What you can expect to see on a historical Australian BDM certificate?
Available by kind permission of Graham Jaunay, Adelaide Proformat.
This list is best viewed on a larger screen. Or you can download a copy of the Australian BDM certificate details details and print this off for future reference while you research.
| BIRTH CERTIFICATES | ||||||||
| Data | ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA |
| Start | Jan 1930 | Mar 1856 | Aug 1870 | Mar 1856 | Jun 1842 | Dec 1838 | Jul 1853 | Sep 1841 |
| Earlier records | NSW | – | SA | NSW | – | – | NSW | – |
| Name | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Date | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Place | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Father’s name | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Father’s occupation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Father’s age | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1907 | from 1902 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Father’s birthplace | Yes | Yes | from 1908 | Yes | from 1907 | from 1902 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Mother’s name | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Maiden name | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | from 1907 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mother’s age | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1907 | from 1902 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Mother’s birthplace | Yes | Yes | from 1908 | Yes | from 1907 | from 1902 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Marriage date | Yes | Yes | from 1908 | Yes | from 1907 | from 1896 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Previous children | Yes | Yes | from 1908 | Yes | from 1907 | from 1919 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Available (Historical*) | after 100 yrs | after 100 yrs | after 80 yrs | after 100 yrs | after 75 yrs | after 100 yrs | prior 1908 | after 75 yrs |
| Index avail on CD | No | to 1918 | No | to 1914 | to 1928 | to 1919 | to 1920 | to 1905 |
| Index online (f=fee) | to 1906 | to 1914 | to 1924 f | to 1931 | ||||
| Index avail on fiche/film | No | to 1905 | to 1902 | to 1914 | to 1928 | to 1905 | to 1913 | to 1905 |
It should be noted that the availability of certificates may be reduced by the lack of an index.
A Yes in a column means that you can usually expect the entry to appear. There are many examples of early certificates where the item may be omitted despite the provision in the certificate for that item of data.
* Historical certificates are those available outside the embargoed periods to the general public. Certificates within the embargoed period are usually available to the person named therein, their parents and their children under the age of 18 upon presentation of ID and proof. The exception to this rule is the ACT and NT where applicants for historical certificates must produce evidence of a family link.
NSW, QLD & TAS also offer pre-civil registration records. NSW from 1788, QLD from 1829, TAS from 1803.
Some indexes have more detail than others, but they should not be treated as primary sources but rather pointers.
| MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES |
||||||||
| Data | ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA |
| Start | Jan 1930 | Mar 1856 | Aug 1870 | Mar 1856 | Jun 1842 | Dec 1838 | Jul 1853 | Sep 1841 |
| Earlier records | NSW | – | SA | NSW | – | – | NSW | – |
| Date | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Couple’s names | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Couple’s ages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Couple’s birthplaces | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | from 1907 | from 1896 | Yes | from 1923 |
| Previous status | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Couple’s occupations | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Couple’s residences | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | from 1856 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fathers’ names | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1856 | from 1896 | Yes | Yes |
| Fathers’ occupations | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | No | from 1896 | Yes | Yes |
| Groom’s mothers name | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1964 | from 1896 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Bride’s mothers name | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | No | from 1896 | Yes | No |
| Available (Historical*) | after 75 yrs | after 50 yrs | after 60 yrs | after 75 yrs | after 60 yrs | after 75 yrs | prior 1943 | after 60 yrs |
| Index avail on CD | No | to 1945 | No | to 1914 | to 1937 | to 1930 | to 1942 | to 1905 |
| Index online (f=fee) | to 1956 | to 1914 | to 1942 f | to 1906 | ||||
| Index avail on fiche/film | No | to 1905 | to 1902 | to 1939 | to 1937 | to 1919 | to 1930 | to 1965 |
| DEATH CERTIFICATES |
||||||||
| Data | ACT | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA |
| Start | Jan 1930 | Mar 1856 | Aug 1870 | Mar 1856 | Jun 1842 | Dec 1838 | Jul 1853 | Sep 1841 |
| Earlier records | NSW | – | SA | NSW | – | – | NSW | – |
| Name | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Date | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Death place | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Age | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Occupation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Cause of death | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parents’ names | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | No | from 1914 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Spouse names | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1968 | No | Yes | from 1896 |
| Marriage details | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1915 age at m. |
No | Yes | from 1896 |
| Childrens’ names | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | No | No | Yes | from 1896 |
| No of children | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1907 | from 1914 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Birthplace | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1907 | from 1897 | Yes | from 1896 |
| Residency | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1907 | No | Yes | from 1896 |
| Burial place | Yes | Yes | from 1949 | Yes | from 1948 | No | Yes | from 1896 |
| Available (Historical*) | after 30 yrs | after 30 yrs | after 30 yrs | after 30 yrs | after 25 yrs | after 25 yrs | prior 1986 | after 25 yrs |
| Index avail on CD | No | to 1945 | No | to 1914 | to 1972 | to 1930 | to 1985 | to 1905 |
| Index online (f=fee) | to 1976 | to 1914 | to 1985 f | to 1931 | ||||
| Index avail on fiche/film | No | to 1905 | to 1902 | to 1964 | to 1970 | to 1919 | to 1985 | to 1980 |
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