GREAT BAY(DCOMM):---The Civil Registry Department has embarked upon a one-month campaign to sensitize the community to identity fraud and theft.
The Civil Registry Department would also like to make it known that persons, who lose their passport, would no longer have to get a police report when applying for a new passport. A pilot project with respect to the aforementioned will commence in July 2016.
The Dutch passport law has been amended accordingly with respect to this past requirement. The only exception is in the event of robbery. For Sint Maarten, the law change will become effective in January 2017.
The person will only have to make a declaration of loss to the Civil Registry Department when requesting a new document. An enhanced relationship between the Police Department and Civil Registry will create an adequate mechanism for fraud prevention.