Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages
REGISTERS OF BIRTHS, DEATHS AND
MARRIAGES ACT

CHAPTER 44:02

LAWS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Act
18 of 1940

L.R.O.

Current Authorised Pages
Pages Authorised

(inclusive) by L.R.O.
1–7 ..

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2 Chap. 44:02 Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages

LAWS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Note on Subsidiary Legislation
This Chapter contains no subsidiary legislation.

Note on Adaptation
Under paragraph 6 of the Second Schedule to the Law Revision Act (Ch. 3:03) the Commission
amended certain references to public officers in this Chapter. The Minister’s approval of the
amendments was signified by LN 120/1980, but no marginal reference is made to this Notice
where any such amendment is made in the text.

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L.R.O.

LAWS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages Chap. 44:02 3

CHAPTER 44:02

REGISTERS OF BIRTHS, DEATHS AND
MARRIAGES ACT

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

SECTION

1. Short title.
2. Interpretation.
3. Powers of Registrar General to inspect and take possession of registers.
4. Preparation of copies of registers.
5. Powers of Registrar General in relation to registers and copies.
6. Certificates of Registrar General.
7. Effect of Registrar General’s certificate.
8. Special provision relating to marriage registers.
9. Incidence of expense of carrying out the Act.

SCHEDULE.

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4 Chap. 44:02 Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages

LAWS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

CHAPTER 44:02

REGISTERS OF BIRTHS, DEATHS AND
MARRIAGES ACT

An Act to provide for the copying of registers of births, deaths
and marriages and to declare the legal force and effect
of such copies.

[31ST DECEMBER 1940]

1. This Act may be cited as the Registers of Births, Deaths
and Marriages Act.

2. In this Act—
“entry” means an entry in a register, or in a copy of a register or

part of a register prepared under this Act, relating to any one
birth, death or marriage;

“register” does not include any register of marriages for which
provision is made in the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act,
or Hindu Marriage Act, or for which provision is, or was,
made in any law now or heretofore in force in Trinidad and
Tobago relating to immigrants, but, subject thereto, means
a register of births, deaths or marriages for which provision
is, or was, made in any law now or heretofore in force in
Trinidad and Tobago, and includes any such register in the
custody of the Registrar General which consists of copies or
duplicates of original entries.

3. The Registrar General may—
(a) inspect, without payment of fee, any register in

the custody of any other person in order to
ascertain its condition;

(b) take temporary possession of any such register
for the purpose of exercising the powers and
performing the duties conferred and imposed
upon him by this Act.

1950 Ed.
Ch. 29 No. 6.
18 of 1940.

Commencement.

Short title.

Interpretation.

Ch. 45:02.

Ch. 45:03.

Powers of
Registrar
General to
inspect and
take possession
of registers.

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Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages Chap. 44:02 5

Preparation
of copies
of registers.

Powers of
Registrar
General in
relation to
registers and
copies.

Certificates
of Registrar
General.

Form A
Schedule.

Form B
Schedule.

4. (1) Whenever, in the opinion of the Registrar General,
the whole or any part of any register is, or is likely to become,
unserviceable by reason of its age or of damage or otherwise,
the Registrar General, with the approval of the Minister, may
cause a copy of the register or part thereof, as the case may be, to
be prepared.

(2) If any entry, or part of an entry, in the register is
illegible the copy shall be completed, as far as possible, from any
corresponding entry in any other register.

(3) All copies prepared under this section shall be
checked by such persons and in such manner as the Registrar
General shall direct.

5. The Registrar General may with the permission of
the Minister—

(a) destroy the whole or any part of any register
which, in the opinion of the Registrar General,
is unserviceable;

(b) cause any copy prepared in accordance with
section 4 to be bound as a new register, or to be
substituted in an existing register for any part
thereof which he is authorised in accordance with
this section to destroy.

6. (1) Whenever, in accordance with the provisions of this
Act, copies of a register, or of any part thereof, have been prepared,
checked and bound as a new register, the Registrar General shall
endorse in such new register a certificate substantially in Form A
in the Schedule.

(2) Whenever, in accordance with the provisions of this
Act, copies of any part of a register have been prepared, checked
and substituted in such register, the Registrar General shall endorse
in such register a certificate substantially in Form B in the Schedule.

(3) The Registrar General shall sign and date every
certificate endorsed by him under this section.

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6 Chap. 44:02 Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages

LAWS OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO

Effect of
Registrar
General’s
certificate.

Special
provision
relating to
marriage
registers.

Form C
Schedule.

7. (1) With effect from the date of any certificate of the
Registrar General endorsed in a new register in accordance with
section 6 such new register shall have the same force and effect
for all purposes, including the purposes of this Act as if it were the
register, or part of a register, of which it is a copy, and the register
or part of a register, as the case may be, shall cease to have any
force or effect.

(2) With effect from the date of any certificate of the
Registrar General endorsed in an existing register in accordance
with section 6 the entries to which it relates shall have the same
force and effect for all purposes, including the purposes of this
Act, as if they were the entries for which they have been substituted
and the latter entries shall cease to have any force or effect.

(3) When a certificate of the Registrar General has been
endorsed in accordance with section 6 it shall be presumed unless
the contrary is proved that all the provisions of this Act have been
complied with in respect of the new register or the entries to which
it relates.

8. (1) If it appears to the Registrar General that any marriage
has been duly registered in the register of the officer or person by
whom the marriage was solemnised (which officer or person is in
this section referred to as “the Marriage Officer”) but has not
been registered in the corresponding register in the custody of
the Registrar General, the Registrar General may with the
approval of the Minister, cause a copy to be prepared of the entry
relating to the marriage in the register of the Marriage Officer and
insert such copy in the appropriate register in the custody of the
Registrar General.

(2) Every such copy shall, before being so inserted, be
checked by such person and in such manner as the Registrar General
shall direct.

(3) The Registrar General shall endorse on every such
copy a certificate substantially in Form C in the Schedule and shall
sign the certificate and shall date the certificate as of the date on
which it is inserted in the register.

(4) Every such copy, on being inserted in the Registrar
General’s register and certified in the manner provided in this

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Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages Chap. 44:02 7

section, shall be of the same force and effect for all purposes,
including the purposes of this Act, as if it were an entry in such
register made in accordance with the provisions of law (other than
this Act) which are, or were, applicable to the registration of
the marriage.

9. All expenses incurred in giving effect to the provisions of
this Act shall be defrayed out of moneys provided by Parliament.

Incidence of
expense of
carrying out
the Act.

SCHEDULE
FORM A

I hereby certify that this register has been prepared in accordance with the
provisions of the Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages Act, (Ch. 44:02).

Dated ....................................................................

Registrar General.

FORM B

I hereby certify that the following entries, namely, have been substituted
in this register in accordance with the provisions of the Registers of Births,
Deaths and Marriages Act, (Ch. 44:02).

Dated .................................................................

Registrar General.

FORM C

I hereby certify that this entry has been inserted in accordance with the
provisions of section 8 of the Registers of Births, Deaths and Marriages Act,
(Ch. 44:02).

Dated ...............................................................

Registrar General.

Section 6(1).

Section 6(2).

Section 8(3).

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