Birth certificates

Unauthorised third-party websites

Be cautious of third-party websites offering to process birth, death, marriage or relationship certificate applications to the Registry on behalf of customers.

These services are not affiliated with the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages and may charge additional fees. Please ensure any person making an application on your behalf completes the letter of authority (PDF 262.1KB).

Always use the official NSW Government website for applications.

If you have already provided information to a suspicious website, you can contact ID Support NSW Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm (Sydney time) for advice and assistance.

On this page

Online certificate ordering and online registrations systems unavailable

Due to scheduled maintenance, our online certificate ordering, birth registration system and family history services will be unavailable from 8:00am to 5:00pm Sunday 22 March 2026. We apologise for any inconvenience.

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: We suggest you do not laminate your certificates. Where possible, identity documents should be kept in their original state.

As of 2021, all certificates are printed on new security paper.

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 commemorative birth certificates

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 5 categories.

You have written permission to apply and can provide us with:
a) letter of authority (PDF 262.1KB) giving you permission to apply
b) proof of identity for the person named on the certificate or one of
their parents (at least 3 documents), and
c) 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.
You were born in Australia after 20 August, 1986 and one parent’s birth is registered in NSW, and you are applying for their birth certificate to apply for an Australian passport.

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 Aviation security identity card Maritime security identity card
3	Medicare card Centrelink card 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) Rates Notice Lease agreement

How to apply

If you're eligible to apply and the person has been registered in NSW, you must provide the following with your application:

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 submit an application for a birth certificate in the following ways:

Apply online
Applying via our online form is the fastest and easiest way to get your certificate. If you have selected priority service 'collect from the Registry’ as your delivery option, wait for your confirmation email before coming to the Registry office. You will receive this within one business day of your application being processed. See our processing times.
Apply via post or in person
Download the birth certificate application form and submit your completed form and the required identification documents (note: never send original documents) either in-person at your nearest Service NSW centre, or by post to:
Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages
GPO Box 30
Sydney NSW 2001

After reviewing your application, we will send a secure payment link to the email address provided in your application for payment processing.

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.

Fees and processing times

Standard birth certificate _{^{Fees include $11 postage and handling}}	Standard service $68	Priority service $101
Online application	Up to 3 weeks	Up to 2 weeks
Postal application	Up to 4 weeks	Up to 3 weeks
Via Service NSW	Up to 4 weeks	Up to 3 weeks
Fee to send a certificate to a passport office	$49

^{The listed processing times do not include postage delivery times. Please allow 5 to 7 days for delivery of the certificate.}

*Official birth certificate and commemorative certificate package** _{^{Fees include $11 postage and handling}}	Standard service $98	Priority service $131
Online application	Up to 4 weeks	Up to 3 weeks
Postal application	Up to 6 weeks	Up to 5 weeks
Via Service NSW	Up to 5 weeks	Up to 4 weeks

*Commemorative birth certificate only** _{^{Fees include $11 postage and handling}}	Standard service $44	Priority service
Online application	Up to 8 weeks	Not available
Postal application	Up to 9 weeks	Not available
Via Service NSW	Up to 8 weeks	Not available

^{*Commemorative certificates are sent separately from a standard certificate.}
^{The listed processing times do not include postage delivery times. Please allow 5 to 7 days for delivery of the certificate.}

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.

Things to note

Postal address: The postal address you provide will appear on the back of the official birth certificate to ensure it is sent to your nominated address. This section is not considered part of the legal certificate.
Folded certificates: Official birth certificates are issued folded in a DL size envelope, whereas commemorative certificates are issued flat and should be received without creases. Each certificate ordered will arrive in the post separately.
Family names in CAPITALS: To be consistent with most Australian Registries and Government documents (e.g., passports), Registry certificates show family names in CAPITALS.
For the period between April 2014 and 19 April 2020, family names are still shown in Title Case. All previously issued certificates are still valid.

Related information

Last updated: 17 March 2026