CHILDREN’S PROTECTION AND ADOPTION ACT (as amended at 01 December 2002) (6) A certified copy of any entry in the Adopted Children Register, if purporting to be marked with the official stamp of the Registrar-General, shall, without any further or other proof of such entry— (a) where the entry does not contain any record of the date of the birth of the Adopted child, be received as evidence of the adoption to which the same relates; and (b) where the entry contains a record of the date of the birth of the adopted child, be received, not only as evidence of the adoption to which the same relates, but also as evidence of the date of the birth of the adopted child to which the same relates in all respects as though the same were a certified copy of any entry in a register of births kept by the Registrar-General. (7) The Registrar-General shall cause an index of the Adopted Children Register to be made and any person authorized by the Minister may search such index and have a certified copy of any entry in the Adopted Children Register on payment of the prescribed fee. (8) The Registrar-General shall, in addition to the Adopted Children Register and the index thereof, keep such other registers and make such entries therein as may be necessary to record and make traceable the connection between any entry in a register of births kept by him that has been marked “Adopted”, in terms of this section, and any corresponding entry in the Adopted Children Register, but such lastmentioned registers shall not be, nor shall any index thereof be, open to public inspection or search, nor, except under an order of the Minister, shall the Registrar-General furnish any person with any information contained in, or with any copy or extract from, any such registers. (9) Upon receiving notice of the rescission of an adoption order the Registrar-General shall note that fact in the Adopted Children Register and shall cause any reference to the adoption in a register of births kept by him to be struck out. 71 Change of name of adopted persons (1) Where the forename of an adopted person has been registered in the Adopted Children Register and the forename which was registered is changed, the Registrar-General may register the change of forename of the adopted person in the Adopted Children Register upon— (a) application made by the adopted person or, if he has not attained the age of eighteen years— (i) in the case of a joint adoption, the application of both adopters; or (ii) in the case of the death of one adopter or a single adopter, the application of the adopter; or (iii) in the case of the death of both adopters, the application of the legal guardian; and (b) the payment of the prescribed fee; and (c) the production of such evidence as the Registrar-General may consider necessary. (2) Where the surname of an adopted person has been registered in the Adopted Children Register and the surname which was registered has been changed, the Registrar-General shall register the change of surname in the Adopted Children Register without deleting the original surname upon— (a) application made by the adopted person or, if he has not attained the age of eighteen years— (i) in the case of a joint adoption, the application of both adopters: or (ii) in the case of the death of one adopter or a single adopter, the application of the adopter; or (iii) in the case of the death of both adopters, the application of the legal guardian; and (b) the payment of the prescribed fee; and (c) production of evidence that a notarial deed, as defined in the Deeds Registries Act [Chapter 20:05], setting forth the change of surname has been registered in the Deed Registry; and (d) production of evidence that the change of surname has been advertised in the Gazette. (3) Notwithstanding subsection (2), the Registrar-General may register a change of surname of an adopted person without a notarial deed having been registered, if he is satisfied that— (a) the change of surname is for a lawful purpose; and (b) the change of surname is not being effected for purposes of fraud or misrepresentation; and (c) all other requirements in terms of subsection (2) have been fulfilled by the applicant. 37