Identity

• What identity documents do I need?
• Birth certificate
• Other identity documents
• What if my birth in Australia wasn’t registered?
• What if my overseas-born child doesn’t have a foreign birth certificate?
• Australian Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages

What identity documents do I need?

Unless you qualify for renewal, you have to prove your identity by showing us:

• your full birth certificate, and
• documents that prove any change of name or change of gender, and
• other identity documents with your current photo, address and signature.

Any foreign-language documents have to be translated in full by an approved translation service.

Birth certificate

If you were born in Australia, you need to provide your full, original Australian birth certificate issued by an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.

If you were born overseas, you need to provide your full, original foreign birth certificate, legalised if necessary, unless:

• you have a full, original Australian birth certificate, or
• you’re an adult applicant and you have an Australian citizenship certificate that shows your gender and place of birth, or
• you’re an adult applicant and you can show us a foreign passport or other official document that has your gender and place of birth.

Other identity documents

You need to provide combination 1, combination 2 or combination 3 of the identity documents in categories A, B and C below.

Combination 1

• One document from Category A plus
• One document from Category B. plus
• If neither of these documents shows your current address, one document from Category C that shows your current address.

Combination 2 (only if you can’t present Combination 1)

• Two documents from Category B plus
• One official document that includes your photo plus
• if none of these documents show your current address, you will also need to provide one document from Category C that shows your current address.

Combination 3 (only if you can’t present Combination 1 or 2)

• At least three documents from Category C that show your name and current address plus
• One official document that includes your photo and signature e.g. a workplace identity card, student card.

Your application may take longer to process if you use Combination 3. You won’t be eligible for a faster processing service.

Category A

These documents have to be original and current. We don’t accept digital driver licences.

Category B

These documents have to be originals. They also have to be current, with the exception of the Australian passport.

Category C

These documents have to be no more than 12 months old when you apply for your passport.

What if my birth in Australia wasn’t registered?

If you were born in Australia and you can’t show us your birth certificate because your birth wasn’t registered, you will need to contact the State or Territory Registry of Birth, Death and Marriages to enquire about a late registry of birth. You will then need to get:

• a full, original Australian birth certificate, or
• a certificate that says your birth is listed in the Northern Territory Aboriginal Population Records, or
• a citizenship certificate from the Department of Home Affairs.

If you identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander, you don’t need to apply for a citizenship certificate. You can provide a completed B-19 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island declaration if you can't provide any of the above listed documents.

What if my overseas-born child doesn’t have a birth certificate?

If your child doesn’t have a birth certificate, then you’ll need to get one.

If you can’t get an overseas birth certificate, then each person with parental responsibility has to complete a

to explain why. Only do this if getting a birth certificate is genuinely impossible, not if it’s simply inconvenient or time-consuming.

See also:

• Citizenship documents
• Names and name change

Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages

Visit the births, deaths and marriages website in your state or territory for information about birth certificates and identity documents.