Source document: https://docs-lawep.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/1697631373049.pdf (Antigua and Barbuda)
LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.

53 1 CHAPTER 53 T H E BIRTHS AND DEATHS (REGISTRATION) ACT Arrangement of Sections Section 1.

Short title.

2.

Interpretation.

3 .

General Register Office.

4.

Power to make regulations.

5.

Seal of Office.

6.

Public Service Commission to appoint an Assistant Registrar for each parish.

7.

Deputy Registrars.

8.

Registrars to reside in their several parishes.

9.
9.

Registrar-General to furnish books at public expense to every Registrar.

Police to aid in carrying out provisions of Act.

10.

Register books not in use to be kept in fit receptacle.

11.

Indexes.

12.

Searches of register books may be made.

Fees payable.

13.

Provisions for enforcing delivery of books, documents, &c., from Registrar to his successor.

14.

Registrar-General to inspect offices of Registrars.

15.

Registers, &c., under former Acts valid.

16.


Registrar-General to furnish abstract of births and deaths t o Minister.

17.

Notice to be given of births and deaths to Registrar of parish.

18.

Particulars of death to be reported to Registrar.

2 CAP.

5 3 ) Births and Deaths (Registration) LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA 19.

Coroner to communicate to Registrar after holding an inquest the finding of any jury, &c. 20.
Coroner to communicate to Registrar after holding inquest the finding of jury or particulars ascertained by him, when he grants a permissive warrant.

21.

Master or keeper of public institutions to give notice in writing of births and deaths.

22.

Forms of certificate of deaths to be supplied to medical practitioners.

23.

Registrar may at the instance of any proper person register birth of a child within six months after such birth.

24.
24.

Parents may have child baptized within six months after registration recorded by Registrars or Registrar- General as the case may be on certificate of officiating minister.

25.

Provision as to still-born children.

26.

Child of unmarried mother.

27.

Father's particulars.

28.

Correction of errors in registration.

29.

Person giving information of birth or death to sign register.

30.

Person not being able to write to make a cross or mark 31.

Registrars before Registrar as his signature.


furnish quarterly to returns to Registrar-General.

32.

Registration of birth or death after six months.

33.

Person failing to register birth or death.

Registrar to issue summons requiring attendance of such person.

Penalty.

34.

Registers of births, marriages, baptisms, deaths and burials kept by Ministers of Religion not of Church of England to be admitted in evidence.

35.

Certificate to be given by Registrar before interment of dead body.
Interment of dead body removed into Antigua and Barbuda.

Penalty.

LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.

53 3 36.

Registration of death before removal of dead body out of Antigua and Barbuda.

37.

Penalty for neglect of duty and carelessness on part of Registrar.

38.

Person wilfully destroying, counterfeiting or forging records or extracts or signatures to be guilty of felony.

39.

Penalties for false statements, &c. 40.

Recovery of penalties.

41.


Penalty not to be exacted in certain cases.

42.

Remuneration to Registrars.

43.

Power to alter forms.

SCHEDULE A.

SCHEDULE B.

SCHEDULE C. SCHEDULE D. SCHEDULE E. SCHEDULE F. SCHEDULE G. BIRTHS AND DEATHS (REGISTRATION) (1st January, 1871.)

1511870.

1511923.

611924.

2111927.

511932.

311949.

1011953.

1511985.

1911986.

1811989.

S.1 3911989.

1.

This Act may be cited as the Births and Deaths short title.

(Registration) Act.

LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA CAP.


53) Births and Deaths (Registration) Interpretation.

2.

In this Act- "general search" means a search during any number of successive days not exceeding six, without stating the object of search; "particular search" means a search over any period not exceeding five years for the registry of any given birth or death; "Registrar" means any person holding office or acting as a Registrar, Assistant Registrar or Deputy Assistant Registrar.

3.
3.

The office of the Assistant Registrar for the Parish of Saint John shall be the General Register Office for keeping a register of all births and deaths in Antigua and Barbuda, and the said Assistant Registrar for the time being shall be the Registrar-General of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

4.
4.

The Registrar-General may make regulations for carrying out the purposes of this Act, which regulations shall be laid before the Legislature, and shall upon approval by the Legislature, and upon being confirmed by the Minister have the force and operation of law.

