Find your ancestors in Western Australia death index

What can these records tell me?

This record set has over 450,000 transcripts. The amount of available information provided varies from transcript to transcript, but most will include the following details:

  • First name(s)
  • Last name
  • Birth year
  • Death year
  • Place
  • Father’s first name(s)
  • Mother’s first name(s)
  • Mother’s last name
  • Registration number
  • State

Discover more about these records

On 1 September 1841, civil registration began in Western Australia. Prior to this, churches were responsible for recording baptisms, marriages, and burials.

Death records can be vital in your family history research. These death records can be particularly useful as they will sometimes provide parents’ name. This allows you to link your ancestor back to a previous generation. For example, we learn that Virginia Zappara was born in 1900 and died in 1976 at Fremantle. Her mother’s first name was Laora and her father’s first name was Ferdinand.

Ordering a death certificate

In Australia, each state administers its own birth, death, and marriage certificates and manages the ordering process. The level of detail contained in these certificates varies widely.

Once you have located the relevant death transcript within our record set, you can order the death certificate itself from the Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages.

For deaths that occurred 30 years ago or more, there are no restrictions or identification requirements for obtaining a death certificate. For more recent death certificates, there are eligibility and identification requirements. For family access, you must satisfy one for the following conditions:

  • Spouse, parent, or child that can provide evidence of the relationship
  • Written authorization from a person entitled to the certificate (see their policy guidelines)
  • Evidence that there is no other living relative
  • Evidence that the certificate is necessary for a legal right or entitlement.

Three forms of identification are required when you apply for a certificate. Applications can either be mailed or requested in person. There is a fee associated with this application. For more information visit the Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages link in the Useful Links & Resources section.