Australia Civil Registration

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Australia

Civil Registration

How to Find the Records

• For a detailed chart showing coverage dates and index links for each state and territory, see the .pdf Births, Deaths and Marriages: Australia, NZ, England & Wales
• National Library of Australia Website: Australian birth, death and marriage records
• FamilySearch Webinar: Australia BDM Civil Registration Index online tutorial. Indexes for some states have been added since this class was recorded: Australian Capital Territory, South Australia, Tasmania

Online Birth, Marriage, and Death Indexes

• Australia, Birth, Marriage, and Death Exchange, index
• 1776-1980: Australia Miscellaneous Genealogical Records at FamilySearch; index & images
• 1788-1922 Australia, Birth Index, 1788-1922, index - at Ancestry ($)
• 1792-1981 Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981, index, incomplete. How to Use this Collection
• 1792-1981 Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981, index - at Ancestry ($). Also at Findmypast ($). Also at My Heritage ($)
• 1788-1950 Australia, Marriage Index, 1788-1950, index - at Ancestry ($)
• 1788-1935 Australia, Marriages, 1788-1935, index - at Findmypast ($)
• 1810-1980 Australia Marriages, 1810-1980, index, incomplete. How to Use this Collection
• 1810-1980 Australia, Marriages, 1810-1980, index - at MyHeritage ($)
• 1787-1985 Australia, Death Index, 1787-1985, index - at Ancestry ($)
• 1816-1980 Australia Deaths and Burials, 1816-1980, index. How to Use this Collection
• 1816-1980 Australia Deaths & Burials, 1816-1980, index - at Findmypast ($). Also at My Heritage ($)
• 1851-1997 Australia Newspaper Vital Notices, 1851-1997 - at Ancestry ($), index, incomplete.
• 1860-2019 Australia Death Notices, 1860-2019 ($), index

British Armed Forces

• British Armed Forces and Overseas Births and Baptisms at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Banns and Marriages at Findmypast - index & images ($)
• British Armed Forces and Overseas Deaths and Burials at Findmypast - index & images ($)

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Australian Capital Territory

• Australian Capital Territory Marriages - at Findmypast ($). Index.
• Australian Capital Territory Deaths - at Findmypast ($). Index.

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New South Wales

• New South Wales Birth, Death, and Marriage Index
• 1788-1914 - New South Wales Births at Findmypast - index only ($); Also at MyHeritage ($)
• 1788-1856 - New South Wales, Australia, Colonial Secretary's Papers at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1788-1945 - New South Wales Marriages at Findmypast - index only ($)
• 1788-1966 - Australia, New South Wales Marriage Index at MyHeritage - index only ($)
• 1813–1835,1894 - New South Wales, Australia, Butts of Marriage Licenses at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1825-1851 - New South Wales Registers Of Convict Applications To Marry at Findmypast - index & images ($); Also at Ancestry ($)
• 1826-1856 - New South Wales, Australia, Colonial Secretary's Letters at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1828-1839 - New South Wales, Australia, Convict Applications for the Publication of Banns at Ancestry - index & images ($)
• 1787-1986 - Australia, New South Wales Death Index at MyHeritage - index only ($)
• 1788-1945 - New South Wales Deaths at Findmypast - index only ($)
• 1826-1879 - New South Wales, Australia, Convict Death Register at Ancestry - index & images ($)

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Northern Territory

• Northern Territory Baptisms and Confirmations - at Findmypast, index.($)
• 1870-1918 Northern Territory Birth Index 1870-1918 - at Findmypast, index.($)
• 1870-1913 Northern Territory Marriage Index 1870-1913 - at Findmypast, index.($)
• Northern Territory Marriages - at Findmypast, index.($)
• Northern Territory Deaths - at Findmypast, index.($)

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South Australia

• South Australia Online Database Search

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Queensland

• Queensland Family history research service for births, marriages, and deaths. Index (free) and images ($).
• 1829-1919 Queensland Births 1829-1919 - at Findmypast, index.($)
• 1829-1939 Queensland Marriages 1829-1939 - at Findmypast, index.($)
• 1829-1964 Queensland Deaths 1829-1964 - at Findmypast, index.($)

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Tasmania

• 1803-1933 Tasmania Names Index: Births Libraries Tasmania, index and images. Includes some baptisms collected by the Registrar General (1900-1933 baptisms only).
• 1803-1933 Australia Tasmania Civil Registration 1803-1933 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1803-1933 Tasmania Births 1803-1933 - at Findmypast, Index ($)
• 1803-1899 Tasmania Marriages 1803-1899 - at Findmypast, Index ($)
• 1803-1933 Tasmania Deaths 1803-1933 - at Findmypast Index ($)
• 1803-1939 Tasmania Names Index:Deaths (1803-1939) Libraries Tasmania, index and images.
• 1804-1899 Tasmania Names Index: Marriages Libraries Tasmania, index and images.
• 1828-1975 Tasmania Names Index: Tasmania inquest records Libraries Tasmania, index and images.
• 1835-1840 Births,Deaths and Marriages Index 1835 - 1840, listed in the newspaper Cornwall Chronicle, index.
• 1839-1938 Australia, Tasmania, Civil Registration (District Registers), 1839-1938 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• 1852-1944 Tasmania Names Index: Marriage certificate counterfoils (1852-1944) Libraries Tasmania, index and images.
• 1854-1930 Tasmania, Australia, Index to Birth Notices in The Mercury, 1854-1930 - at Ancestry, Index ($)
• 1854-1962 Tasmania, Australia, Index to Marriage Notices in The Mercury, 1854-1962 - at Ancestry, Index ($)
• 1854-1920 Tasmania, Australia, Index to Death Notices in The Mercury, 1854-1930 - at Ancestry Index ($)
• 1861-1950 Tasmania Names Index: Divorces (1861-1950) Libraries Tasmania, index and images. Petitions for divorce in the Tasmanian Supreme Court.
• 1899-1912 Australia, Tasmania, Civil Registration of Births, 1899-1912 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
• Australia, Tasmania Deaths at MyHeritage — index & images ($)

