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Since 16 November 2020, all adopted people in NSW are automatically issued with both a post-adoptive birth certificate and an integrated birth certificate (IBC).
If you were adopted in NSW before this date, you or your birth or adoptive parents can apply for an IBC.
The IBC is a legal document that shows the adopted person’s:
The post-adoptive birth certificate only shows the adoptive parents and siblings.
Both certificates identify:
Either certificate can be used as an official identification document.
The IBC was made possible by the Adoption Legislation Amendment (Integrated Birth Certificates) Act 2020. This amended the Adoption Act 2000 and Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1995.
The IBC:
You can apply for an IBC if you are the:
Depending on the registration date and adopted person’s age, you may need the adopted person’s consent and/or an Adoption Information Certificate (AIC). This is a copy of the memorandum of an adoption order and contains information about the adoption.
You can apply for an IBC for if the adoption was registered in NSW.
When the adoption took place will affect who and how you can apply.
Adopted persons aged under 18 will need:
Birth parents wishing to apply will need an Adoption Information Certificate (AIC). To get an AIC, birth parents need to complete and submit an application to obtain adoption information.
To apply for an IBC for an adoption which took place before 2010, you will need either:
To get an AIC, you need to complete an application to obtain adoption information.
If you are the adoptive parents, you need:
Adopted persons under 18 applying to an AIC will also need:
If it's not possible to get consent from your adoptive and/or birth parents, contact the Adoption Information Unit.
If an adopted person or birth parent is deceased, a relative or a significant other person can apply to get adoption information, including the adopted person’s IBC.
You can apply if you are:
For more information, visit Adoption.
For some historical adoptions, information may be missing about the birth family. This could be because of forced adoption and removal practices in the past.
Where information is incomplete, a dash or ‘unknown’ is recorded in the relevant fields on the IBC.
If the adoption was registered in a different state to NSW, contact the relevant government department in that state or territory.
To apply for an IBC for an overseas adoption, the adoption must be registered in NSW. This happens when the Supreme Court of NSW:
Information about the birth family recorded on the IBC reflects the information that is made available by the adopted person’s country of origin.
There is no fee for an IBC if:
A single fee applies if you are applying for:
We may waive the fee in some circumstances. For more information about fees, visit certificates and searches for adoption.
For information on how to apply, visit our certificates and searches for adoption page.
If you need more information related to the IBC, contact the Department of Communities and Justice Adoption Information Unit.
Email: adoption.Information@facs.nsw.gov.au or phone the Open Adoption Hotline on 1800 003 227 (note this operates Monday-Friday 9am-4:30pm) or for local calls within Australia, 1300 799 023.
If you have any accessibility feedback or concerns related to this resource, please contact us.