5 .
The seal of the General Register Office now in use in the, said office shall continue to be used as the seal of the General Register's Office, and all certified copies of entries sealed or stamped with the said seal shall be admissible in all Courts whatever as evidence of the matter, to which the same relate, without any proof of the said seal or of the signature, or of the official character of the person certifying such copies, and no certified copy of any such entry shall be of any validity or admissible for any purpose as evidence, unless sealed or stamped with the seal of the said Register Office.
6.

(1) It shall be lawful for the Public Service Commission to appoint for each parish of Antigua (and for the purposes of this Act the Island of Barbuda shall be deemed to be a parish of Antigua) an Assistant Registrar of Births and Deaths to hold office during the pleasure of the Governor- General.

The said Assistant Registrars shall in their several parishes discharge the duties of the said office, and shall be entitled to the fees provided under this Act for the performance of the same.
General Register Office.

Power to make regulations.

Seal of Office.

Public Service Commission to appoint an Assistant Registrar for each parish.

LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.

53 5 (2) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (I), the Cabinet may by order declare any town, village or other area in Antigua and Barbuda to be a separate parish for the purposes of this Act, and may in like manner revoke, amend or vary any such order.

7.
7.

(1) The Registrar-General shall for every parish iz;;;rrs.

for which there is an Assistant Registrar appoint a person resident therein to be Deputy Assistant Registrar to act whenever occasion arises in the stead of such Assistant Registrar.
(2) A Deputy Assistant Registrar while so acting shall have all the powers of an Assistant Registrar and in the event of the death or resignation or removal of any Assistant Registrar of any parish, the Deputy Assistant Registrar thereof shall act as Assistant Registrar therefor until some other person be appointed by the Public Service Commission.

8.

The persons so appointed Registrars shall reside ~ in the parishes for which they shall severally be appointed.

~ ~ ; ~ ~ i r parishes.

9.


The Registrar-General shall furnish at the public Ee:z;;G;,":;,"' expense to every Registrar a sufficient number of register at public expense books of births and deaths, and forms for certified copies Ee;zr.
thereof, and for making entries of all births and deaths in Schedules A, Antigua and Barbuda according to the forms of Schedules B & E. A, B and E, and the said register books shall be of durable materials, and on them shall be printed on each side of every leaf the heads of information required to be known and registered of births and deaths respectively, and every page of such books shall be numbered progressively from the beginning to the end, beginning with number one, and every entry shall be also numbered progressively from the beginning to the end of the book, beginning with number one, and every entry shall be divided from the foregoing entry by a printed line; and every Registrar is hereby required to inform himself carefully of every birth and death which shall happen within his parish, and to learn and register as soon after the event as conveniently may be done, without fee or reward save as herein mentioned, in one of the said books the particulars required to be registered according to the forms LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA CAP.
53) Births and Deaths (Registration) Police to aid in carrying out provisions of Act.

of Schedule A, B and E, respectively touching every such birth or death which shall not have been already registered, every such entry being made in order from the beginning to the end of the book.
And every officer of police or other member of the Police Force shall aid and assist in discovering any birth or death, and when he shall have discovered any birth or death, such officer or member of the Police Force is hereby required to inform the registrar of the parish in which the same shall have occurred of such birth or death.

Register books not in use to be kept in fit receptacle.

10.
10.

The said books before mentioned while in the custody of the Registrar and not in use shall be kept in an iron safe or other fit receptacle, and such iron safe or other fit receptacle shall always be kept locked, and the key thereof shall be kept by the Registrar.

Indexes.

Schedule G .

Searches of register books may be made.

Fees payable.

Schedule G .

Provisions for enforcing delivery of books, documents, &c from Registrar his successor.

1 .
1 .

The Registrar-General shall cause indexes of all the registers herein mentioned to be made and kept in the General Register Office; and any person shall on payment of the fees authorized by Schedule G be entitled to search the said indexes during the office hours of the General Register Office; and any person shall on payment of such fees be entitled to search any of the said registers, and to have a copy of any entry therein certified under the hand of the Registrar-General.

12.
12.

