P.R. Laws tit. 24, § 1232
The Secretary of Health shall systematically arrange and permanently keep the certificates; shall prepare and keep an up-to-date alphabetical index thereof classified by the surnames of the deceased in the case of death certificates; by the surnames of the contracting parties in the case of marriage certificates; and by the surnames of the parents, or that of the mother in the case of children born out of wedlock, in the case of birth certificates. Once a death is registered according to the provisions of this chapter, the Secretary shall state on the birth certificate of the deceased person, the word “ Fallecido ”, with the English translation “Dead”. A rubber stamp shall be used for this purpose; Provided, That all certificates of [the] births, deaths and marriages that have occurred in Puerto Rico prior to the effective date of this act shall remain in the files of the respective municipalities in custody of the Local Registrar, who, by petition of the party concerned, shall issue certified copies thereof, through payment, by the petitioner, of the fee established through regulations to such effect, for each certified copy of a birth, marriage or death certificate. The moneys collected for the payment of the fees shall be covered into a special fund in the Department of the Treasury and shall be destined to the budget of the Registry of Vital Statistics for operating expenses. The custodians of the Registry may issue certified copies of the certificates to the petitioners concerned who are over eighteen (18) years of age, and to minors over sixteen (16) years of age with the written authorization of the parents or legal guardian; and is hereby authorized to issue to any minor who is, in turn, the father or mother of a minor, certificates related to him/her, and his/her son or daughter.
History —Apr. 22, 1931, No. 24, p. 228, § 32; Feb. 23, 1978, No. 1, p. 3, § 1; Apr. 19, 1983, No. 22, p. 39, § 1; Aug. 9, 1998, No. 220, § 3; Jan. 5, 1999, No. 1, § 2.