Birth, death and marriage certificates

Australian Embassy

Netherlands

Embassy address: Carnegielaan 4, 2517 KH The Hague - Telephone:+ 31 (0)70 310 8200 - Fax:+31 (0)70 310 8250

Birth, Death and Marriage Certificates

Australians abroad, and foreign nationals, often need a full Certificate of Birth, Marriage Certificate, or a No Record (Single Status) of Marriage Certificate issued by an Australian Registry for such purposes as applying for a passport, securing residence and work permits, marriage, migration, divorce, court requirements, etc.

Although you may already hold an original of a certificate, the local authorities often require the certificate to be issued no earlier than six months prior to the date the certificate is requested by the local authority.

The Dutch authorities may request that you have an Apostille stamp placed on the certificate. The Embassy does not have an Apostille stamp. Please refer to the information about Apostille - Authentication of Foreign Public Documents, as this will assist you in getting an Apostille stamp on your certificate.

Please check with the local Dutch authority as to their requirements. Please see below for a list of addresses of Registry Offices in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Please note that a full Certificate of Birth is required for the issue of an Australian passport, for a permit to reside and/or work in the Netherlands, marriage, etc.

If you were born in Australia, or were born out of Australia but have lived in Australia for an extended period of time, you may be required to provide evidence that you have never married in the State or Territory in which you were born or lived.

In such cases the Dutch authority will want you to produce a document called a "No Record (Single Status) of Marriage Certificate" which may be obtained from the Registry of Births Marriages and Deaths in the relevant State or Territory.

The relevant Registering Authority listed below can advise about costs of certificates.

If you require a certificate urgently, it may take less time if a relative or friend in Australia can assist you. Your friend or relative could obtain a certificate from the Registry Office, and thereafter take it to have an Apostille stamped on it at the appropriate Regional Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. They will then be able to return the Certificate with Apostille to you in the Netherlands. Please check with the Registry Office what documentation will be required if someone applied on your behalf.

Government authorities in Australia will not commence processing your application until receipt of the fee. Therefore, your letter accompanying your order or an application downloaded from the Internet needs to be accompanied by an international bank cheque for the appropriate amount of money or details of your credit card.

If you are a Dutch national requiring a publicly issued document, the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs in The Hague (Ministrie van Buitenlandse Zaken) may be able to assist you and apply for a document on your behalf. Please contact the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 070-348 6486 for further information.

Registering Authorities in Australia

Click here for Registering Authorities in Australia

Registering Authorities in Papua New Guinea and Norfolk Island

PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Registrar Generals Office
Birth Registry
PO Box 21
Gerehu, Port Moresby, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
tel: +675 (0) 271 844
Births in Papua New Guinea of Australian parents may be registered with:
Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
Registrar of Births Abroad
Chan Street, Belconnen ACT 2601 AUSTRALIA

NORFOLK ISLAND
Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages
Administration Offices
Kingston, NORFOLK ISLAND 2899
tel: +672 (0) 22001 or +672 (0) 23691
fax: +672 (0) 33177