Every Registrar who shall have the keeping for the time being of any register books of births or deaths, shall, subject to such regulations as shall be made from time to time by the Registrar-General with the approval of the Minister, allow searches to be made of the register books in his keeping, and shall give a copy certified under his hand of any entry or entries of the same on the payment of the fees authorized by the Schedule G. 13.
In every case in which any Registrar shall be removed from or cease to hold his office, all books, documents, or other papers in his possession as such Registrar shall be given as soon as conveniently may be to his successor in office, and if any person refuse to give up any such books or documents or papers in such case as aforesaid, it shall be lawful for any Magistrate to issue a warrant under his hand and seal for bringing such person before him, and such LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.
53 7 person appearing or not being found, it shall be lawful for the Magistrate to hear and determine the matter in a summary way, and if it shall appear to such Magistrate that such books, documents or other papers are in the custody or power of any such person, and that he has refused or wilfully neglected to deliver the same, the Magistrate is hereby required to commit such offender to prison there to remain without bail until he shall have delivered up the same, or until satisfaction shall have been given in respect thereof, to the person then entitled to such books, documents or other papers, and the said Magistrate may grant a warrant to search for such books, documents and other papers as in the case of stolen goods in any dwelling house or other premises in which any credible witness shall declare on oath before him that there is reasonable ground to suppose the same to be, and the same when found shall be delivered to the custody of the person then entitled to them.
14.

The Registrar-General or some fit and proper Registrar-General to inspect offices ~ person appointed under his hand and seal, shall from time to time as occasion may be, visit the offices of the Registrars and report the result of his visit to the Minister.

~ ~ 15.

All registers, certificates, entries or other Registers, &c.. under former ,,lid.
documents duly made under and by virtue of any Act or A,,, Acts of the time of the date thereof in force in Antigua and Barbuda relating to any birth or death shall be valid, not- withstanding any provision to the contrary of this or of any other Act of Antigua and Barbuda, and certified copies of all such registers, certificates, entries, or other documents shall be admissible as evidence in every Court of Antigua and Barbuda.

16.
16.

The Registrar-General shall furnish yearly to the 2ft:;;;;;Genera1 Minister and Parliament a general abstract of the number .bstnct of births and deaths registered during the foregoing year in $%,$* such form as the Parliament may with the approbation of the Minister require.

births to i ~ t ~ ~ ~ ~ .


INFORMATION AS TO BIRTHS AND DEATHS (1) The father and mother of every child born z:;$G;ths 17. in Antigua and Barbuda or in the case of the death, illness, and deaths to absence, or inability of the father or mother, the occupier ;;;:;L~ar LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA CAP.
53) Births and Deaths (Registration) of the apartment or the dwelling in which the child is born, or the head of the family or the household or of persons residing or being in such apartment or building, shall within thirty days after the birth of any child whether the same be born alive or be stillborn, give notice or cause to be given notice of the birth of the child to the Registrar of the parish in which the child is born.
(2) The notice referred to in subsection (1) shall contain the following particulars- the day of the birth of the child, (i) (ii) the sex of the child, (iii) the name of the child, or a name given it, or a proposed baptismal name; (iv) the name of the father and mother, and (v) the residence of the father or mother; and if the child is stillborn that fact must be stated.
(3) In the case of any new born child being found, the person finding such child or first having charge of it shall within seven days give to the Registrar of the parish notice and information thereof and of the place where the new born child was found.

(4) The master or keepers of the gaol, poor house, infirmary, mental home, or other public or charitable institution are deemed to be the occupier thereof.
(5) Any person offending against any of the provisions of this section is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars.

18.
When any death shall have occurred, the owner or occupier of the house, apartment or dwelling in which such death shall have occurred, or the head of the family or of the household or of the persons residing or being in such house or apartment or dwelling in which such death shall have occurred, or the person ordering or causing the interment of the dead body, shall, within thirty hours after such death, give or cause to be given to the Registrar of the parish in which such death shall have taken place, notice Particulars of death to be reported to Registrar.
LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.
53 9 in writing of such death, in which shall be stated the residence of the deceased, together with a certificate of the cause of death in the form contained in Schedule D, from the medical Schedule D. practitioner who shall have been in attendance during the last illness and until the death of the deceased, or in case there has been no medical practitioner in attendance, a warrant of interment under the hand of the Coroner of the district, and the particulars of such certificate or warrant shall, in each case, be entered in the Registrar's book.
In case of the finding of any dead body, the Coroner shall within five days give notice thereof, and of the locality in which the body was found, to the Registrar of the parish: Provided that, notwithstanding the provisions to the contrary contained in this section, in the case of a still-born child, any medical practitioner may issue a certificate of death.
in the form contained in Schedule E. in anv case where schedule E. it shall appear to that medical practitioner, from credible information, or otherwise that no useful purpose would be served by his viewing the body of that still-born child.

