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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

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 ($)

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.($)

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.($)
1829-1964 Queensland Deaths 1829-1964 - at Findmypast, index.($)

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 ($)

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 ($)

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 ($)

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

Offices to Contact

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

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: ^[1]

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

References

↑ Deaths outside Tasmania Government of Tasmanaia. LINC Tasmania, bringing together the State Library of Tasmania, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office (TAHO), Adult Education and Online Access Centres. Accessed 15 Jul 2013.

[1] Deaths outside Tasmania Government of Tasmanaia. LINC Tasmania, bringing together the State Library of Tasmania, Tasmanian Archive and Heritage Office (TAHO), Adult Education and Online Access Centres. Accessed 15 Jul 2013.

[1]