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Victoria

• Births, Deaths, Marriages Victoria: Family history research
• Historical lndex of Births, Marriages, and Deaths, Victoria State Justice and Registratuion Quick Search
• 1836-1913 Victoria Births 1836-1913 - at Findmypast, Index ($)
• 1837-1917 Victoria, Australia, Birth Index, 1837-1917, index - at Ancestry ($). Also at MyHeritage ($)
• 1836-1942 Victoria Marriages 1836-1942 - at Findmypast, Index ($)
• 1837-1950 Victoria, Australia, Marriage Index, 1837-1950, index - at Ancestry ($). Also at MyHeritage ($)
• 1836-1985 Victoria Deaths 1836-1985 - at Findmypast, Index ($)
• 1836-1988 Victoria, Australia, Death Index, 1836-1988, index - at Ancestry ($). Also at MyHeritage ($)

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Western Australia

• Western Australia Online Index Search Tool
• Western Australia Birth Index - at Findmypast, index ($)
• Western Australia Marriage Index - at Findmypast, index ($)
• Western Australia Death Index - at Findmypast, index ($)

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Pioneer Indexes

• 1824 - 1859 Queensland Early Pioneers Index, 1824 - 1859 - at MyHeritage ($)
• 1825-1920 Far North Queensland, Australia, Pioneers & Settlers Registers, 1825 -1920
• Colonial Tasmanian Family Links database
• Western Australia Online Index Search Tool

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Offices to Contact

For instructions, forms, fees, and addresses for writing for records, find your state at this website:

• Australian Government: Births, deaths and marriages registries for each state/territory
• Australian birth, death, and marriage records

Each government state index listed above will be followed by instructions for ordering any record found listed in the index.

Transcription Services

In some states you can use a transcription service to record what is on a certificate. Transcriptions provide the same information as certificates and are usually cheaper and quicker, but cannot be used for legal purposes.

• National Archives of Australia, Research Agents

Rights of Privacy

Rights of privacy laws limit access to records recent enough to contain information about living persons. You can access any of the following records:

• births that happened over 100 years ago
• deaths that happened over 30 years ago
• marriages that happened over 75 years ago

For records created since the cut-off dates, only these people have access to a record:

• the person named on the birth, marriage or change of name record
• an immediate family member named on the death certificate, such as a spouse, parent or child
• a parent, grandparent or guardian of a child over 18 years old who wishes to apply for a birth certificate and who has given written permission.

Historical Background

The starting dates of civil registration in each colony/state or territory of Australia are:

Tasmania	1 December 1838; before 1838 see New South Wales (1803*)
South Australia	1 July 1842
Western Australia	9 September 1841
Victoria	1 July 1853; before 1853 see New South Wales (1836*)
Queensland	1 March 1856; before 1856 see New South Wales (1829*) Civil registration began in Queensland when it was still part of the Colony of New South Wales. The relevant records were transferred to the control of the new Colony of Queensland at its formation in 1859.
New South Wales	1 March 1856 (1788*)
Northern Territory	24 August 1870 Civil registration began in the Northern Territory when it was administered from Adelaide, South Australia. Responsibility was taken over by the Commonwealth from South Australia in 1911. The function was transferred to the Northern Territory Government in 1978. when internal self-government was granted.
Australian Capital Territory	1 January 1930 Civil registration began in the Australian Capital Territory from the creation of the Territory. At first, the function was carried out by New South Wales until 1930 when the Commonwealth took over. In 1988, the function was transferred to the Government of the Australian Capital Territory when internal self-government was granted.

*However, these dates do not reflect the earliest dates for Australian civil records. Church records predate civil registration, and as registrar's offices assumed responsibility for registration, they requested copies of earlier church records to incorporate into their collections. Indexes may go back even further for the following colonies:

• New South Wales — 1788
• Tasmania — 1803
• Queensland — 1829
• Victoria — 1836

Information Recorded in the Records

• For a chart showing specific details on information given in different time periods and locations, see the .pdf file What you can expect to see on an historical AUS BDM certificate
  

When civil registration first began, there was no common standard of recording information, so the information listed may vary from state to state. Later records generally give more complete information than earlier ones.

Birth records

• Surname and forenames of child
• Date and place of birth of child
• Sex of the child
• Multiple births
• Surname and forenames of father
• Age, birthplace, and occupation or rank of father
• Maiden surname and forenames of mother
• Place and year of marriage of parents
• Age and birthplace of mother
• Number and sex of previous issue, if deceased
• Name, relationship, description, and residence of informant

Marriage records

• Surname and forenames of parties
• Occupations and places of residence of parties
• Ages and places of birth of parties
• Marital status prior to the marriage
• Date and place of marriage
• Name of celebrant and denomination
• Names of witnesses
• Surnames and forenames of parents

Death records

• Surname and forenames of deceased
• Date and place of death
• Occupation, age, and sex of deceased
• Place of birth and place and date of marriage of deceased
• Length of residence in Australia and in what colonies, states, and territories
• Name of spouse and names and ages of living children of deceased
• Number and sex of issue, if deceased
• Name and occupation of father
• Maiden surname of mother
• Cause of death and duration of last illness
• Name of medical practitioner
• Date and place of burial
• Religion and name of minister or witness
• Names of undertaker and informant
• Residence and relationship or description of informant
• Date and place of civil registration