Registering a Child's Birth With Bangladesh From Australia

To register an Australian-born child's birth with Bangladesh, you apply online through BDRIS, Bangladesh's birth registration system, then send the printed application and supporting documents to the High Commission in Canberra or the Consulate General in Sydney. Bangladeshi law says to register within 45 days. A JP can attest the copies, so you do not need a notary.

Key takeaways

• Under Bangladesh's Births and Deaths Registration Act 2004, a Bangladeshi national's birth abroad is registered with a Bangladesh mission, within 45 days according to the High Commission.
• Every application starts online on BDRIS; you print the application summary and send it with the documents.
• For a child born after 2001, the parents need their own digital birth registration numbers, the 17-digit BRN. The High Commission says this is mandatory.
• Copies can be attested by a JP, and the High Commission also accepts a GP, police officer or pharmacist. No notary is needed.
• The High Commission and the Sydney consulate are separate offices with slightly different lists. Follow the one you apply to.

The law and the 45 days

The Bangladesh High Commission in Canberra's birth registration page says that, under the Births and Deaths Registration Act 2004, the birth of any Bangladeshi national has to be registered with a designated birth registrar within 45 days of the birth. For a child born outside Bangladesh, the registrar is the Bangladesh mission. The Consulate General in Sydney's page cites the same Act.

The High Commission adds that registration is free within 45 days and that a fee applies after that. Registration after 45 days is still possible, so a late application is not refused for that reason alone; it simply costs more. We do not quote the fee amounts; check the office's page.

Step one: the online BDRIS application

Both offices say every application must first be completed online through BDRIS, the Birth and Death Registration Information System run by Bangladesh's Office of the Registrar General. Once it is submitted, you print the application summary and send it with the documents. The Sydney consulate asks you to sign the printed summary at the clauses it specifies.

The Sydney consulate also notes that some applicants have trouble printing the summary. If that happens, it asks you to save the tracking number and email the consulate for a PDF copy, giving the application number, the applicant's name, the parents' names and the date of birth. For technical problems with the online form, it refers applicants to the Office of the Registrar General's help team. The High Commission adds that where the form is in Bangla, the essential information must also be filled in English in block letters.

The parents' digital BRN comes first

This is the requirement that stops most applications. The High Commission's list for a child born overseas includes the parents' digital birth certificate, for children born after 2001, and its FAQ answers the question directly: yes, it is mandatory for the parents to have a digital, 17-digit birth registration number before applying for their child's.

A parent who was born in Bangladesh but never had their own birth entered in the digital system, or whose details are wrong there, has to deal with that first. The High Commission's FAQ says it cannot correct a BRN it did not issue: corrections go to the issuing authority, and it points applicants to BDRIS for rectification. A parent whose own record needs correcting should therefore start that process early, as it may be handled in Bangladesh.

What the two offices ask for

The Canberra and Sydney offices publish slightly different lists for a child born overseas. The main items:

Item	High Commission, Canberra	Consulate General, Sydney
Online application	Printed BDRIS application	Signed printed summary and a cover letter
Parents' records	Parents' digital birth certificates	Parents' Bangladesh passport, NID or birth certificate, original and copy
Child's birth certificate	Original, or a copy attested by a JP, GP, police officer or pharmacist	Original and copy, or a true copy attested by a JP
Parent's passport	Original Bangladesh passport of either parent with a copy, or an attested copy of the information page	Covered by the parents' records above
Photo	One passport-size photo of the child	One recent colour photo, under six months old
Contact	Mobile number and email of a parent	On the cover letter
Address	Not listed	Proof of permanent address, if different from the parents' documents
By post	Self-addressed, trackable, prepaid envelope	Prepaid, trackable Express return envelope

The High Commission and the consulate stress that they are separate entities: a payment made to one cannot be used for a service at the other. Check which office covers you before you pay or post anything.

Who can attest the copies?

