What is this application for?
Your birth certificate is an important personal document. It's proof of identity for many purposes, such as claiming government benefits, enrolling in education and applying for a passport or driver licence.
An integrated birth certificate is a legal birth certificate. You can use it for the same purposes as a standard (post-adoptive) legal birth certificate.
Before you can get a birth certificate, the birth needs to be registered in Victoria. See Register a birth.
Who can apply?
An adopted person can apply for an integrated birth certificate if they:
- Are aged 18 years or over, and
- Were born in Victoria and had their adoption registered in Victoria.
Alternatively, you can apply for a standard (post-adoptive) legal birth certificate.
What you'll need
We'll ask you for the following information during the application process.
Details of the adopted person named on the certificate
You'll be asked for:
- Given name
- Family name
- Date of birth
- Place of birth
- Name of adoptive parent(s)
Parents
We ask you to provide the details from your post-adoptive birth certificate.
You don't need to provide details about your natural parents. We will add these details from your original birth certificate when we assess your application.
If a natural parent is not recorded on your original birth certificate, you can apply to add them.
We can only issue integrated birth certificates if both the birth and the adoption were registered in Victoria.
Proof of identity
You can prove your identity two ways.
The easiest way to prove your identity is online.
You can use this proof of identity questionnaire if you are not sure which option is best for you.
Proof that you're eligible to get the certificate
If you're applying for your own certificate, you only need to provide proof of your identity.
If you're applying for someone else's certificate, you must prove that you're authorised to do so. Read how to get someone else’s birth certificate.
Integrated birth certificates are only available for adopted people aged 18 or over.
Need help?
If you have any further questions about integrated birth certificates, please:
- Email us at bdmadoptions@justice.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window) or
- Phone us on 1300 369 367. Check our contact hours.
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people can contact our Marguk-bulok koolin-ik Team (Aboriginal Outreach). Please:
- Email us at bdm.koori@justice.vic.gov.au(opens in a new window) or
- Phone us on 1300 369 367 and request a call back from the Marguk-bulok koolin-ik Team. Check our contact hours.
How long will it take to get my certificate?
When you apply for a certificate or registration, we email you details of documents you need to provide. Our processing times start when we receive all required documents.
If you didn’t receive an email after applying, contact us.
| Type of application | Processing time |
|---|---|
| Certificate | Up to 14 days (2 weeks) |
Allow extra time for public holidays and postage.
Types of certificates
Legal certificates
An integrated birth certificate is a certificate that includes information about:
- an adopted person, at birth and after adoption
- their natural parents (where records are available), and
- their adoptive parents.
We will draw this information from the adopted person's:
- standard (post-adoptive) legal birth certificate, and
- their original (pre-adoptive) birth certificate.
Victorian integrated birth certificate
The image shows two examples of an integrated birth certificate. In the second example, some records about the person’s natural parents were unavailable.
Certificate fees and postage
The fees are non-refundable except as set out on our Refunds page. A fee waiver may be available in certain circumstances of financial hardship.
Certificate fees
| Type of certificate | Price |
|---|---|
Integrated birth certificate Accepted as an official Australian birth certificate. | $55.80* |
* We will determine whether payment is required when we review the application.
An integrated birth certificate is free the first time we issue it.
For subsequent applications, you must pay the certificate fee.
Postage fees might apply; please see below.
Postage
We send legal certificates by express post, for security.
For commemorative certificates, you may only choose standard post. This is because they're not official identity documents. Legal and commemorative certificates will arrive separately.
| Postage type | Price |
|---|---|
| Express post (within Australia) | $10.20 |
| Express post (International) | $55.50 |
Delivery of the first certificate in Australia is also free for the first certificate. For subsequent certificates, you will need to pay the postage fee.
If your delivery address is outside Australia, you will need to pay the postage fee for delivery of the first and any subsequent certificates.
Payment methods
Pay via credit card, Paypal or BPAY.
After your application is submitted
You‘ll receive an email after submitting your application.
If you didn’t receive an email after applying, first check your spam inbox. If you still don’t have the email, read about common causes of delay.
Once we have everything we need, we’ll complete your application within processing timeframes. We’ll email to let you know when we’ve posted your certificate.
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