THE Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will commence the 5th Cycle of Continuous Registration on Monday, September 2, 2013. This registration exercise will end on November 23, 2013. Anyone who will be 14 years or older by December 31, 2013, and is a Guyanese citizen by birth, descent, naturalisation, or is a citizen from a Commonwealth country living in Guyana for one year or more, is eligible for registration during this exercise.During this registration exercise, persons who are eligible for registration are required to visit the Registration Office that is responsible

for their areas of residence to apply for registration. Such persons must be in possession of the following source documents as might be necessary to support their applications for registration:-

i. Original Birth Certificate issued by the General Register Office or a valid Guyana Passport
ii. Original Marriage Certificate (and original birth certificate) – in the case of a name change by way of marriage.
iii. Original Deed Poll and original Birth Certificate – in the case of any change of name by Deed Poll.
iv. Original Naturalization Certificate issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs and original birth certificate/valid passport – in the case of naturalisation. Evidence (photocopy/duplicate) of an application having been made for naturalisation will not be accepted.
Baptismal Certificates, expired passports, photocopies of relevant documents or letters from Priests, Elders, Head Masters, Village Captains/Toshaos and Justices of the Peace or existing ID Cards WILL NOT be acceptable as source documents for registration.
All persons who will be eligible for registration, but are not in possession of the relevant supporting document(s) stated above are urged to take immediate steps to acquire the said documents in order to facilitate their respective registration during this Continuous Registration exercise.
Persons who were already registered could, if necessary:-
• apply for a name change in the case of the change of name(s) by marriage or Deed Poll, since they were registered, or
• apply for correction(s), if there is incorrect information on their National ID Cards.
Additionally, persons who are already registered could:-
• request that their photographs be retaken, if the quality of the photograph on their ID cards is unacceptable, or
• collect their new ID cards if they have not done so as yet.
GECOM has 28 permanent Registration Offices located in all of the ten Administrative Regions. You are required to visit the Registration Office that is responsible for the registration of persons in your area of residence to apply for registration or uplift your National Identification Card if you were previously registered and you have not done so as yet. The Registration Offices are as follows:-
Region 1
• Mabaruma Registration Office
• Port Kaituma Registration Office
• Moruka Registration Office
Region 2
• Charity Registration Office
• Anna Regina Registration Office
Region 3
• Parika Registration Office
• Pouderoyen Registration Office
Region 4
• Diamond Registration Office, Area ‘M’ Diamond
• Soesdyke Registration Office, Soesdyke NDC Office
• South Georgetown Registration Office
Action Tyre Building, Croal & Smyth Streets
• North Georgetown Registration Office
Former Prime Time Building, Church St., Georgetown
• Transfiguration Church (Annex) Mandela Avenue
• Sheriff and William Streets Registration Office
• Coldingen Registration Office
• Better Hope Community Centre
Region 5
• Mahaicony Registration Office
• Fort Wellington Registration Office
Region 6
• New Amsterdam Registration Office
Kaitano Building, Princess Elizebeth Rd, New Amsterdam
• Kildonan Registration Office
• Corriverton Registration Office
Region 7
Bartica Registration Office
Kamarang Registration Office
Region 8
• Mahdia Registration Office
• Paramakatoi Registration Office
Region 9
• Annai Registration Office
• Lethem Registration Office
Region 10
• McKenzie Registration Office
• Wismar Registration Office
The office hours during which persons could apply for registration/collect ID cards are:
• Monday to Friday 09:00hrs to 13:00hrs and 14:30hrs to 18:00hrs
• Saturdays from 10:00hrs to 14:00hrs.
The offices will be closed on Sundays and holidays
It is the civic duty and legal responsibility of all Guyanese who will meet the eligibility requirements to apply for registration during this Cycle of Continuous Registration. By so doing, they would be ensuring that they are included on the official lists of electors for future elections, if they meet the other eligibility criteria, apart from being issued with National ID cards.
Section 6 of the National Registration Act, Chapter, and 19:08 makes it obligatory for persons who meet the registration criteria to apply for registration.
Persons eligible for registration could be prosecuted, fined or even sent to prison for failing or refusing to apply for registration.
In this regard, it must be noted that it is the responsibility of parents/guardians to ensure that the eligible children in their charge apply for registration.