Australian birth certificate: order a replacement from the right registry
Order a new or replacement Australian birth certificate from the registry where the birth was registered. Choose the official certificate needed for your task, check who may apply and follow that registry's identity and delivery requirements.
Start with the place of registration, even if you now live elsewhere. For example, the South Australian registry issues certificates for births registered in South Australia and directs other applicants to the relevant state, territory or country.
Find the registry that holds the record
| Birth registered in | Official starting point |
|---|---|
| Australian Capital Territory | Access Canberra |
| New South Wales | NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages |
| Northern Territory | NT Births, Deaths and Marriages |
| Queensland | Queensland birth-certificate service |
| South Australia | SA birth-certificate service |
| Tasmania | Tasmanian Births, Deaths and Marriages |
| Victoria | Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria |
| Western Australia | WA Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages |
Use these government pages to reach the application. NSW warns that third-party certificate services are not affiliated with its registry. Check the issuer before sending identity records or payment.
Choose the certificate your task needs
An official birth certificate, a commemorative print and a scan of either are different things. Tasmania's certificate guide explains that its birth certificate is an official certified copy of the registration. Its decorative certificate is not suitable as identity evidence, and its extract lacks parents' details. WA also distinguishes its certified certificate from commemorative versions.
Read the recipient's request before ordering. For an Australian passport, the Passport Office citizenship guidance requires full, original registry-issued birth certificates showing parent or grandparent names where those certificates are used as citizenship evidence. Other citizenship evidence may also be necessary. See the Australian passport-application guide before assembling that pack.
A registry-issued certificate described as a certified copy of the registration is different from a photocopy certified by a witness. A personal scan is another category again. Do not assume either kind of copy replaces an original requested by the organisation receiving it.
Prepare the application before opening the form
- Confirm that you are entitled to apply. Ordering your own record, your child's record and someone else's record can require different authority. The ACT, for example, requires permission for a parent to obtain an adult child's certificate.
- Collect the recorded name, date and place of birth and requested parent details. If you do not know an item, use the registry's help route rather than guessing.
- Follow that registry's identity checklist for your chosen submission method. Check whether it needs online verification, uploaded images, certified copies or sighting of originals.
- Prepare any guardianship, consent or name-linking evidence requested for your circumstances.
- Check the current fee, postage and delivery address before paying. Save the receipt and application reference.
There is no single national upload procedure. Queensland requires identity and supporting evidence by post or in person even if you complete its form online. The postal route needs certified copies; its in-person routes use originals. By comparison, the NT online application asks for scans or photographs of current identification documents.
Have the evidence ready before you start. Tasmania's online checklist says you cannot save an application and return to it, and that it expires after 30 minutes of inactivity.
If a required upload is too large, first check the portal's file limits, permitted formats and whether it accepts an edited copy. The document compression tool can make a smaller derivative when permitted. Its PDF output contains images; selectable text, form fields and digital signatures do not survive. Inspect every page afterwards. Keep the original file unchanged and follow certification instructions separately.
Official digital certificates have their own eligibility
Some official credentials now appear in government apps. They are different from a photograph saved to your phone.
The NSW Digital Birth Certificate is currently available to eligible people aged 16 to 21 with a NSW-registered birth and a NSW Photo Card or Driver Licence. It appears in the Service NSW app and does not replace the paper certificate. Check acceptance for your particular transaction.
Victoria offers a free digital birth certificate for children born on or after 19 February 2019, accessed through Service Victoria. The registry says it has the same legal standing as paper, while recommending a paper certificate because acceptance by businesses and interstate or international authorities can vary.
Use the government app for the live credential and any verification step. Saving its screenshot in Dokus does not create another issued digital certificate or transfer the app's verification features.
Keep the issued record separate from your working copies
After delivery, compare the certificate with your application and contact the registry about errors. Do not edit the certificate image to correct an official detail.
Store the physical certificate securely. If you make a personal scan, capture all edges and keep the registration details readable. Label it as a personal copy, and keep any issuer-supplied digital file unchanged. A receipt confirms an order; it is not the certificate itself.
Before placing the order
- The registry matches where the birth was registered.
- The certificate type matches the recipient's request.
- Your authority and identity evidence match the selected application route.
- The delivery address and current fees have been checked.
- You know which original, official credential or copy the next organisation requires.
Questions about Australian birth certificates
Do I order from the state where I live now?
Apply to the registry where the birth was registered. Moving interstate does not move the birth record to your new state's registry.
Can a commemorative birth certificate be used as ID?
Commemorative certificates are designed for display. Order the official certificate required by the organisation that needs your identity evidence.
Is a scan in Dokus an official digital birth certificate?
No. A scan in Dokus is a personal copy. An official digital birth certificate is issued through the relevant government's service and used under its eligibility and acceptance rules.