Victorian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages - About us - Registry policies

You must provide proof of identity documents when applying for:

your own birth, marriage, domestic relationship or revocation certificate
the birth certificate of your children (if aged under 18 years)
your own single status certificate
a certificate relating to any other person's birth, marriage or death record, if that record is restricted (see the Registry's Access policy)
a change of name registration for yourself or your child aged under 18 years.

Proof of identity requirements are outlined on each application form and may vary depending on the nature of the application.

Submitting your proof of identity documents

By mail

Follow these five easy steps to submit your proof of identity documents by mail:

Step 1. Complete your application form and collect the required proof of identity documents (see your application form for details).
Note. (Online applications only) You will need to print the Proof of Identity Reminder page when submitting your application online.

Step 2. Photocopy your original proof of identity (POI) documents.
Note. Do not mail original POI documents as the Registry will not accept them but will return them immediately. This will delay the processing of your application until you submit certified photocopies of these documents.

Step 3. Have all your photocopies of the required POI documents certified as follows:

Place of residence	Certification requirements
Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory	Must be certified by sworn member of police Certification must contain: official police stamp police officer's name, rank, member number & signature name of police station date
Western Australia, Queensland, Northern Territory	Must be certified by either sworn member of police or registered Justice of the Peace (JP) Certification by police must meet requirements listed above Certification by JP must contain: official JP stamp JP's name, registration number & signature place of certification date

Step 4. (Online applications only) Include your receipt number or a copy of your tax invoice when you mail your certified proof of identity documents to the Registry. You can find your receipt number on the tax invoice issued at the end of your online application. Your receipt number is the fourth item on your tax invoice, after 'authorisation number'.

Step 5. Mail the certified photocopies of your proof of identity documents with your completed application form or tax invoice to:

Note. The Registry does not accept:

original proof of identity documents sent by mail
proof of identity documents sent by fax
proof of identity documents sent by email

In person

Follow these two easy steps to submit your proof of identity documents in person:

Step 1. Complete your application form and collect the required proof of identity documents (see your application form for details).

Step 2. Submit your completed application form and proof of identity documents in person:

Overseas identity documents

If you are applying from outside Australia, you can have your identification certified by either an Australian consulate or embassy official, a notary public or a local member of police.

If you submit any proof of identity documents that are not written in English, you must also provide a certified translation. The Registry will only accept translations completed by an accredited translator. To find your nearest accredited translator in Australia, please contact NAATI.

Unrestricted records

You do not need to provide proof of identity documents when applying for an unrestricted record. An unrestricted record is a:

birth and change of name records are restricted from public access for 100 years or until the person has passed away, whichever is the later
marriage records are restricted from public access for 60 years or until both parties to the marriage have passed away, whichever is the later
death records are restricted from public access for 10 years.

Contact the Registry if you have any questions about proof of identity requirements.

Read answers to some frequently asked questions about proof of identity in the Application FAQs.