action and has come up with improved "state of the art" technology to produce new certificates which will be issued as of July 1, 2010.
After July 1, Puerto Rico will issue temporary 15 day certificates if you need one for an emergency, but the regular process is two fold: You can apply online at www.prfaa.com/birthcertificates and www.prfaa.com/certificadosdenacimiento. You can apply by mail using forms also available on line. The new certificates are issued from the PR Health Department's Vital Statistics Office for a charge of five dollars.
If you are a senior over 60 years of age or a veteran, the five dollar application fee is waived. If you were born before 1931, it is also acknowledged that there might be record difficulties and you may have to write to the Local Registrar (Registrador Demografico)in the municipality where the birth happened to get verification.
Forms of identification documents to back up your application could be a scanned copy of a driver's license, U.S. passport with your photo, or another form of acceptable photo identification. If you have a New Jersey driver's license, you have already been through those Homeland Security procedures so please do not be intimidated.
Because of the current climate of identity fraud, it would be a good idea to update your birth certificate to be on the safe side while the process is so easy. You need proof of birth for many senior assistance programs as well.
I will post updates as they become available. If you have questions, I will do my best to find the answers.
Have a nice day.
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As soon as i saw the headline i couldn't wait to get to start reading the comments.Thank you all so much for your comments and support.
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