Puerto Rico extends birth certificate cutoff - Navy News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Navy Times

Puerto Rico extends birth certificate cutoff

Service members and family members born in Puerto Rico will have extra time to get their new birth certificates.

The Puerto Rico government has approved an extension that allows current birth certificates to remain valid for an additional three months, according to the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration.

The government had enacted a law invalidating old birth certificates in an effort to combat rampant fraud and security problems. The extension allows those born in Puerto Rico who may need a birth certificate for an upcoming transaction an additional three months to apply for and receive the new document. Current birth certificates will remain valid until Sept. 30, officials said.

Service members and family members born in Puerto Rico are among those affected. Those with old birth certificates can apply now for new certificates online. Puerto Rico will start issuing new certificates July 1.

The law does not affect anyone who used a Puerto Rican birth certificate to enroll in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System before July 1. Those people will still be enrolled, and DEERS will not invalidate those birth certificates, defense officials said.