The Registrar General’s Department has begun issuing digital death certificates, replacing the handwritten documents that have long been the norm, NewsFirst reported.
The new system is being rolled out under the e-Population Register programme and is currently being implemented in the Kalutara District as a pilot. Death certificates are now generated through a computer-based database rather than completed by hand, marking a significant step in the government’s push to digitalise civil registration.
Each certificate issued under the new system carries a special QR code that allows anyone to quickly verify its authenticity through the digital platform. The documents are printed on specialised paper embedded with security features designed to guard against forgery.
Officials said the digital process enables authorities to maintain an updated personal-data system, facilitates efficient data exchange between government institutions and strengthens information security through secure data storage. The move is expected to speed up the issuance of certificates and reduce the errors and delays associated with manual record-keeping.
The Kalutara rollout is intended to serve as a model before the system is extended to other districts. The Daily FT reported on July 26 that the government has formally launched the digital death certificate system under the Registrar General’s Department’s e-Population Register programme, as authorities move to phase out handwritten certificates.
The Registrar General’s Department has been progressively modernising birth, marriage and death registration as part of a wider e-government drive aimed at linking population records across state agencies.