19.
In every case in which an inquest shall be held Coroner to communicate to on any dead body, the jury shall enquire of the particulars Resistrar after therein required to be registered concerning the death, and Poldins the Coroner shall communicate the finding of the jury in finding of any writing under his hand to the Registrar, and the Registrar jury, &c. shall make the entry accordingly, provided that the Coroner shall not be required to sign the register as the informant, but the Registrar shall state in the entry of such death that the information was received from the Coroner, and shall transmit all such information to the Registrar-General who shall preserve such information with the records of his office.
Inquest the 20.
In every case in which an inquest shall be held Coroner to communicate to on any dead body, the jury shall enquire, and in every case Registrar after in which a Coroner shall grant a permissive warrant to bury ~ ; ~ d ~ ; ~ ~ ; ; ~ t any dead body without holding an inquest, the Coroner shall jury ascertain the particulars herein required to be registered ~ ~ f ~ ~ ~ ; ; by concerning the death, and the Coroner shall communicate him, ,hen he the particulars found by the jury, or ascertained by him, rr",';;ve in writing under his hand, to the Registrar, and the Registrar shall make the entry accordingly: Provided that the Coroner shall not be required to sign the register as the informant, but the Registrar shall state LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA CAP.
53) Births and Deaths (Registration) Master or keeper of public institutions to give notice in writing of births and deaths.

Forms of certificate of deaths to be supplied to medical practitioners.

in the entry of such death that the information was received from the Coroner, and shall transmit all such information to the Registrar-General, who shall preserve such information with the records of his office.

21.
21.

In every case in which the master or keeper of the gaol, poor house, mental home, infirmary, hospital, or other public or charitable institution, shall have occasion to give notice of a birth or death, it shall be allowable for him to do so in writing under his hand, and he shall not be called upon to sign the entry in the register books, but the Registrar shall make the entry, stating from whom the information was received.
and shall transmit the information to the ~ e ~ i s t r a r - ~ e n e r a l to be preserved with the records of his office: Provided that such birth shall be reported within thirty days from the date of birth, and that such death be reported within thirty hours from the date of death.

22.
The Registrar-General shall, from time to time, furnish gratis to every duly qualified medical practitioner the necessary forms of certificate as set out in Schedule D; and such forms shall be filled up and delivered gratis by every medical practitioner to any persons entitled under the fore- going section to require the same, and any medical practitioner refusing or neglecting to furnish such certificate on application or charging or demanding any fee for the same shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars.
Registrar may at the instance of any proper person register birth of child within six months after such birth.

23.
It shall be lawful at any time within six months after the day of the birth of any child for any Registrar at the instance of any person present at the birth of such child or of the guardians or any other person interested, on behalf of such child, who shall make a solemn declaration of the particulars required to be known touching the birth of such child according to the best of his or her knowledge and belief then and there to register the birth of such child according to the information of the person making the declaration, and for every such registry as last aforesaid, the Registrar shall be entitled to have a fee over and above the fee hereinafter enacted, in respect of every birth of five dollars from the LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.
53 1 1 person requiring the same to be registered.
And no entry of births shall be given in evidence to prove the birth of any child wherein it shall appear that thirty days have intervened between the day of birth and the day of registration of the birth of such child, unless the entry be signed by the Registrar-General or a Justice of the Peace as well as the Registrar, who shall likewise be entitled to a fee of five dollars from the person desiring to have the entry made, and every person who shall register or cause to be registered the birth of any child otherwise than hereinbefore is last mentioned after the expiration of thirty days from the day of the birth of such child shall forfeit and pay for every such offence a sum not exceeding three thousand dollars.
Registrar-General 24.
If any child born in Antigua and Barbuda, whose :';Y:;~~Y birth shall have been registered as hereinbefore directed, shall baptized within within six calendar months next after it shall have been so Egiz:;;:after registered, have any name given to it in baptism, the parent recorded by or guardian of such child or other person procuring such Registrarsor name, may within seven days next after the day of such bap- tism, procure and deliver to the Registrar or Registrar- be General in whose custody the register of the birth may then ,inister.
happen to be a certificate according to the form of Schedule C schedule C .
signed by the minister who shall have performed the rite of baptism, which certificate such minister is hereby required to deliver immediately after the baptism whenever the same shall be demanded on payment of the fee of five dollars, which he shall therefor be entitled to receive; and the said Registrar or Registrar-General upon receipt of such certificate, and on payment of the fee of five dollars which he shall therefor be entitled to receive, shall without any erasure of the original entry forthwith register therein that the child was baptized by such name, and the Registrar shall thereupon certify on the said certificate the additional entry so made, and shall forthwith send the said certificate to the Registrar-General.
of officiating - certificate 25.

