How to Get a TRN in Jamaica Without Photo ID: The Birth Certificate Route (Adults, Children & Overseas)
Many people believe that without a passport, driver’s licence or voter’s ID, they can’t get a Taxpayer Registration Number (TRN). Tax Administration Jamaica (TAJ) actually provides an official alternative path using your birth certificate. Here is exactly how to prepare the paperwork, including the photo wording TAJ requires, so you know what the counter clerk will check.
At a glance
- CostFree: TAJ charges no fee for a TRN
- No photo ID?Birth certificate + certified photo + declaration
- Photo wording“Certified to be a true photograph of…”
- Who can certifyJP, doctor, attorney, minister and more
- Certification ageDated within the last 6 months
- Your addressMust match on the declaration and application
- ChildrenAny age; a parent or guardian signs
- Living overseasApply online, then mail notarised ID
Tap any fact to jump to the details.
The prerequisites: what you need
Choose who the TRN is for, then gather these items before you visit the tax office. There is no fee for a TRN.
If the signing parent’s name is not on the birth certificate, use the Guardian tab instead. Read more about TRNs for children
Everything’s gathered. Check that the names and addresses match across every document before you go.
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Certify your photo with TAJ’s exact wording
Take one professionally produced passport-size photo to an approved official. On the back, they must write TAJ’s wording, then add their name, title, signature, the date and their official stamp.
Photo endorsement wording
Certified to be a true photograph of [Your Full Legal Name]
Show this to the official so they write it word for word, then add their name, title, signature, date and stamp.
Who can certify your photo
- Justice of the Peace (JP)
- Minister of Religion / Marriage Officer
- Judge / Resident Magistrate
- Attorney-at-Law
- Member of Parliament
- Parish Councillor
- Medical Doctor
- School Principal
- Civil Servant (SEG3 and above)
- Police Officer (Inspector or above)
Timing matters: the certification must be dated within the last six months to be accepted.
The Declaration by Certifying Official
TAJ requires every certified photo to come with a declaration from the certifying official. It is a single page that formally links your face to your legal name. The same official who certified your photo completes it: your full legal name, how many years they have personally known you, their signature, and their official seal or stamp.
Pick up a blank copy at the inquiry desk of any tax office, print it from the TAJ website, or use the copy below.
TAJ form View & download the declaration form Declaration by Certifying Official, single page. Print it and take it to the official who certifies your photo.The addresses must match
The residential address on the declaration form must match the address on your TRN application line for line. Any difference and your application will be rejected.
The step-by-step process
Certify your photo
Have an approved official write TAJ’s wording on the back of one passport-size photo, with their name, title, signature, date and stamp.
Complete the declaration form
The same official fills in your full legal name and how many years they have known you, then signs and stamps it.
Match your address
Fill in your TRN application using exactly the same residential address as the declaration form.
Submit at the tax office
Take your birth certificate, certified photo, declaration and signed application to the tax office counter. You don’t have to go yourself: TAJ accepts applications submitted by a bearer, such as a family member or friend, on your behalf, as long as they bring your complete package.
Under 18Getting a TRN for a child
Getting a TRN for a child
There is no minimum age for a TRN, and no fee. Children often need one for school, exams, health cards and savings accounts. The application must be completed and signed, or co-signed, by a parent or legal guardian.
Parent’s name must be on the birth certificate
Bring the child’s birth certificate, a certified photo or picture ID for the child, and your own ID and TRN. The birth certificate must show the name of the parent who signs.
Bring proof of guardianship
Bring the same documents, plus a court order, or a Voluntary Declaration from the guardian together with one from an attestor who knows of the guardian and child relationship.
If the child has no passport or school ID, use a professionally produced passport-size photo certified by an approved official, such as a JP, doctor, attorney, minister of religion or school principal, dated within the last six months.
DiasporaApplying for a TRN from overseas
Applying for a TRN from overseas
You don’t have to travel to Jamaica. TAJ offers two routes:
Apply online
Create a login on the TAJ website and select “Apply for TRN”. Complete the web application, then print and sign the application it generates.
Or use the paper form
Download the TRN application from the TAJ website, complete it and sign it.
Mail it with notarised ID
Post the signed application to TAJ with a notarised copy of your passport or driver’s licence.
Avoid theseMajor rejection traps
Major rejection traps
These mistakes send people home to start again.
The plain signature trap
A signature alone on the back of your photo is not enough. Without TAJ’s wording, the official’s name, title, signature, date and stamp, the photo will not be accepted.
The old certification trap
A photo certified more than six months ago will be refused. Get it certified close to the date you apply.
The missing parent name trap
For a child’s TRN, the birth certificate must show the name of the parent who signs the application. If that parent’s name is missing, a legal guardian must apply instead, with a court order or the two voluntary declarations.
Requirements checked against Tax Administration Jamaica’s TRN guidance in . TAJ can change them without notice, so confirm with us before you go.
Living overseas? Skip the mailing hassle
We get your TRN without you travelling to Jamaica:
- Step 1: Prepare. We fill in your TRN application for you to sign and check your notarised ID.
- Step 2: Submit. We submit your application in person at TAJ and collect your TRN letter.
- Step 3: Deliver. We email you a scan and courier the original to you. Courier is quoted by your address.
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