Department of Internal Affairs

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Whānautanga, Matenga, Mārenatanga

Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) registers and maintains New Zealand birth, death, marriage, civil union and name change information, and issues certificates and printouts.

False claims about birth certificates

There have been online claims about birth certificates that aren’t true. New Zealand birth certificates:

  • aren’t linked to bonds or financial institutions
  • only have serial numbers to make it easier to store and find them in the birth registry — these aren’t shared with other agencies, and
  • can’t usually be used on their own as proof of identity.

Birth certificates and source documents FAQ (PDF 64KB)

Birth certificates and source documents FAQ accessible alternative (txt 2.3KB)

Services BDM helps provide

Death and bereavement

What you need to do when someone dies

Registering a death

Get a death certificate

Proving your identity

Order a birth certificate

Access to your birth, marriage and name change records

Translating official documents

Use your NZ documents overseas

Separating or getting divorced

Getting a divorce

Separating from your spouse or partner

Information for marriage celebrants

Become an independent celebrant

Become an organisational celebrant

Performing a marriage or civil union ceremony

Renew your celebrant registration

Update your celebrant registration details

Get celebrant training, support and information

Adoption and fostering

Finding your birth parents

Finding your birth child

Fertility issues and assisted reproduction

Donating sperm or eggs

Finding a child or parent on the sperm and egg donor list

Changing your gender

Change the gender on your birth certificate

Changing your name

Search historical records

Search historical births, deaths and marriages

Search for family history records in NZ

Get someone else's birth certificate

Getting married

How to get married in NZ

Getting married overseas

Finding a celebrant

Registry office weddings

Find a registry office

Get a marriage licence

Changing your name when you get married

Get a marriage certificate

Changing a civil union to a marriage

Submit a notice of objection to someone's wedding

Information for marriage celebrants

Changing your name

Changing your own name

Changing your child's name

Get a record of your name change

Changing your name when you get married

Having a baby

While you're pregnant

Registering a new baby and getting a birth certificate

Most popular BDM forms

Marriage licence application form

If you live in NZ or will arrive here more than 3 days before your wedding

Notice of intended marriage form BDM60 (PDF 274KB)

Notice of intended marriage form BDM60 accessible alternative (txt 14KB)

If you arrive in NZ less than 3 days before your wedding

Notice of intended marriage where parties are ordinarily resident outside New Zealand form BDM58 (PDF 279KB)

Notice of intended marriage where parties are ordinarily resident outside New Zealand form BDM58 accessible alternative (txt 15KB)

Birth certificate application form

Request for NZ birth certificate or printout form BDM93B (PDF 259KB)

Request for NZ birth certificate or printout form accessible alternative BDM93B (txt 6KB)

Change your own name application form

Application to register a name change BDM120 (PDF 1MB)

Application to register a name change BDM120 accessible alternative (txt 22KB)

Change your child's name application form

If your child is 2 to 18 or was born outside NZ

Name change by statutory declaration (of person aged under 18 who has not been married, in a civil union or de facto relationship) BDM122 (PDF 1MB)

Name change by statutory declaration (of person aged under 18 who has not been married, in a civil union or de facto relationship) BDM122 accessible alternative (txt 38KB)

If your child is under 2 and was born in NZ

Application to register a name change within 2 years of birth BDM36 (PDF 947KB)

Application to register a name change within 2 years of birth BDM36 accessible alternative (txt 16KB)

They are part of the Department of Internal Affairs.

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