Certified Copy or a New Certificate From BDM?

The receiving body decides. It may accept a certified copy, require an original certificate from a state or territory registry, or accept a copy notarised for overseas use. For DFAT legalisation, an original eligible registry certificate or an eligible notarised copy may be used; a JP-only copy cannot.

Key takeaways

• A certified copy is a copy endorsed by an authorised witness; acceptance depends on the organisation requesting it.
• A new certificate is another official certificate issued by the registry that holds the event record.
• DFAT can usually legalise an eligible original registry certificate or a copy notarised by an Australian Notary Public, but not a JP-only copy.
• DFAT excludes laminated, framed or altered documents and ceremonial or commemorative marriage certificates.
• Ask the recipient about the required version, issue date, copy format and legalisation before ordering.

What is the difference?

A birth, marriage or death certificate issued by a state or territory registry is an official document derived from that registry's record. A certified copy is a copy that an authorised witness has compared with the document presented and endorsed according to the applicable procedure. It is not a newly issued registry certificate.

Ordering a new certificate gives you another official certificate from the registry, with its own issue date and current format. Neither option is automatically better: the organisation receiving the document controls what it accepts. Our guide to a certified copy of a birth certificate explains the copy-certification route.

When is a certified copy enough?

A certified copy may be enough when the Australian organisation's instructions expressly permit one. Check its list of authorised witnesses and whether it wants a paper copy, scan, upload or sighting of the original. Requirements vary among government agencies, banks, employers and educational institutions, and some applications do not require certification at all.

Do not order a new certificate solely because an old one looks old. Order one when the recipient requires a registry-issued original, the existing document is damaged or altered, or the underlying record has been updated and the recipient needs the current details. Our guide to notaries and JPs explains the different roles.

When do you need a new certificate?

Order a new certificate when the recipient asks for an original registry-issued document, a particular version or a certificate issued within a stated period. It may also be necessary if the existing certificate is damaged, laminated, framed, altered, or is a ceremonial or commemorative marriage certificate that DFAT will not legalise.

For legalisation, DFAT says it can usually legalise an original Australian Government document or a notarised copy. It cannot legalise a document certified only by a Justice of the Peace. Ask the overseas recipient whether it accepts a notarised copy or requires the original, then follow DFAT's current eligibility rules. Order from the registry for the state or territory where the event was recorded; the official registry directory lists each jurisdiction. Our guide to apostilling a birth certificate covers the DFAT step.

Does “original” mean the first certificate ever issued?

Usually not. A later certificate issued by the registry is still an original government-issued certificate, rather than a photocopy, even though it is not the first paper certificate produced for that event. This distinction matters when an overseas instruction says “original” but the first certificate has been lost or damaged.

Ask the recipient whether any registry-issued original is acceptable and whether it will retain or mark the document. DFAT applies an apostille or authentication certificate directly to the document submitted. If you do not want a particular original marked, DFAT advises obtaining a notarised copy for legalisation—but only after confirming the overseas authority will accept that copy.

Purpose	Usually enough	Why
Australian application accepting certified copies	Copy certified by an authorised witness	Follow that application's witness and format rules
Overseas authority asking for an original	Eligible registry certificate	The recipient has specified an original
Overseas authority accepting a legalised copy	Notarised copy, then DFAT if requested	DFAT may legalise the notary's signature and seal
Application requiring parents' details	Registry version containing those details	Certificate content must meet the request
Laminated, framed or altered certificate	A new registry certificate	DFAT excludes those documents
No clear instructions	Ask before ordering or certifying	Avoid paying for the wrong document

What about commemorative and laminated certificates?

DFAT's current guidance includes Australian birth certificates, including commemorative certificates and extracts, among documents it can usually legalise. It excludes ceremonial and commemorative marriage certificates. The certificate signed by a celebrant on the wedding day is not the same as the official marriage certificate later issued by the registry.

DFAT also excludes laminated, framed or altered documents. Do not try to remove lamination, because that may damage the certificate. Order a replacement if you need DFAT legalisation and check the recipient accepts the version selected. Review DFAT's complete, current documents we can legalise guidance before lodging.

How recent does a certificate need to be?

There is no universal validity period. A receiving body may accept an older certificate, require one issued within a stated period, or require current details regardless of issue date. DFAT legalisation does not decide how recent the overseas authority wants the underlying certificate to be.

Ask the recipient for the maximum document age and how it calculates that period before ordering. Also check whether a later legalisation or translation must fall within the same window. Our guide to documents that are too old for an overseas body explains why recipient rules matter.

Standard or full certificate?

Certificate products and the details shown vary by registry and event. If an overseas authority asks for a “full”, “long-form” or parent-details certificate, do not guess which Australian product is equivalent. Send the recipient a description or sample from the relevant registry and obtain confirmation before ordering.

Who can order a new certificate?

Each registry sets eligibility, identity and authority requirements. The person named on the record may be able to apply, while applications by relatives, executors, agents or other interested people may need additional evidence. Historical-access rules are also different from applications for recent certificates.

Use the registry's official website and check delivery options before applying from overseas. Do not assume a relative can order on your behalf. If DFAT legalisation will follow, plan who will receive the certificate, how it will be lodged and where it must ultimately be returned.

What about death certificates for an overseas estate?

An overseas bank, registry or court may ask for an original death certificate, a notarised copy, DFAT legalisation and/or translation. Requirements differ, and an institution may retain the document submitted. Executors should collect written instructions from each recipient before deciding how many registry certificates or notarised copies to arrange. Our guide to overseas inheritances covers the wider paperwork.

How much does each option cost?

A certified copy may be free where an eligible Justice of the Peace provides the service, while other authorised professionals may charge. A new certificate has a registry fee and delivery cost. Overseas use can add notarial fees, DFAT's fee for each apostille or authentication, translation and courier charges.

These services are separate, so compare the complete route rather than one fee. Confirm the recipient's document, copy and legalisation requirements first; then check the relevant registry and DFAT's current notarial fee schedule. For a notarial quote, provide the certificate type, destination country, number of copies and deadline.

How do you decide and order?

1. Obtain the recipient's written requirements for an original, certified copy or notarised copy.
2. Check the version and issue-date rule, including which personal or parent details must appear.
3. Order from the correct registry if a new official certificate is needed.
4. Use the required witness if a copy is accepted; a JP and a notary are not interchangeable for every purpose.
5. Add DFAT legalisation and translation only when requested and in the required sequence.

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.

The employer confirms that a JP-certified copy is acceptable. The Italian comune provides separate written instructions requiring a registry-issued birth certificate within a stated period, an apostille and an Italian translation. Because DFAT excludes laminated documents, Emily orders a new certificate from the registry where her birth was recorded and follows the comune's sequence. The example illustrates checking both recipients rather than applying one rule to every use.

In short

Choose between a certified copy and a new registry certificate by following the recipient's written rules. For DFAT legalisation, use an eligible original government certificate or an eligible notarised copy—not a JP-only copy. Order a replacement where the required original is laminated, framed, altered, damaged, the wrong certificate type or outside the recipient's stated issue-date window.

Related questions

• How is a birth certificate notarised?
• How are marriage certificates notarised in Australia?
• Which documents can be apostilled in Australia?
• Which documents do you need to marry overseas?
• How is a death certificate notarised?
• Which documents does dual citizenship need?

Need a notarised copy or help planning DFAT legalisation? Contact us with the certificate type, destination country, required format, number of copies and deadline. Do not send unredacted certificates or identity documents through an ordinary enquiry form; we can explain the secure next step.