All the provisions of this Act touching the register- Provision as to still-born ing of births and deaths shall be held to apply to all still- children.

born children who shall have arrived at a period of viability.

26.

(1) The Registrar shall not enter the name of any Child of unmarried person as the father of a child born out of wedlock except- ,,,her.

12 CAP.
53) Births and Deaths (Registration) LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA (a) at the joint request of the mother and person acknowledging himself to be father of the child (in which case that person shall sign the register together with the mother), or (b) at the request of the mother on production of- (i) a declaration in the prescribed form made by the mother stating that the said person is the father of the child; and (ii) a statutory declaration made by that person acknowledging himself to be the father of the child.
(2) If on registration of the birth of a child no person has been entered in the register as the father, the Registrar may re-register the birth so as to show a person as the father- (a) at the joint request of the mother, and of that person (in which case the mother and that person shall both sign the register) in the presence of the Registrar; or (b) at the request of the mother on production of- (i) a declaration in the prescribed form made by the mother stating that the person in question is the father of the child; and (ii) a statutory declaration made by that person acknowledging himself to be the father of the child, but no birth shall be re-registered as aforesaid except with the authority of the Registrar-General; and any such re-registration shall be effected in such manner as may be prescribed.
(3) If at any time after the registration of the birth of a child whose father's name is not registered the Registrar- General is satisfied that a paternity order in respect of the child has been made by the High Court, or that a judgment of paternity has been made by a Magistrate's Court, or that the child's parents were married after the registration he shall authorise the entry in the register of the father and such other particulars relating to the father as are supplied to him.
LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.

53 13 27.
( 1 ) Where the birth of any child whose parents Father's were not married to each other at the time of the child's particulars' birth is registered pursuant to section 17, the name of or any other particulars relating to the father shall not thereafter be entered in the register unless the Registrar-General is satisfied that- (a) the parents of the child were married to each other; or (b) a paternity order in respect of the child has been made by the High Court or a judgment of paternity has been made by a Magistrate's Court or both the mother and the person acknowledging himself to be the father of the child consent to the entry; but in the last mentioned case, if the mother is dead or cannot be found, the consent of the father alone shall be sufficient.
(2) In any proceedings in respect of matrimonial causes, the registration of the name of a person as the father of a child is not by reason only of such registration prima facie evidence of adultery.

28.

(1) NO alteration in any register of births or Correction of errors in reg;strat;on.

deaths shall be made except as authorized by this Act.

(2) Any clerical error in any register may be corrected by the Registrar-General or any person duly authorized in that behalf by the Registrar-General.
( 3 ) An error of fact or substance in any register may be corrected- (a) by entry in the margin without any alteration of the original entry; or (6) if the Registrar-General deems it necessary, by the making of a further entry with a reference therein to the original entry by the Registrar-General or by a person duly authorized in that behalf by the Registrar-General, upon production to the Registrar-General or such duly authorized person by the person requiring such error to be corrected of an affidavit setting forth the nature of the error and the true facts of the case, and made by the person 14 CAP.
53) Births and Deaths (Registration) LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA required to give information concerning the birth or death with reference to which the error has been made, or in default of such person then by two credible persons having knowledge of the truth of the case.