Neither office asks for a notary. The High Commission accepts copies attested by a JP, a GP, a police officer or a pharmacist; the Sydney consulate accepts a true copy of the Australian birth certificate attested by a JP. For most families, that means a free community JP, and there is no reason to pay a notary. Our guide on notaries and JPs explains the difference.

If you are in New South Wales, bear in mind that NSW Communities and Justice has said NSW JPs are not authorised to witness documents for use overseas, so a NSW JP may hesitate. These copies are for a Bangladesh mission in Australia, and the missions name JPs, so many will certify them. If yours declines, the High Commission's list gives you other options, and a notary can certify them as a last resort. Our guide on JPs and notaries in NSW covers the rule.

When DFAT does come in

For an ordinary birth registration, no DFAT step appears. The Sydney consulate lists some special cases where one does:

• If a parent's current passport differs from a previous one, for example a change of name or date of birth, the original document showing the change must be attested by DFAT.
• Documents originating in Australia, such as a name change certificate or a marriage certificate, must be authenticated by DFAT before they go to the consulate.
• Documents originating in Bangladesh, such as a marriage certificate, must be attested by Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Bangladesh joined the Hague Apostille Convention, which the HCCH status table shows in force for Bangladesh from 30 March 2025, and at our last check Australia was not among the countries that objected to its accession. So the DFAT certificate on an Australian document for Bangladesh is normally an apostille. The consulate's page still speaks of documents being "attested/authenticated" by DFAT, so ask it which it expects before you order one. Check the HCCH status table on the day. In Australia, only DFAT issues apostilles and authentications. Our guide to apostilles for Bangladesh explains the change.

Lodging and payment

Both offices accept applications by registered mail or courier, or in person; the Sydney consulate requires a booked appointment for in-person lodgement, made online, and encourages postal applications as faster. Neither accepts cash or personal cheques. The Sydney consulate takes card payments at the counter or electronic transfer made at least three working days before you lodge, with the receipt attached. The High Commission lists postal money order, bank cheque, EFTPOS at its premises or electronic transfer. Incomplete applications are not processed and are returned.

If either parent is a foreign-born national, the Sydney consulate asks you to contact it first, as that is treated as a special circumstance.

Before you post: the order that works

1. Confirm both parents' digital BRNs exist and are correct. Fix a parent's record first if it is wrong.
2. Order the child's Australian birth certificate from the state or territory registry, and check the parents' names against their Bangladeshi records.
3. Complete the BDRIS application online, save the tracking number, and print and sign the summary.
4. Decide originals or copies. If you send copies, have a JP, or for the High Commission a GP, police officer or pharmacist, attest them.
5. Pay the right office, by the method it accepts, and attach the receipt if you paid by transfer.
6. Post or lodge the package with a prepaid, trackable return envelope.

Getting the certificate back

The High Commission lists three ways to collect the finished documents: in person; by an authorised person, who brings a letter of authorisation from the applicant, their own photo identification and the delivery slip; or by post, using a self-addressed, prepaid Express or courier envelope with signature on delivery, sent with the application. It notes that it is not responsible for documents lost or delayed in the mail, which is one more reason to use a trackable envelope and keep copies of everything.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Starting before the parents have digital BRNs.
• Posting without the printed, signed BDRIS summary.
• Paying one office and applying to the other.
• Paying for a notary when a JP, GP, police officer or pharmacist will do.
• Skipping DFAT on an Australian name change or marriage certificate when the consulate needs one.

In short

Register an Australian-born child's birth with Bangladesh by completing the BDRIS application online, then sending the printed summary, the parents' digital birth records, the child's birth certificate or an attested copy, and a photo to the High Commission or the Sydney consulate. Aim for 45 days. A JP can attest the copies, so no notary is needed. For other countries, see our guide to registering a birth overseas; our guide to notarising Bangladeshi documents covers documents that do need a notary.

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If a document on your list does need DFAT, send us what the consulate asked for, and we will explain each step before you book.