If you and your immediate family have been affected by a natural disaster you can apply for a free replacement birth, marriage and change of name certificate. See information about how to apply on the CBS website.
You need your birth certificate to prove your identity for things like passports or claiming government benefits. They're also commonly used to research family histories.
A birth certificate can only be issued if the birth was registered in South Australia. If the birth was outside of South Australia, contact the registry of that state, territory or country.
You must register the birth of your child before applying for a birth certificate.
Commemorative certificates are also available.
- Anyone born in South Australia can apply for their own birth certificate.
- Anyone can access an historical birth certificate (more than 100 years old).
- Certain people can apply for a copy of someone else's certificate.
You'll need to supply some information about the person whose certificate you want, and prove your identity.
Fees:
Standard certificate - $60.50
Standard and commemorative certificate - $85.50
What you'll need
You'll need to provide basic information about the person, such as:
- names of parents
- date of birth
- place of birth.
You'll need to tell us if the information isn't available - for instance, an adult separated from their birth family at a young age.
Proof of identity
You need to prove your identity, unless you're applying for a birth certificate that's more than 100 years old.
You'll need to provide one of these combinations of documents:
- TWO documents from list 1
- ONE document from list 1 and ONE document from either list 2 or 3
- ONE document from list 2 and TWO documents from list 3
- THREE documents from list 3.
At least one document must show your name and address and one document must show your signature.
All identification documents must be current (not expired). Where a document from list 3 is provided as evidence of your address, it must have been issued within the last three months.
You can upload scanned or photographed images of your ID documents.
If you're applying online, you must include a document from list 1, or your medicare card, to be verified by the online Document Verification Service (DVS). If you live overseas, you can use your overseas driver’s licence or passport.
| List 1 | List 2 | List 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Australian passport | Government employee photo ID card | Bank statement |
| Australian driver’s licence | Overseas driver’s licence | Council rates notice |
| Centrelink concession card | Tertiary student ID card | Utility account statement (electricity, gas, water) |
| Overseas passport | Proof of age card | |
| Aviation/maritime security ID card | Tenancy or lease agreement | |
| Medicare card | Motor vehicle registration papers | |
| Australian firearms licence | Telephone or mobile account | |
| Security guard or crowd control licence | ATO notice of assessment | |
| Mortgage documents | ||
| Australian Electoral Commission enrollment | ||
| Seniors card | ||
| Superannuation fund statement | ||
| Certified academic university transcript | ||
| Credit or debit card |
Ways to pay
You can pay for your certificate:
- in person - cheque, money order, credit card
- by post - cheque, money order, credit card
- online - credit card.
Make cheques payable to Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Occasionally CBS can't find a record to match an application. If this happens, a 'no record' certificate is issued and a search fee of $60.50 for each ten-year period is charged.
Processing times
Processing times can vary depending on the date of the certificate.
Check estimated processing times on the CBS website to work out how long it will take to get your certificate.
Fast track option
You can fast track your application by paying a priority fee of $45.75
Priority service processing times for online, posted or regional Service SA applications - processed within 1 business day.
Processing time doesn't include delivery by Australia Post. Visit www.auspost.com.au for delivery information.
Fast tracking isn't available for commemorative certificates, unregistered births or birth certificates more than 100 years old.
Birth registration statement
You can apply for a photocopy of a birth registration statement that was lodged to register a birth if you're the registered person, the person's parents, or a child of the registered person.
A photocopy of a birth registration statement is only available if the birth occurred after July 1948.
This document isn't a certified copy and can't be used for identification purposes.
You'll need to supply some information about the person whose birth registration statement you want and prove your identity.
To apply complete and sign the form - Birth Registration Statement (PDF 821KB)
Fee: $60.50
Contact Births, Deaths and Marriages
Phone: 131 882
International: +61 8 8204 8532
Post:
GPO Box 1351
Adelaide SA 5001
