Registering a Child's Birth With Nepal From Australia

A baby born in Australia to Nepali parents can be registered with Nepal in two ways. The Embassy of Nepal in Canberra issues a birth registration certificate, ideally within 35 days, with a parent attending in person. Or you register in Nepal with the Australian birth certificate, authenticated by DFAT and attested by the embassy. Usually no notary is needed.

Key takeaways

• The Embassy of Nepal in Canberra issues a Birth Registration Certificate for a baby born in Australia to Nepali parents.
• The embassy says certificates of vital events should be obtained within 35 days of the event; a fee applies after that.
• A parent, as the informant (suchak), must attend the embassy in person with the original documents and a token number from the online form.
• To register the birth in Nepal instead, the Australian birth certificate must first be authenticated by DFAT, then attested by the embassy.
• Nepal is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so DFAT authentication and embassy attestation replace an apostille.

Why register the birth with Nepal?

An Australian birth certificate records the birth in Australia. It does not, by itself, create a record in Nepal's civil registration system. Registering the birth with Nepal matters for many families, for example when applying for the child's Nepali documents later, or when relatives in Nepal need to show the child's relationship to the family. The Embassy of Nepal in Canberra explains that a baby born to Nepali parents in a foreign country can get a Birth Registration Certificate, and that certificates of vital events should be obtained within 35 days of the event.

Questions about whether your child is, or can become, a Nepali citizen are separate from registering the birth, and depend on Nepali law and the parents' citizenship. Ask the embassy about those before you rely on either route.

How do you register at the embassy?

The embassy lists the documents for birth registration:

Document	What the embassy asks for
Parents' Nepali documents	Copies of both parents' citizenship certificates and passports
Parents' Australian visas	Copies of the father's and mother's Australian visas
Marriage certificate	A copy
The child's birth certificate	A copy of the birth certificate issued by the Australian authority
Registration form	The birth registration information form, completed online on Nepal's civil registration portal, which generates a token number

The embassy says the applicant, the father or mother as informant (suchak), must be present at the embassy in person with the original documents and the token number generated by the online form. It also says that amendments and copies can be obtained only for a birth certificate the embassy itself issued. The embassy publishes its visiting hours for these services on the same page.

The 35 days are tight, because you first need the Australian birth certificate from the registry of births, deaths and marriages in your state or territory, which is issued after the birth is registered there. Apply for it as soon as the birth is registered. If you miss the 35 days, the embassy still registers the birth, but a fee applies.

Why does the embassy certificate help with a first Nepali passport?

The Birth Registration Certificate is more than a record. The embassy's page on passports for children under five says that, for a first Nepali passport, it accepts the Birth Registration Certificate in place of the minor citizenship certificate it otherwise asks for. That makes the embassy route the natural first step for families who want a Nepali passport for their baby.

The same page explains that children under five do not need to come to the embassy for biometrics. Parents complete an online passport pre-enrolment form and send the documents by post, or bring them in person, including the birth registration certificate, colour copies of the parents' marriage certificate and citizenship certificates, the parents' valid visas and passport photos meeting the embassy's specifications. It says a newborn is issued a minor e-passport valid for five years, and that within that period the child must obtain a Minor ID from the relevant District Administration Office in Nepal, because the Minor ID is needed to renew the passport.

Which Australian birth certificate should you order?

Order the child's birth certificate from the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory where the child was born, once the birth has been registered there. Ask for the full certificate that names both parents, since the embassy uses it to confirm the child's parents, and order a spare if you think you will also want one authenticated for Nepal. A certificate that has been laminated cannot be authenticated by DFAT later, so keep it flat and unaltered.

What if you live in New Zealand?

The Embassy of Nepal in Canberra also looks after New Zealand. For attesting documents, its page says that New Zealand documents must be authenticated by New Zealand's Department of Internal Affairs, rather than DFAT, before the embassy attests them. Check the embassy's pages for any other differences if your child was born in New Zealand.

How do you register the birth in Nepal instead?

Some families prefer to register the birth at the registration office in Nepal, for example because a relative there will handle it. The embassy explains that if you want to make a birth certificate in Nepal for a baby born in Australia, the Australian birth certificate must be attested or verified first, in two steps:

1. DFAT authenticates the original Australian birth certificate.
2. The Embassy of Nepal attests it, for use in Nepal.
3. The attested certificate is then taken or sent to Nepal for registration.

For the embassy's attestation of Australian documents such as birth certificates, it asks for the DFAT-authenticated document, a short request letter addressed to the embassy in no particular format, and a copy of the applicant's visa, passport or other photo ID. It accepts documents in person or by post, with a self-addressed, trackable express return envelope for postal applications.

Why DFAT authentication and not an apostille?

Nepal is not a member of the Hague Apostille Convention, so an Australian document going to Nepal is not apostilled. Instead, DFAT authenticates it, and the Embassy of Nepal legalises, or attests, it. DFAT can authenticate an original Australian registry certificate directly, with no notary; laminated or altered certificates are refused. Membership changes, so check the HCCH status table on the day, and check DFAT's current lodgement options on Smartraveller. Our guide to documents for Nepal and our apostille and authentication page explain the DFAT step.

When would you need a notary?

For the birth registration itself, usually not. The embassy route uses copies and originals shown in person, and the Nepal route uses a registry certificate that DFAT can authenticate directly. That is worth knowing, because many families are told they need a notary for "anything going to Nepal".

A notary becomes relevant when a signed document from you has to go to Nepal. For example, if a relative in Nepal will register the birth or handle other paperwork on your behalf, the office there may ask for a letter of authority or consent from the parents. A private document like that cannot be authenticated by DFAT on its own: it is usually signed before an Australian notary, then authenticated by DFAT, then attested by the embassy, which lists consent letters and similar documents among those it attests. Ask the office in Nepal exactly what it needs before you sign. Our guide to notarising Nepali documents in Australia covers that process.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for the 35 days to pass before starting, which adds a fee.
• Sending a parent's sibling or friend to the embassy; the father or mother must attend as the informant.
• Taking an unauthenticated Australian birth certificate to Nepal.
• Asking for an apostille, which Nepal does not use.
• Laminating the birth certificate, which DFAT will refuse to authenticate.
• Paying a notary for a registry certificate that DFAT can authenticate directly.

Here is an illustration, not a real case.

A Nepali couple in Sydney have a son. As soon as the NSW registry issues his birth certificate, the father fills in the birth registration form online, gets a token number, and travels to the Embassy of Nepal in Canberra with both parents' citizenship certificates and passports, their Australian visas, their marriage certificate and the birth certificate. He finishes within 35 days of the birth. A year later the grandparents in Pokhara ask for an Australian birth certificate for their own records, so the couple have a second copy authenticated by DFAT and attested by the embassy, and post it to Nepal. Neither step needs a notary.

In short

A baby born in Australia to Nepali parents can be registered at the Embassy of Nepal in Canberra, ideally within 35 days, with a parent attending in person and the documents the embassy lists. Or the Australian birth certificate can be authenticated by DFAT and attested by the embassy for registration in Nepal. Nepal does not use apostilles. A notary is usually needed only for a signed letter or authority you send to Nepal. Our guide to registering a birth overseas covers other countries.

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