Family history > Australian family history records > BDM Australia

BDM Australia

Civil registration dates, access and registrars.
Australian birth, death and marriage records are administered at state and territory level. So it helps if you know the state or territory where the event occurred. If not, there are only six states and two territories to check.

Civil registration

Civil registration started on the following dates:
  • Australian Capital Territory - 1 January 1930
  • New South Wales - 1 March 1856
  • Northern Territory - 24 August 1870
  • Queensland - 1 March 1856
  • South Australia - 1 June 1842
  • Tasmania - 1 December 1838
  • Victoria - 1 July 1853
  • Western Australia - 1 September 184
Some early church records are available from state BDM registries. Also look for free sources. PROV (Public Record Office Victoria) holds some early church records. You can register, order the records, visit PROV, view the records and copy them for free. I also offer lookups at PROV for a small fee.
​

BDM certificates and church records

The amount of information in records and indexes varies widely between the states and territories, and it has changed over time. Church records generally contain much less information. 

Access to historical certificates also varies. Waiting periods can be up to 100 years for birth, up to 30 years for death and up to 75 years for marriage records.

Where uncertified images are available, this is a worthwhile option for family historians. Uncertified images are cheaper but contain the same information. Certified images are only required for legal purposes.

Australian BDM registrars

Australian Capital Territory Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
New South Wales Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
Northern Territory Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
Queensland Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
South Australia Births Deaths and Marriages Registration Office
Tasmanian Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
Victorian Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages
Western Australian Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages


Australian family history records
Australian BDM records
Australian census records
Australian civil administration
Australian history timeline
Victorian history timeline

© Highlight Press. ​Privacy and Terms of use. ​