29.
Every person (other than those hereinbefore men- tioned as not to be required to sign the register) by whom the information contained in any register of births or deaths under this Act shall have been given, shall sign his name, description and place of abode in the register or shall make his mark thereto, and no register of births and deaths accord- ing to this Act shall be given in evidence which shall not be so signed by some person professing to be the informant, and such party as is herein required to give such informa- tion to the Registrar.
30.

In case of the inability to write of any person whose signature is required or necessary under this Act, it shall be lawful for such person to exhibit in the presence of the Registrar a cross or other mark, and such cross or other mark shall be in all respects as binding and effectual as the signature of such person if capable of writing would have been.

Person giving information of birth or death to sign register.
Person not being able to write to make a cross or mark before Registrar as his signature.

Registrars to furnish quarterly returns to Registrar- General.

3 1.

Every Registrar shall make out and transmit to the Registrar-General four times in each year an account of the number of births and deaths, which shall have been registered since the last quarterly account, and the Registrar- General shall verify the same and shall keep and preserve the same as a record in his office.
Registration of birth or death after six months.

32.
32.

After the expiration of six months- (a) next after the birth of any child; or ( b ) next after any death or after the finding of a dead body elsewhere than in a house, that birth or death, as the case may be, shall not be registered except with the written authority of the Registrar-General for registering the same, and except in accordance with any regulations made in that behalf under section 4, and the fact of such authority having been given shall be entered on the register.
LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA .

Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.

53 33.

When any person shall have failed to register a ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ' ' r f $ ~ ; g ~ ; birth or death, being the person required by this Act to give death.
information of such birth or death, the Registrar of the parish in which such birth or death shall have occurred, either per- sonally or by written or printed summons, shall call upon Regi"rar to issue summons such person to attend at a time and place specified in such requiring summons, and to give information to such Registrar accord- t:C-E:in:f ing to the best of his knowledge and belief of the several particulars required to be registered according to the forms A and B respectively, and for each death so registered the Registrar shall be entitled to demand and to receive over and above the fee hereinafter mentioned five dollars (cost Penalty.
of summons being included) from the persons giving informa- tion, and every person who shall fail to attend at the summons of the Registrar or shall refuse to sign the entry shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars, such fees and penalties being payable into the public Treasury.

34.
34.

And whereas registers of births, marriages, Registers of births, marriages, baptisms, deaths and burials have been duly made and kept baptisms, deaths by ministers of the Christian religion not belonging to the and burials kept b Ministers of Church of England, and it is expedient that they should be RY eligion not of receivable in evidence in all Courts of Justice in Antigua Church of and Barbuda.
Be it therefore enacted that all registers pro- admitted in duced by the person having the lawful care thereof, and all evidence.
copies thereof respectively certified under the hand of the person for the time being having the lawful care of the same to be true copies, shall be and the same are hereby declared to be good evidence of such births, marriages, baptisms, deaths, and burials as aforesaid respectively as fully as if such registers had been made and kept, and such certified copies had been made respectively by persons appointed by law to make and keep the same, and shall be received as evidence in all Courts and before all Judges and Magistrates.
England to be INTERMENT OF T H E DEAD 35.

(1) No interment of a dead body shall take place z;:F;$e to be unless the death has been previously registered and the Registrar before Registrar of the parish in which such death shall have been E;;yo;;rf registered shall give a certificate to that effect: 16 CAP.
53) Births and Deaths (Registration) LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Provided that whenever thirty hours shall have elapsed from the death without such certificate being produced, any minister of religion may inter or cause to be interred the dead body, and shall within thirty hours give notice of such interment to the Registrar of the parish in which the death took place, such notice stating the name of the deceased, the place in which he died and the name of the person at whose request or instance the grave was dug or vault opened: Provided also that where the body of a deceased person has been removed into Antigua and Barbuda for interment (and no order has been given by a Coroner in respect thereof) the Registrar of the parish in which it is intended to inter the body, if it appears that the death is not required by law to be registered in Antigua and Barbuda shall give upon application by the person procuring the interment and upon payment of a fee of five dollars a certificate in the form contained in Schedule F. and such certificate shall be deemed to authorize the interment of such body (2) Any person who shall inter a dead body, save as provided in the first proviso to subsection (I), in respect of which a certificate by a Registrar as required by this section has not been issued, or any minister of religion who shall fail to give the notice required by the first proviso to sub- section (1) shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars.
36.

