Apply, return, repeat

A mother contacted us in frustration after waiting several months for her son’s name change to be processed. She had already submitted a notarized application on his behalf twice, seeking to change the name on his birth certificate to reflect his gender identity. When the second submission was returned to her, the reason given was that it did not include her child’s original birth certificate – which she had already sent in with the first application. Ombudsman staff made inquiries with the Registrar General’s office, and they confirmed they still had the birth certificate, but failed to communicate that to the mother. The Registrar General’s office apologized to the family for the miscommunication, and the son’s name change application was allowed to proceed.