Find your ancestors in Victoria births

Victoria Births 1836-1913

Certificates for births, deaths, and marriages in Victoria date back to 1853, when the government began civil registration. There are also church baptism, marriage, and burial records dating as far back as 1836.

Births certificates are housed by Births, Deaths & Marriages Victoria. This collection on Findmypast currently has records from 1837 up to 1917.

The amount of information may vary from record to record, but most transcripts will include the following fields:

  • First name(s)
  • Last name
  • Sex
  • Birth year
  • Birth place
  • Father’s name
  • Mother’s name (occasionally includes mother’s maiden name)
  • Registration number

The original birth certificate (or uncertified image of it) will usually contain more information. If the birth occurred after 1 July 1853, you can expect to find additional information such as

  • Parents’ ages
  • Parents’ birth places
  • Parents’ marriage details
  • Details of previous children

In this period, Victoria’s birth certificates – as well as marriage and death certificates – were the most detailed of all Australian colonies’ records, making them particularly useful for family history researchers.

See below to learn how to order a birth certificate (or uncertified image of it).

How to order a birth certificate

In order to purchase a birth certificate, you must know the following:

  • Individual’s last name
  • Registration year
  • Registration number

When ordering a birth certificate in Victoria, you can either purchase a historical certificate or an uncertified image of the certificate.

The historical certificates include the Registrar’s certification, signature, and seal.

The uncertified images are scanned images of the original registration records. Designed specifically for family history research, uncertified images include the same details as the historical certificate, but cannot be used for official purposes.

The other difference between the two types of records is that uncertified images can be downloaded to your computer immediately after ordering.

Follow the link located in Useful links and resources on the search screen to order a historical certificate or uncertified image of your ancestor’s birth record. Please not that a fee may be required for such orders.