We all know that Australian BDM certificates are ridiculously expensive, but why is this so? Why do we have to pay $30-$40 per certificate, when we can order others from the UK for about $15.00? It doesn’t seem right.
For true researchers if you have a family that you’re researching (big or small), you want to obtain the certificates for each of them, as opposed to just relying on indexes, and in doing so you’re easily up for a few hundred dollars.
Australia’s Inside History Magazine has started a petiton in a bid to get not only the price of Australian BDM certificates dropped, but also with the hope of making them easier to order.
Below is their announcement:
Recently we signed a petition to reduce the costs of research copies of Birth, Death and Marriage [BDM] certificates from the United Kingdom [UK] and make them easier to access, and it got us thinking. Why are BDM certificates so expensive in Australia and why does the process for requesting and receiving them vary so much state by state?
Do you think that it should be easier and cheaper to obtain BDM certificates in Australia for research purposes? And should there be a consistent process and pricing across all states for those same certificates? If you think that it should, then please sign this petition. You just never know what people power can achieve, so have your say on this issue.
So what are you waiting for, sign the petition now, and HELP SPREAD THE WORD!!!
Luckily for me, the majority of the BDM certificates I needed are from Victoria – so $17.50 for an online “uncertified image”. I nearly fell off my chair when I saw the prices in other states, and have only purchased 1 out of state certificate (that I desperately needed) in mini-protest.
I would definitely welcome the other states dropping prices to something more reasonable, and lower prices would increase purchases – I’d be far more inclined to buy the 3x birth, death and marriage certificates for an individual at $17.50 (total $52.50) than I would be to buy a single certificate at $40.
A consistent and online process across the states would be a great start, wouldn’t Kai. Here’s one good comment we’ve received back, “If only all of the Australian States were as easy and of an equivalent cost to the Victorian BDMs (all electronic and instantaneous for historical/family history certificates)”.
Victoria have recently increased the price of online images to $20 however that is very economical compared to other States. I use transcription agents in NSW and the indexes in SA are quite satisfactory for family history purposes as the information on the certificates is scant compared to other States. There is a free service provided by Unley library for certificates in the Adelaide only district. There are two sources for bdm cert transcriptions in SA – Proformat and SAGHS both reasonably priced.
It would be wonderful if all States implemented the same system as Victoria.
As a South Australian I am outraged at the price I have to pay for BDM Certificates for my large South Australian born family.
Indexes are not sufficient! e.g. an index didn’t tell me that my Auntie died of “lysol” poisoning (self administered). A crucial piece of information for any family historian, wouldn’t you say?
I am NOT satisfied with a transcript as no matter how careful a transcriber is, mistakes can occur and to have to pay the same price for a South Australian transcript, emailed to me, as I do for copy from the UK through the post is ludicrous.
Thankyou “Inside History” mag for this initiative! …
I would love to buy a few BMD certificate in Australia but at the price the states are charging for then it is impossible for me to do so. In Victoria you pay $16.50 and you receive the certificate straight away by email and in England it cost me $15.50 Aus so why is it that we have to pay full price for certificates that no one can use. If they put the price down you would find that people would buy more of them as I have on my English family. I brought one certificate from South Australia and I couldnt read the certificate but I still had to pay $38 so where is that fair
In the 1970’s in South Aust you could view and record details of Lands Titles Register Book FREE, but… TODAY!!! We are being milked and this trend also applies to BDM information. and additionally a copy of a Certificate of Title cost just $1.
Lets review my comment.. “Milked” or Screwed?
Know the feeling just paid $40 for a death certificate from south australia. sham they keep burning th cencus material that would be great help in family searches
I am like Kai, love getting Victorian Certificates online, download straight away and the cost is reasonable. I wish other states would do that. A lot of mine are through S.A. which is very the most difficult state to research.
I really hope this works, will make a whole lot of genies happy, it is ridiculous the way it is at present. Is Australia the only country where this applies? If so, why?!
I don’t know where this price comes from, https://online.justice.vic.gov.au/bdm has the price for a scanned image of the original registration record at $25.10AU, this is the cheapest price they offer and is rediculously high.
Gday
I been doing family history of my family for over 15 years. I just received many death certificates for $500 in NSW.
I think it is a business that is going begging for cheaper prices. I was lucky to find some through NSW BDM for cheaper price for Certificate’s. I am starting on my English side now to my amazement it chea.per than us with postage included or by email ( I think).
I think we should be able to get full birth, marriage and death certificates for the same person say 3 for $30 for all three. If Australia lowed the prices the world would come to us for copies of their families. I know people who loved to find out family illness through the decades. Also all certificates should be through one place, in every state and territory. I require over 100 bdm certificates but the Australian prices are too expensive. Come on make it happen now
Graham
I could be so much further along in my family history if I could afford BDM certificates here in NSW. My workload has been quadrupled as I spend unfruitful time trying to get information from free supposedly free services; having to use my debit card to enlist from two week “ free” service…and then remember to cancel etc. We are required by law to register life events and then have to pay to view same!
In the early days of family history research, a great deal of this info was accessible but even that has now been sold to private entrepreneurs…….
Please make the valuable work we do more affordable.