Australia Civil Registration

How to Find the Records

 * National Library of Australia Website: Australian birth, death and marriage records
 * FamilySearch Webinar: Australia BDM Civil Registration Index online tutorial

Online Records

 * 1792-1981 Australia, Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981 at My Heritage ($) - index
 * 1839-1938 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1803-1933 at FamilySearch - How to Use this Collection; index & images
 * 1972-2010 - Queensland, Australia, Gregson and Weight Funeral Records, 1972-2010 ($) - at Ancestry, index and images

State Registrars' Details and Costs of Certificates

 * Australian Government: Births, deaths and marriages registries for each state/territory

Historical Background
The starting datea of civil registration in each colony/state or territory of Australia are:

Information Recorded in the Records
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

Indexes to Civil Registration Records
Indexes to Australian births, marriages and deaths may be found at at local, state, national and genealogical society libraries on microfiche and CD. Some Registrars' websites include free or fee-based index search facilities. Certificates may be ordered from the Registrar of the appropriate state or territory. Online ordering and delivery of certificates is available on some Registrars' web sites. Death information may also be obtained from inquests, wills, newspaper and other indexes.

Each of the several states in Australia have created indexes to their civil registration records. These indexes are on microfilm or microfiche and cover births, deaths, and marriages from the beginning of civil registration in the state to the present day. Where available, indexes can help you find your ancestor more easily.

New South Wales has an index to births 1788-1910, deaths 1788-1980, and marriages 1788-1960 available online at Registry records.

Western Australia has online indexes of their civil registration beginning in 1841 at http://www.bdm.dotag.wa.gov.au/_apps/pioneersindex/default.aspx

Queensland indexes of birth to 1914 and marriages and deaths to 1929 are available online at https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/BirIndexQry.m.

There are also Pioneer Indexes on compact discs which index civil registration records and some church records. These indexes include the following:


 * New South Wales Pioneers Index, 1788–1918
 * The Federation Series:1899–1918] (part 2 of New South Wales Pioneer Index)
 * The Tasmanian Pioneers Index, 1803–1899
 * The Victoria Pioneers Index, 1837–1888
 * The Western Australian Pioneers Index, 1841–1905

These indexes are available in the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; genealogical societies throughout Australia; and many local public libraries all over Australia. These indexes may or may not be available at Family History Centers.

Records at the Family History Library
The Family History Library has microfilmed very few Australian civil registration records because the government has placed restrictions on public access to these records. By law, personal application must be made to the various state archives for copies of the certificates.

To find civil registration records in the Family History Library, look in the Place Search of the Family History Library’s catalog at Catalog/frameset_fhlc.asp http://www.familysearch.org/Eng/Library/FamilySearch Catalog/frameset_fhlc.asp under:

AUSTRALIA, [STATE]- CIVIL REGISTRATION

There may also be information under:

AUSTRALIA - CIVIL REGISTRATION INDEXES