Legislation, policies and practices

Access to information kept by the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages - policy BDM's access policy outlines the restriction periods for event records held by BDM, who can apply for access, and the conditions they must meet for BDM to grant access.

Access to information kept by the Registry of Births, Deaths, and Marriages - policyThis policy outlines when and why a deceased status is applied to a Victorian birth certificate.

Feedback and complaints practiceThis policy outlines the difference between feedback and a complaint, how to contact BDM, what response you will receive and the timelines for responding.

Financial hardship and fee waiverIf you’re experiencing hardship, you can ask the Registrar not to charge the fee for certain certificates or registrations. This is called a fee waiver.

The Registrar may decide to waive fees in specific circumstances.

name dispute policy This policy outlines the options available to parents who disagree about their child's name (at the time of birth registrations), and the steps BDM will take to register the child's birth when the child's parents disagree about the name/s of the child.

naming restrictionsThis policy sets out what names are prohibited and the approach BDM takes when making a decision about whether to register a name.

privacy policyThis policy outlines what information BDM collects, why we collect it, what we do with it and how we protect it.

proving your identityFind out what proof of identity you need to provide when applying for a certificate, and how to provide it.

translated documentsThis policy outlines the requirements for documents that are translated to English.

third party authorityThis page outlines how a person can authorise someone else to access their information - for example, their birth or marriage certificate.