The following information was provided by a consular official with the Toronto Consulate of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in a 17 August 2005 telephone interview:

The agency responsible for issuing birth certificates is the government registry office.

To access one's birth certificate, one must go to the registry office and provide personal information such as one's name and date of birth to a registry worker who will then search for that person's record and provide a copy of his or her birth certificate on the spot. A proxy may also go to the registry for someone in order to obtain a copy of that person's birth certificate. The fee to obtain a birth certificate is EC (Eastern Caribbean) $10.00, which is equal to about CAN$5.00.

The birth certificate contains personal information such as the name of the individual, the place and date of birth, the name and maiden name of the mother, and the name of the father, if provided. The name of the father may be omitted if he no longer has a relationship with the mother.

In its "Reciprocity Schedule" for St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the United States Department of State partially corroborated some of the information provided by the consular official (13 Feb. 2003). In particular, the reciprocity schedule stated that birth certificates are "[a]vailable from the Registrar General's Office, Kingstown, St. Vincent. Records are complete since 1864. Fee: EC $10.00" (US 13 Feb. 2003).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. 17 August 2005. Consulate of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Toronto. Telephone interview with consular official.

United States (US). 13 February 2003. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs. "Saint Vincent and the Grenadines: Reciprocity Schedule." http://travel.state.gov/visa/reciprocity/Country%20Folder/S/Saint_Vincent_and_the_Grenadines.htm [Accessed 10 Aug. 2005]

Internet sites, including: Canada - Travel Report; Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Washington, DC; United States - Consular Information Sheet.