Unassisted Home Birth Australia
Registering your Birth
In Australia, all babies are required by law to have their birth registered, regardless of the place of birth.
(They are not required to get a birth certificate, however getting one at the time that you register the birth is the easiest way to prove your baby's birth for things like Centrelink and later on, identity documents such as drivers licence)
*correct as at December 2019*
Please note this is not legal advice, and when in doubt, always contact the relevant BDM yourself.
If presenting to a hospital within 24hrs of the birth, or if you had a midwife during your pregnancy, you may be able to get the birth registration forms from them, but this is not always possible.
If you have come across this site, and you are from another country, like the USA, contact the Vital Statistics Records office or County Records in your state.
In the UK, contact the child health department at your local NHS.
Victoria
Access Births Deaths and Marriages (https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/births/home-births) and fill out the online form or email them to ask for the paperwork. If you fill out the online form, put your name in place of the doctor attending the birth. If filling out the online form, BDM should email you within 20 days to ask for the remaining details. You can try avoid that 20 days and speed up the process by sending all the other documents via email to BDM with your online reference number and asking that they add it to your file. If you haven't heard back in 6-8 weeks, give them a call.
You will need a stat dec from someone aware of the pregnancy/birth (this can be the Father), and a letter from a doctor who saw you during pregnancy and after the birth.
Email from BDM May 2020:
"We have received the Birth Registration Statement (BRS) for your child, ............
You have indicated your child was born at home with no medical attendance.
In order to register the birth, the Registry must be satisfied with the correct details of birth. This is usually confirmed by the medical practitioner in attendance at the birth.
For this registration to be assessed, please provide:
A letter from a doctor who saw the mother during the pregnancy and examined your child after the birth. The letter should advise when they examined you and your child and confirm the child’s details and date of birth.
A statutory declaration from the mother of the child
A statutory declaration from another person in attendance at the birth
Please ensure all the below information is provided in each document:
Child’s name
Mother’s and partner’s (if applicable) name
Date of birth
Time of birth
Place of birth (full address)
Sex of baby
Weight (if known)
Multiple birth?
Confirmation of if child was born alive
Confirmation of people in attendance and their relationship to the mother
We are unable to register your child’s birth until we receive this information. If you would like more information please visit our website or email birth registrations at bdmbirths@justice.vic.gov.au.
*Please be advised your child’s registration will require a review by a Registry Team Manager. Reviews take up to 20 business days to be complete, and the registration will only be submitted for review once all required documents and information are received from you."
Tasmania
https://www.justice.tas.gov.au/bdm/newborn
Contact BDM for the paperwork. You will need to visit a hospital within 24hrs of the birth or provide declarations from 2 people who are aware of the baby's birth.
Queensland
Apply online (https://www.qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/birth-death-and-marriage-certificates/birth-certificates/fill-in-a-birth-certificate-application-form) or contact BDM. You will need a stat dec from someone aware of the pregnancy/birth, and a letter from a doctor who saw you during pregnancy OR after the birth, possibly a live birth letter.
South Australia
https://www.sa.gov.au/topics/family-and-community/births-deaths-and-marriages/register-a-birth
Must be done within 60 days. Contact BDM for the paperwork. You will need a stat dec from someone aware of the birth.
Please be aware and careful of the involvement of other people at a birth in SA, as it is illegal to perform "midwifery" unregistered. And putting information on a stat dec could give grounds to have that person prosecuted.
Northern Territory
https://nt.gov.au/law/bdm/register-a-birth
Must be done within 60 days. Contact BDM for the paperwork and other requirements.
New South Wales
https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/register-birth
You will need 2 witnesses to witness the birth OR confirm the particulars of the birth and to fill out a section 44 notice (contact the BDM for it). The witnesses do not need to see the birth AT ALL, simply include how they are aware of your pregnancy and birth when filling out the form.
ACT
https://www.accesscanberra.act.gov.au/app/answers/detail/a_id/1693/~/birth-registration#!tabs-2
Must be done within 6 months. Contact BDM for the paperwork and other requirements.
Western Australia
https://bdm.justice.wa.gov.au/R/register_a_birth.aspx?uid=4485-3545-6459-2646
Contact BDM for the birth registration paperwork.
From BDM May 2021
"Thank you for your email enquiry,
A birth event where a child is born without medical intervention before, during or after the child’s birth is referred to as a “Free Birth”.
The Birth Registration Form (BRF) is a controlled form and it is not ordinarily available to the public without the evidence of birth events.
In the case of a Free Birth the family will not be in possession of a BRF and will not be able to get one from a hospital or midwife. In these cases the family will contact the Registry requesting the provision of a BRF to enable them to register the child.
Please note prior to issuing a BRF the Registry’s policy require the parents to provide sufficient evidence to confirm;
The persons enquiring are the bone fide parents of a the child in question; and
The birth actually took place in Western Australia
In order to meet the above requirements you will need to provide the following items:
1. The family must request in writing for the Registry to provide them a BRF
2. Statutory Declaration from each parent detailing the circumstances of the birth, including when the mother became pregnant, the details of the birth including date of birth, place of birth, gender of child, confirmation that no medical intervention was provided, a list of all adult witnesses to the birth and any other facts relevant to provide a base of evidence of the birth taking place in Western Australia
3. The family must also supply one of the following with their request;
a. Statutory Declarations from all adult witnesses to the birth including the role they played in the birth and attesting to the accuracy of the details of the birth, their knowledge of the parents and the pregnancy of the mother; or
b. Statutory Declarations from any independent adult person/s who was not at the birth but who can attest to the pregnancy, birth and subsequently the existence of the child; or
c. Formal written confirmation, on business letterhead, from any medical practitioner, who for any reason may have had the child presented to them subsequent to the birth. This simply needs to be a letter indicating they have seen the child
In addition to the above items any further evidence that the family considers adds to the evidence base to prove the circumstances of the birth should also be provided, such examples are:
· If it can be obtained a formal written confirmation, on business letterhead, from Centrelink and or Medicare certifying that the child has been registered with their agencies, or not;
· Some form of confirmation of the existence of the child from an independent, formal source, such as a family doctor, child health clinic or similar or in it’s absence include an explanation in their statutory declaration why this form of confirmation cannot be obtained.
NOTE: All Statutory Declarations provided must be accompanied by the relevant Proof of Identity Documents (refer to the attached list)
If you have any enquiries please contact Seung Lee on (08) 9264 1509.
Statutory Declaration (stat dec)
To download a printable form or see the required format, and a list of eligible witnesses, follow this link
https://www.ag.gov.au/legal-system/statutory-declarations/complete-statutory-declarationCentrelink Payments
Provided you are eligible and apply within the time frame for your particular payment, with a birth certificate, (and any other proof of income etc) Centrelink will process your request. Sometimes they accept a letter from a doctor while you wait for the birth certificate.
The location of your birth does not affect them.