PSA: Birth certificates don't expire, other institutions just require new copies

The Philippine Statistics Authority has clarified that birth certificates do not have an expiration date.

The agency made the pronouncement following a measure filed in the Senate giving lifetime validity to birth certificates.

"Walang instruction yung PSA na ganyan na may expiration," said Daniel A. Ariaso Sr., Deputy National Statistician, Civil Registration and Central Support Office in a report by Ivan Mayrina on 24 Oras on Monday.

"However, depende na sa mga nagre-require na government agencies or private institutions also kung ano ang gusto nilang issuance ng copy mismo," he added, noting the PSA does not have any control of institutions that require certificates issued within the last six months or the last year.

While the PSA said it changes its security paper regularly for documents, this does not mean that documents issued earlier are already expired.

The Senate bill would end the practice of government and private offices requiring applicants who are seeking a document, permit, service, or job to present a new or recently-issued birth certificate.

Senator Ralph Recto, the author of the measure, has praised the PSA which has "never been remiss in explaining that birth certificates it has issued have no expiry dates," the assurance "remains unheeded in many offices which continue to require that the submitted birth certificate was issued within the past six months."

The PSA currently charges P155 for an authenticated copy of a birth certificate. It charges P365 if the document is delivered to the home of the requesting party. —JST, GMA News