The body of a deceased person whose death is required to be registered under this Act shall not be removed out of Antigua and Barbuda unless the death of such person shall have been previously registered and the Registrar of the parish in which such death shall have been registered shall have given a certificate to that effect.

Any person offending against the provisions of this section shall be liable to a penalty not exceeding two hundred and fifty dollars.
Interment of dead body removed into Antigua and Barbuda.

Schedule F .

Penalty.

Registration of death before removal of dead Out Antigua and Barbuda.

OTHER OFFENCES UNDER THIS ACT Penalty for neglect of duty and carelessness on part of Registrar.

37.
37.

Every Registrar who shall refuse or without reasonable cause omit to register any birth or death of which he shall have had due notice as aforesaid, and every person having the custody of any register book or of any sheet of LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.
53 17 forms in which any entry of any birth or death shall have been made who shall carelessly lose or injure the same or carelessly allow the same to be injured while in his keeping shall forfeit a sum not exceeding three thousand dollars for every such offence.

or extracts or 38.
or extracts or 38.

Every person who shall wilfully destroy or injure za;;;;f,fdI~ or cause to be destroyed or injured any register book or any counterfeiting or part thereof or any sheet of forms upon which any entry forging records or entries shall have been made under the authority of this signatures to be or any former Act, or shall falsely make or counterfeit or ~ i l t y o f felony.
cause to be falsely made or counterfeited part of such register book or certified extract thereof or any entry in such sheet of forms, or shall wilfully insert or cause to be inserted in any register book or sheet of forms as aforesaid any false entry of any birth or death or shall wilfully give any false certificate or shall certify any writing to be a copy or extract of any register book knowing the same register to be false in any part thereof, or shall forge or counterfeit the signature of any Registrar of births and deaths or of the Registrar- General or of any other person to an entry or certificate by this Act authorized or required to be made or given shall be guilty of felony, and on conviction thereof shall suffer punishment by imprisonment with or without hard labour for any time not exceeding five years, as the Court in which the conviction shall take place shall in its discretion impose.
39.

Any person who- Penalties for false statements, etc.
( a ) wilfully makes any false answer to any ques- tion put to him by the Registrar-General or a Registrar relating to the particulars required to be registered con- cerning any birth or death or wilfully gives to the Registrar-General or a Registrar any false information concerning any birth or death; or (b) wilfully makes any false affidavit, certificate or other document relating to the registration of any birth or death, or forges or falsifies any such affidavit, certificate or other document, or knowing any such affidavit, certificate or other document to be forged or false uses the same as true, or gives or sends the same as true to any person; or Recovery of penalties.
LAWS OF ANTlGUA AND BARBUDA CAP.

53) Births and Deaths (Registration) (c) wilfully makes any false statement with intent to have the same entered in any register of births or deaths, shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or to imprisonment with or without hard labour for a term not exceeding six months, and on conviction on indictment to imprisonment with or without hard labour for a term not exceeding five years.

40.
All penalties imposed by this Act shall and may be sued for and recovered by any person who may sue and prosecute for the same before any Magistrate, and upon information lodged or complaint made before any Magistrate, he shall issue a summons requiring the party offending or complained against to appear at a time and place named therein, and every such summons shall be served on the party offending or complained against, or shall be left at his last known place of abode or business, and if such party shall not appear accordingly, then upon proof of the due service of the summons a Magistrate may hear and determine the case in the absence of the party, or if he appear, upon proof of the offence either by confession of the party offending or complained against, or upon the oath of one or more credible witnesses (and the Magistrate is hereby authorized to sum- mon and swear any witnesses who may be deemed necessary) it shall be lawful for such Magistrate to convict the offender, and upon every such conviction to order the offender to pay such penalty as is hereinbefore imposed, and if the moneys and costs mentioned in such conviction shall not be paid immediately or within the time limited in the order, it shall be lawful for the said Magistrate by warrant to cause the party offending to be committed to the gaol, there to be imprisoned according to the discretion of such Magistrate for any term not exceeding six months, unless such moneys and costs be sooner paid and satisfied.
Penalty not to be exacted in certain cases.

