The Registrar of Births and Deaths, Samuel Adom Botchway, has clarified that individuals who lose their birth certificates do not need to undergo a fresh registration process to obtain a replacement.

In a report by adomonline.com on October 13, 2025, Botchway explained that the current digital system used by the Registry prevents multiple registrations for the same individual, eliminating the risk of duplicate birth certificates.

“You cannot do double registration for a birth certificate. If you have already applied and your certificate goes missing, you don’t need to start all over again. All you have to do is apply for a search, and we will trace your old record and reprint it,” he stated.
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He cautioned that individuals who ignore this procedure and attempt to register anew will encounter problems in the process.

“If you go ahead to apply for a new certificate instead of requesting a search, the process will get stuck at a point; it will not go through,” he emphasised.

Botchway noted that the digitalisation of records at the Births and Deaths Registry has greatly improved efficiency and accountability compared to the old manual system.

“In the past, when records were handwritten, it was possible for one person to end up with two certificates. But not anymore,” he added.

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He encouraged the public to adhere to the official procedure for replacing lost certificates, stressing that the Registry aims to maintain the integrity of Ghana’s birth registration system while ensuring convenience for citizens.

MRA/VPO

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