Birth certificates

Order a standard birth certificate

You can only order a birth certificate from us if the birth or adoption was registered in NSW.

You can order a birth certificate online at the same time as you register your baby.

If you need a birth certificate as part of a family research project, find out more about family history research.

Important: Do not laminate your certificates. Identity documents must be kept in their original state to be accepted by Government agencies.

Order a birth certificate

Order a commemorative certificate

For something more special, you can choose from our range of designs and purchase a commemorative certificate to frame as a gift or keep for yourself.

See birth certificate designs

About the process

Who can apply

If the birth or adoption was registered in NSW you can apply for a copy of:

your own birth certificate
your child's birth certificate.

You can also apply for the birth certificate of another person if you fall into one of these 4 categories.

You have written permission to apply and can provide us with:

a letter of authority (PDF, 627.26 KB) giving you permission to apply
proof of identity for the person named on the certificate or one of their parents (at least 3 documents) and
proof of your own identity (at least 3 documents).

You have a written power of attorney given by the person on the birth certificate.
You can provide a document showing you are a legally appointed guardian of the person on the birth certificate.
You're a solicitor acting for the person named on the certificate or you require the certificate for a legal purpose and can meet the requirements for solicitors applying for certificates.

Proof of identity

You must provide a least 3 forms of current identity, one of each from Categories 1, 2 and 3.

If you cannot provide proof of identity from Categories 1 and 2, you must still provide at least 3 forms of identity. At least two of these must be from Category 3.
If cannot meet these requirements, please contact us for further advice.

Category	Documents
1	If born in Australia: An Australian birth certificate Record of immigration status: Citizenship certificate New Zealand citizenship certificate together with passport New Zealand birth certificate
2	Australia's driver's licence Australian passport Firearms licence Foreign passport Proof of age card
3	Medicare card Centrelink or Department of Veterans Affairs card Security/Crowd control licence Tertiary education institution ID card
4	Recent utility account with current residential address (issued within last 3 months)

Fees

Certificate request	Standard service	Priority service
Standard birth certificate	$60	$88
Standard birth and Commemorative certificate	$87	$115
Commemorative certificate only	$41	Not available

Fee to send a copy of a birth certificate to a Passport Office $44.

All prices include postage & handling. Add $9 for international post.

We do not offer priority service for certificates when you are registering a new birth.

How to apply

If you're eligible to apply and the person has been registered in NSW, to apply for a birth certificate you must provide:

details of the person's birth
personal and contact information
proof of identity documents that have been saved to your phone or computer
additional documents that apply to for solicitors applying for certificates (if applicable)
documents showing your permission to apply for the birth certificate (if applicable)
a debit or credit card to pay for the certificate.

You can also apply for a birth certificate by:

Applying online. Applying online is the fastest and easiest way to obtain your certificate. If you have selected a ‘collect’ option please await a confirmation email, sent to you within one working day of your application, before coming to the office to collect the certificate.
printing a birth certificate application form (PDF, 2.15 MB) and sending the completed form to us by post
in person at a Service NSW service centre.

Errors on the birth certificate

If there are errors on the certificate you must:

return the original certificate to us by post
provide 3 proof of identity documents and
send us the correct information on the correct an entry form.

Processing times

Processing of a birth certificate begins when we have received your complete and correct application.

Certificates are delivered by registered post and we have allowed a week for this in the times below. Estimated times may vary slightly.
Australia Post advises customers to anticipate delays with international post.

Standard birth certificate	Standard service	Priority service
Online application	up to 4 weeks	up to 2 weeks
Submitted by post	up to 7 weeks	up to 5 weeks
Registry agent (Service NSW)	up to 4 weeks	up to 2 weeks

Commemorative birth certificate	Standard service	Priority service
Online application	up to 4 weeks	Not available
Submitted by post	up to 8 weeks	Not available
Registry agent (Service NSW)	up to 5 weeks	Not available

What's on the certificate

A birth certificate is an official copy of the information given to us to register the birth such as:

name, sex, date and place of birth
information about the parents
information about any brothers or sisters and
date of registration and registration number.

Birth certificates

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New certificate paper

Order a standard birth certificate

Order a commemorative certificate

About the process

Processing times

What's on the certificate

Related information

Links