Certified Copy or a New Certificate From BDM?

For most Australian purposes, a certified copy of your existing certificate is enough. For overseas use, you usually need an original certificate issued by the state or territory registry of births, deaths and marriages, often a recent one, because DFAT apostilles the registry's certificate, not a JP's copy.

Key takeaways

• A certified copy is a photocopy of your certificate, certified by a JP or other authorised person. It suits most Australian bodies.
• A new certificate is issued by the registry itself. It is usually what overseas bodies and DFAT need.
• DFAT can apostille an original registry certificate directly, without a notary. It cannot apostille a JP's copy.
• Laminated or altered certificates are refused, and commemorative marriage certificates cannot be legalised. Commemorative birth certificates are on DFAT's list.
• Some overseas bodies want a certificate issued recently. Ask before you order.

What is the difference?

Your birth, marriage or death certificate is itself an official copy of the entry in a state or territory register, issued and signed by the registry. A certified copy is something else: a photocopy of that certificate, which a Justice of the Peace, notary or other authorised person has compared with it and certified as a true copy. The certified copy proves that the photocopy matches your certificate; it does not come from the registry.

A new certificate, ordered from the registry, is a fresh official copy of the register entry, with a current issue date and the registry's signature and security features. For many purposes the two are interchangeable, but not all. Our guide to a certified copy of a birth certificate covers the certified copy route in more detail.

When is a certified copy enough?

For most uses within Australia, a certified copy of your existing certificate is fine. Home Affairs generally asks for colour scans and sometimes certified copies. Banks, employers, schools, universities, Centrelink and most other Australian bodies accept copies certified by a JP or another person on their list, and JPs do not charge. There is usually no need to order a new certificate just because yours is several years old, as long as it is in good condition and shows current details.

The exception is where your details have changed since the certificate was issued, for example after an adoption, a registered change of sex or name, or a correction. Then a new certificate may show different details, and the receiving body may want the current one. Our guide to notaries and JPs explains who can certify copies.

When do you need a new certificate?

For overseas use, a new or at least an original registry certificate is usually required. Foreign authorities, such as consulates, civil registries and courts, generally want the registry's own document, often with a DFAT apostille or authentication, rather than an Australian JP's copy. DFAT can apostille an original registry certificate directly, because it can verify the registry officer's signature, but it cannot apostille a JP's certification.

A new certificate is also the answer when your existing one is damaged, faded, laminated, altered, or a commemorative marriage certificate, and sometimes when an overseas body wants a certificate issued within a recent period. Order it from the registry of the state or territory where the event was registered, not where you live now. Our guide to apostilling a birth certificate covers the DFAT step.

Purpose	Usually enough	Why
Home Affairs visa or citizenship	Colour scan or certified copy	The department assesses copies
Australian bank, employer or school	Certified copy	Domestic certification accepted
Overseas consulate or registry	Original registry certificate, often apostilled	Foreign bodies want the registry's document
Marriage abroad	Recent registry certificate, apostilled	Many countries set an age limit
Citizenship by descent abroad	Registry certificate, often a full version	Parents' details must appear
Laminated or damaged certificate	A new registry certificate	Laminated documents are refused

What about commemorative and laminated certificates?

Registries in several states offer decorative commemorative certificates, particularly for births and marriages, alongside the standard certificate. They are handled differently. DFAT's list of documents it can legalise includes commemorative birth certificates, but ceremonial or commemorative marriage certificates are excluded, and so are marriage certificates given on the day by a celebrant, which are not registry documents at all. For a marriage, order the standard certificate from the registry.

Laminated, framed or altered certificates are not accepted by DFAT, and are usually refused by other bodies too, because lamination hides security features and makes tampering impossible to detect. If your certificate has been laminated, order a new one rather than trying to remove the lamination. Check DFAT's current list on Smartraveller before relying on a particular certificate.

How recent does a certificate need to be?

For Australian use, there is usually no age limit, provided the certificate shows current details. Many overseas bodies are different. Countries that require an Australian birth certificate for a marriage, residence permit or citizenship application often want it issued within a recent period, commonly a few months, because a newer certificate reflects any later changes to the register, such as a marriage annotation or a name change.

The age is usually counted from the certificate's issue date, not from the apostille. Ask the foreign body how recent the certificate must be, then order it, apostille it and send it within that window. Our guide to documents that are too old for an overseas body covers the common rules.

Standard or full certificate?

Some registries offer more than one version of a certificate, and some overseas bodies care which one you provide. A certificate that shows your parents' details is usually what foreign authorities want for citizenship by descent, marriage and family matters. Some registries also offer historical or image copies of older register entries. If a foreign body asks for a "full" or "long form" certificate, check what the registry offers and ask the foreign body which version meets its requirement.

Who can order a new certificate?

Registries restrict who may order certificates, to protect privacy. Generally, you can order your own birth or marriage certificate, and certain relatives or people with a legitimate interest can order others, subject to identity checks and, for older records, time limits after which records become more widely available. Each registry sets its own rules, so check its website before applying.

If you live overseas, most registries let you apply by post or online, with identification that may need to be certified. Some people ask a relative in Australia to apply for them, which may need an authority from you. Allow time for delivery abroad, and if the certificate is going to DFAT for an apostille, consider having it delivered to someone in Australia who can lodge it for you.

What about death certificates for an overseas estate?

When someone dies in Australia with property or accounts overseas, the foreign bank, registry or court usually needs the death certificate, and often wants an original registry certificate with a DFAT apostille or authentication, sometimes with a translation. A JP-certified copy is rarely enough abroad. Executors and family members should order several original death certificates from the registry early, because each overseas institution may keep one, and ordering them one at a time as each request arrives adds weeks to the process. Our guide to overseas inheritances covers the wider paperwork.

How do you decide and order?

1. Work out where the certificate is going: an Australian body or an overseas one.
2. For Australian use, have your existing certificate copied and certified by a JP, if it is in good condition.
3. For overseas use, order an original certificate from the registry where the event was registered.
4. Check the version and age the foreign body wants, including parents' details.
5. Send it to DFAT for an apostille or authentication if the foreign body asks, then translate if needed.

What does this look like in practice?

Here is an illustration, not a real case. Emily is getting married in Italy and applying for a job in Melbourne at the same time. She has a laminated birth certificate from her childhood and a JP-certified copy of it.

For the Melbourne employer, the JP-certified copy is accepted. For the Italian marriage, the comune wants a recent Australian birth certificate with an apostille. Because her old certificate is laminated and DFAT would refuse it, she orders a new certificate from the registry in the state where she was born, sends it to DFAT for an apostille, and has it translated as the comune instructs.

In short

For Australian use, a JP-certified copy of your existing birth, marriage or death certificate is usually enough. For overseas use, you usually need an original certificate from the registry, often recently issued, which DFAT can apostille directly. Order a new certificate if yours is laminated, damaged, altered or a commemorative marriage certificate, or if the foreign body sets an age limit.

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Not sure whether you need a certified copy or a new certificate? Send us the instructions you were given, and we will explain each step.