Ombudsman Emily O'Reilly today called on the state office that registers all births, deaths, marriages and adoptions to review its procedures after receiving a number of complaints from the public.
The former journalist said in her official report that the General Register Officer (GRO) failed to respond promptly to her enquiries and was unwilling to provide clarity or helpful information.
The agency also had a lack of sensitivity to the needs of the complainants, Ms O'Reilly said.
One complaint related to a mother whose daughter's surname was changed on her birth certificate without her knowledge.
In another case, a woman who had given her eight-year-old son up for adoption 30 years ago had difficulties in changing his birth records.
Also, a couple who wanted to get an Irish version of their marriage certificate encountered problems. In addition, there were a series of cases involving the recognition of foreign divorces in Ireland.
Ms O'Reilly added: "The cases referred to in the report exemplify instances where the quality of service provided, was below the standard which might be expected from a public service organisation."
She also called on the GRO to draw up and implement a customer service action plan as soon as possible and recommended a suitable appeals mechanism to deal with complaints and to liaise more closely with the Ombudsman's office.
The GRO was unwilling to raise legislative issues for the Department of Health and Children to review, Ms O'Reilly added.