More good news for Aussie genealogists, or more to the point for those researching their Queensland family. While the Queensland Registrar has had the BDM indexes online for sometime, you still had to manually apply and get the certificate sent out to you.
As a sign of another organisation moving with the times, the Queensland Registrar now gives you the option of buying a copy of the printed certificate which gets mailed out to you OR you can order a digital copy which you can then download instantly.
Now isn’t that just FABULOUS? But it doesn’t end there. The printed certificates which were $37, have dropped to $28, and the digital copies are only $20. So there’s pluses all round.
The historical indexes cover the following periods:
– Births 1829 to 1914
– Marriages 1829 to 1938
– Deaths 1829 to 1983
If you order a printed certificate you get the details filled in, in little boxes and printed on the official yellow paper showing it’s from the Registrar. But if you order a download, you will receive a digital image of the original handwritten record.
I can see that both have their merits, so I’d find it a tough choice choosing whether to go for the printed copy or the download. But it’s up to you to choose, not me!
Now, just as information I thought I’d list just what information is included on Queensland BDM certificates (this information is courtesy of Graham Jaunay’s “What’s on an Australian BDM Certificate“)
QUEENSLAND BIRTH CERTIFICATES (Classed as historical after 100 years)
Name, Date, Place, Father’s name, Father’s occupation, Father’s age, Father’s birthplace, Mother’s name, Maiden name, Mother’s age, Mother’s birthplace, Marriage date, Previous children.
MARRIAGE CERTIFICATES (Classed as historical after 75 years)
Date, Couple’s names, Couple’s ages, Couple’s birthplaces, Previous status, Couple’s occupations, Couple’s residences, Fathers’ names, Fathers’ occupations, Groom’s mothers name, Bride’s mothers name.
DEATH CERTIFICATES (Classed as historical after 30 years)
Name, Date, Death place, Age, Occupation, Cause of death, Parents’ names, Spouse names, Marriage details, Children’s names, No. of children, Birthplace, Residency, Burial place
To start searching the the historical Queensland BDM records, head on over to:
https://www.bdm.qld.gov.au/IndexSearch/BirIndexQry.m
There are some mistakes in the list on Graham Jaunay’s page. For example, he says that Queensland birth indexes on fiche are available to 1914, but they actually go to 1919.
This is an extract from my Web site (‘frequently asked questions’ page):
Birth certificates: name; date/place of birth; sex; father’s name, age, occupation, birthplace; mother’s maiden name, age, birthplace; previous issue of parents’ marriage (names/ages of children living, number/sex of children deceased); witness present at birth [before 1980]; informant’s name, residence, relationship to child. Pre-1890 certificates supplied as photocopies occasionally have annotations giving year of death, married surname etc. [NOTE: parents’ date/place of marriage is usually on pre-1890 certificates supplied as photocopies, but for births registered in or after 1890 your application must ASK for that information.]
Marriage certificates: Bridegroom’s and bride’s name, occupation, residence, conjugal state, age [to Aug 1963] or birthdate [from Sep 1963], birthplace, father’s name and [to Aug 1963] occupation, mother’s maiden name. Date/place of marriage ceremony, celebrant, denomination, witnesses.
Death certificates: name; date/place of death; occupation; age; birthplace; how long in Australia; married where, at what age, and to whom; issue (names/ages of children living, number/sex of children deceased); father’s name/occupation; mother’s maiden name; cause of death; duration of last illness; doctor’s name; when last seen by that doctor; date/place of burial/cremation, and by whom certified [usually an undertaker]; name/religion of minister and/or names of two witnesses to burial; informant’s name, residence and relationship or description.
Note that most Queensland probate files after about the mid-1890s (which are at Qld State Archives) *include* a death certificate. http://qld-genealogy.blogspot.com/2010/09/free-certificates-in-archives-files.html
I ordered a death certificate for a premature 2 month old infant (relative) who died in the 1960si n country Queensland.. Infant has surname listed but says unnamed for first name. I get the impression that the infant was born and died in hospital.
I was just wondering about a few things.
1) Mother’s full name is listed but she is not informant. (child was illegitimate although I don’t believe it was due to be adopted)
2) Although the infant was buried 2 days after death, registration date is early the next year (about 2 months later).
3) There seem to be two numbers on the death certificate (possibly for the different years?). However, the first number seems too long for a registration number..
Are the above things normal?
Hello Cathy,
Without the full details of this event the Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) cannot specifically answer your query.
In general terms please note the following:
1. The death informant does not necessarily have to be a parent
2. During the period mentioned practice was for the birth to be registered before a death. Parents would be required to submit the birth registration within 60 days of birth (there is however provision for late registration after the 60 day period). The registration anomaly mentioned may have been caused by a lengthy birth registration period.
3. Until 1980 life events could possibly be registered twice. Once by a Registrar in the district of occurrence and allocated a district registration number. The record would be then sent to the central Brisbane registry and allocated another registration number. After 1980 this practice was discontinued and all life event registrations were recorded and allocated a registration number by the central registry in Brisbane.
Cathy, if you would like more information or to discuss your matter further please email RBDM at bdm-mail@justice.qld.gov.au
Hi I’m wanting to access my birth certificate information such as the certificate number and the issue dates etc; can I access a online view of my birth certificate and then download it to a PDF file or other similar files??
Hi Missy, To obtain a copy of your birth certificate you will need to fill in the relevant forms which can be found on the Qld Registrar’s website, together with your payment and they will then post one out to you.
I don’t believe they will send you a PDF copy of it, as that’s not a legal document. Those that are available in that form are the historical ones. But you can always check by giving them a call.
More details: https://www.qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages-and-divorces/birth-death-and-marriage-certificates/birth-certificates/applying-for-a-birth-certificate/
I am wanting a birth Certificate of my half brother. we share the same mother. Our mother is deceased and his father and my father are both deceased.
Hi wondering if I have got the option to get a birth certificate for my great grandfather born July 1872 to show exact location in Queensland please? The birth certificate details shown on Ancestry as just Queensland with no further information. I am really trying to see if there would be an actual location in Queensland as I don’t want to pay for a certificate if there isn’t further information. Thank you