41.

NO penalty imposed by this Act on persons fail- ing to give any notice required by this Act shall be exacted if any of the parties so required shall have given such notice, and no penalty shall be exacted in any case wherein it shall appear that the failure has not been occasioned by wilful LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.
53 19 negligence, but that such failure has been occasioned by unavoidable accident or by circumstances over which the person failing to comply with the provisions of this Act had no control, and where he had used every reasonable endeavour towards compliance with such provisions.

42.

Every Registrar shall receive the sum of five ~ ~ ?

; ~ ~ : ~ dollars for each registry of either births or deaths.

43.

The Registrar-General may from time to time, Power to a l t e ~ forms.
with the approval of the Cabinet, by order, alter all or any of the forms contained in the Schedules or in any order made under this section in such manner as may appear to him best for carrying this Act into effect, or prescribe new forms for that purpose.

2 0 CAP.

53) Births and Deaths (Registration) LAWS OF ANTlGUA AND BARBUDA SCHEDULE A S. 9 No.
When Born Name (if any) Sex Name and Surname of Father Name and Maiden Name of Mother Rank or Profes- sion of Inform- ant When Regis- tered Signa- ture of Registrar 10 1869 May 10 John Male Henry Martin Mary Martin formerly Williams Henry Martin, Cooper, Cedar Village 1869 May 13 John Cook P, 7 'o 2 L O E b o z g c G - 0 .g 2 2 ' * .2 -0 - m m B 3% 2 2 m SCHEDULE B S. 9 No' When Died Name and Surname Sex Age Rank or Profession Cause of Death Signature of Registrar SCHEDULE C S. 24 I, A.B., do hereby certify that I have this day baptized by the name of C.D.
a male child produced to me by Thomas Styles as the son of Thomas and Charlotte Styles and declared by the on the said Thomas Styles to have been born at day of , 19 .

Witness my hand this day of , 19 .

LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Births and Deaths (Registration) (CAP.
53 2 1 SCHEDULE D S. 18 MEDICAL CERTIFICATE OF CAUSE OF DEATH (For use only by a Registered Medical Practitioner) Antigua and Barbuda ................ Parish Name of Deceased Residence Sex Occupation Age as stated to me Date of death as stated to me: *Seen/Not seen after death by me *Post Mortem heldlnot held Place of death: Last seen alive by me: Approximate interval between Onset and death: *Strike out whichever is inapplicable.

I.
?Disease or condition directly leading to death Antecedent causes (a) ................................. due to (or as a consequence of) ( b ) ................................. due to (or as a consequence of) Morbid conditions, if any, giving rise to the above cause, stating the underlying condition last ( 6 ) ................................. Other significant conditions con- tributing to the death, but not related to the disease or condition causing it ................................. ................................. 'i This does not mean the mode of dying, e.g.
heart failure, asthenia, etc.

It means the disease, injury, or complication which caused death.

I hereby certify that the particulars and cause of death above written are true to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Signature: Residence: @alification as registered: Date: 2 2 CAP.
53) Births and Deaths (Registration) LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA SCHEDULE E S. 18 day of I do hereby certify that (name of informant) of (address of informant) a (office of informant) in the Service of the Govern- ment reported to me on the and that report was confirmed by (name of informant) 19 of (address of informant), a (office of informant) in the Service of the Government, that the body of a still-born child of (name of Father) and (name of Mother) of (address) had been viewed by of Antigua and Barbuda in the Medical District and that they reported to me that they had no reason to think that the death occurred by other than natural causes.
at In my opinion no useful purpose would have been served by my viewing the body.

Name.

Profession.

Residence.

Countersigned by the above named this day of SCHEDULE F S. 35 CERTIFICATE BY REGISTRAR (Given under section 35 of the Births and D e a t h (Registration) Act) I hereby certify that the body of ................................ has been removed into Antigua and Barbuda for interment, and is not required that the death of the said to be registered by the law of Antigua and Barbuda.
.......................... ................................................................ Registrar of the Parish of .................................

Dated the ................. day of ......................... , 19 LAWS OF ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA Birth and Death (Registration) (CAP.

53 23 SCHEDULE G For every search For every certified copy of an entry in the register book S. 12 $3.00 $3.00