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What you can expect to see on an historical* AUS BDM certificate

BIRTH
ACT
NSW
NT
QLD
SA
TAS
VIC
WA
Start Jan 1930 Mar 1856 Aug 1870 Mar 1856 Jun 1842 Dec 1838 Jul 1853 Sep 1841
Earlier records NSW - SA NSW - - NSW -
Name Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Date Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Place Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Father's name Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Father's occupation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Father's age Yes Yes from 1949 Yes from 1907 from 1902 Yes from 1896
Father's birthplace Yes Yes from 1908 Yes from 1907 from 1902 Yes from 1896
Mother's name Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Maiden name Yes Yes Yes Yes from 1907 Yes Yes Yes
Mother's age Yes Yes from 1949 Yes from 1907 from 1902 Yes from 1896
Mother's birthplace Yes Yes from 1908 Yes from 1907 from 1902 Yes from 1896
Marriage date Yes Yes from 1908 Yes from 1907 from 1896 Yes from 1896
Previous children Yes Yes from 1908 Yes from 1907 from 1919 Yes from 1896
Available (Historical*) aftr 100yrs aftr 100yrs aftr 80yrs aftr 100yrs aftr 75yrs aftr 100yrs afr 100yrs aftr 100yrs
Index avail on CD No to 1918 No to 1914 to 1928 to 1919 to 1920 to 1905
Index online   to 1906   to 1914     to 1914 to 1931
Index avail on fiche/film No to 1905 to 1902 to 1914 to 1928 to 1905 to 1913 to 1905
MARRIAGE
ACT
NSW
NT
QLD
SA
TAS
VIC
WA
Start Jan 1930 Mar 1856 Aug 1870 Mar 1856 Jun 1842 Dec 1838 Jul 1853 Sep 1841
Earlier records NSW - SA NSW - - NSW -
Date Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Couple's names Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Couple's ages Yes opt <1896 Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Couple's birthplaces Yes opt <1896 Yes Yes from 1907 from 1896 Yes from 1923
Previous status Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Couple's occupations Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Couple's residences Yes Yes Yes Yes from 1856 Yes Yes Yes
Fathers' names Yes opt <1896 from 1949 Yes from 1856 from 1896 Yes Yes
Fathers' occupations Yes opt <1896 from 1949 Yes No from 1896 Yes Yes
Groom's mothers name Yes opt <1896 from 1949 Yes from 1964 from 1896 Yes from 1896
Bride's mothers name Yes opt <1896 from 1949 Yes No from 1896 Yes No
Available (Historical*) aftr 70 yrs aftr 50yrs aftr 60yrs aftr 75yrs aftr 60 yrs aftr 75yrs aftr 60 yrs aftr 75yrs
Index avail on CD No to 1945 No to 1914 to 1937 to 1930 to 1942 to 1905
Index online   to 1956   to 1914     to 1942 to 1906
Index avail on fiche/film No to 1905 to 1902 to 1939 to 1937 to 1919 to 1930 to 1965
DEATH
ACT
NSW
NT
QLD
SA
TAS
VIC
WA
Start Jan 1930 Mar 1856 Aug 1870 Mar 1856 Jun 1842 Dec 1838 Jul 1853 Sep 1841
Earlier records NSW - SA NSW - - NSW -
Name Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Date Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Death place Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Age Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Occupation Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Cause of death Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Parents' names Yes Yes from 1949 Yes No from 1914 Yes from 1896
Spouse names Yes Yes from 1949 Yes from 1968 No Yes from 1896
Marriage details Yes Yes from 1949 Yes from 1915
age at m.
No Yes from 1896
Chns names Yes Yes from 1949 Yes No No Yes from 1896
No of chn Yes Yes from 1949 Yes from 1907 from 1914 Yes from 1896
Birthplace Yes Yes from 1949 Yes from 1907 from 1897 Yes from 1896
Residency Yes Yes from 1949 Yes from 1907 No Yes from 1896
Burial place Yes Yes from 1949 Yes from 1948 No Yes from 1896
Available (Historical*) aftr 30yrs aftr 30yrs aftr 30yrs aftr 30yrs aftr 25 yrs aftr 25yrs aftr 10yrs aftr 25yrs
Index avail on CD No to 1945 No to 1914 to 1972 to 1930 to 1985 to 1905
Index online   to 1976   to 1914     to 1985 to 1931
Index avail on fiche/film No to 1905 to 1902 to 1964 to 1970 to 1919 to 1985 to 1980

It should be noted that availability of certificates may be reduced by the lack of an index.

A Yes in a column means that you can usually expect the entry to appear. There are many examples of early certificates where the item may be omitted despite provision in the certificate for that item of data. Opt <1896 means optional until 1896 and sometimes this information has been added later by the Registry.

* Historical certificates are those available outside the embargoed periods to the general public. Certificates within the embargoed period are usually available to the person named therein, their parents and their children under the age of 18 upon presentation of ID and proof. The exception to this rule is the ACT and NT where applicants for historical certificates must produce evidence of a family link.

TAS BDM and indexes for 1803–1933 are online at FamilySearch

NSW, QLD, VIC & TAS also offer pre-civil registration records. NSW from 1788, QLD from 1829, VIC from 1836, TAS from 1803. SA pre-civil registration records are on this site.

Some indexes have more detail than others, but they should not be treated as primary sources but rather pointers:

If any link fails please advise.

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