How to obtain an Australian birth, marriage or death certificate

Australians abroad, and foreign nationals, often need a full Certificate of Birth, Marriage Certificate issued by an Australian Registry for such purposes as applying for a passport, securing residence and work permits, marriage, migration, divorce, court requirements, etc.

Although you may already hold an original of a certificate, the local authorities often require the certificate, say for example, a certificate of birth or a no record (single status) of marriage certificate, issued no earlier than six months prior to the date the certificate is requested by the local authority.

Moreover, the Portuguese authorities will request that you have an Apostille of the Hague stamp placed on the certificate. The Embassy does not have an Apostille stamp. Please refer to "Apostille - Authentication of Foreign Public Documents" information sheet as this will assist you in getting an Apostille stamp on your certificate.

Please ensure that you know precisely what is required by the local Portuguese authority and that you provide as much information as possible to the Registry Office in Australia. Please click here for a list of addresses of Registry Offices in Australia.

Please note carefully that a full Certificate of Birth (one which gives the name of the child, the date and place of birth, the names and ages of both parents, occupation of father, maiden name of mother, date and place of marriage, etc.) is required for the issue of an Australian passport, for a permit to reside and/or work in the Portugal, marriage, etc.

If you were born in Australia, or were born out of Australia but have lived in Australia for an extended period of time, you may be required to provide evidence that you have never married in the State or Territory in which you were born or lived.

In such cases the Portuguese authority may ask you to produce a document called a "No Record (Single Status) of Marriage Certificate" which may be obtained from the Registry of Births Marriages and Deaths in the relevant State or Territory.

Again, please ensure that you know how long/how many years the search should cover, for example - from birth to the present; from age 16 to the present; from age 18 to the present; if you were married then from the time your marriage was dissolved until the present time.

It is not a function of the Embassy to advise you about the costs associated with obtaining any of the certificates or to get these certificates for you.

Contact the relevant Registering Authority for information about the costs of certificates and how you can pay. Please ask the Registry Office if it is necessary to include, say, an additional sum of money to cover the costs of airmailing your certificate to you in Portugal. If you need your certificate urgently, please do not forget to enquire at the Registry about a priority service fee and costs to return the Certificate to you.

If you require a certificate urgently, it may take less time if a relative or friend in Australia can assist you. Your friend or relative could obtain a certificate from the Registry Office, and thereafter take it to have an Apostille stamped on it at the appropriate Regional Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They will then be able to return the Certificate with Apostille to you in Portugal.

Please ensure, however, that you explain to your relative or friend why you require the document e.g. for a first Australian passport, to marry, or for a residence and/or work permit. They should explain why to the Australian authority.

The Registry Offices in Australia may require your relative or friend to provide a photocopy of one of your documents of identity, e.g. passport, driver’s licence. It will be your responsibility to find this out in advance, either by contacting the Registry Office directly or have your relative or friend do so and then advise you of what is required.

Government authorities in Australia will not commence processing your application until receipt of the fee. Therefore, your letter accompanying your order or an application downloaded from the Internet needs to be accompanied by an international bank cheque for the appropriate amount of money or details of your credit card.

If you wish to obtain a copy of your Australian birth, marriage or death certificate you may apply through official web site of the relevant State or Territory Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.


Should you need to contact the Registry Office in Papua New Guinea, please note the following contact details:

PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Registrar Generals Office
Birth Registry
PO Box 21
Gerehu, Port Moresby, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
tel: +675 (0) 271 844

Births in Papua New Guinea of Australian parents may be registered with:

 
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Registrar of Births Abroad
Chan Street, Belconnen ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA