Find your ancestors in Western Australia birth index

Life Events (BDMs)

What can these records tell me?

This index contains over 100,000 transcripts. Each transcript will usually include the following details:

First name(s)
Last name
Birth year
Birth place
Registration number
State

Discover more about these records

Civil registration of births, marriages, and deaths in Western Australia started 1 September 1841. Prior to this, churches had the responsibility to record all baptisms, marriages, and burials.

Birth records can be incredibly useful in your family history research as they often allow you to place your ancestor at a specific time and place. For example, we learn that John T Abbey was born in 1866 at Vasse in Western Australia.

Ordering a birth certificate

In Australia, each state administers its own birth, death, and marriage certificates and manages the ordering process. The certificates will contain more information than what is provided in these transcripts, such as parents’ names.

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

For births that occurred 100 years ago or more, there are no restrictions or identification requirements for obtaining a birth certificate. For more recent birth certificates, there are eligibility and identification requirements. For family access, you must provide one for the following:

Written authorization from a named party on the certificate
Proof that the person is deceased, with spouse or defacto named on the death certificate
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.