Order a New Zealand birth certificate: replacement, paper form and saved copy
Order a new or replacement New Zealand birth certificate through the official Births, Deaths and Marriages service. Choose the certificate the receiving organisation requires, and remember that an online order is followed by delivery of the issued document, not an instant personal PDF.
You need a birth certificate for an application and cannot find the paper copy. First confirm whether the organisation needs an issued certificate, a scan of it, or another identity record. A photograph in your document folder can be useful for reference without being the item the application requires.
Pick the right order route
| Situation | Where to begin |
|---|---|
| A standard new or replacement certificate | Official online certificate ordering service |
| You cannot order online | Current BDM93B form and its instructions |
| A new baby's birth has not been registered | Register the birth first, with the option to order a certificate |
| You want a research record | Check the distinction between a certificate and a copy of the record |
The New Zealand Government birth-certificate guide links to the official ordering service. Check the current certificate fee and delivery arrangements there before ordering.
Decide what you are ordering
The BDM93B guidance distinguishes an official certificate from a copy of the record, which contains more information and is generally used for research. Do not choose the research option just because its name sounds like a replacement copy.
Check the holder's details against your application. Identify family members clearly in your filing system so their certificates do not get confused.
If you need the certificate for use overseas, confirm the receiving authority's requirements before paying. Govt.nz says an apostille or authentication may be needed and directs those orders away from the ordinary online route. That is a separate official process, not something a watermark or PDF conversion supplies.
If you use the paper form
- Download the current BDM93B from the official guide rather than reusing an attachment someone sent you months ago.
- Complete the relevant sections for the requester, identity checks, certificate details and delivery address. Follow the form's branching questions for your situation.
- Print and sign by hand, even if you filled in the fields on screen.
- Send it and the required supporting documents using the route on the form. The form says not to email the completed application and not to send an original identity document as the identity-copy attachment.
- Save a copy of what you submitted and keep it separate from the certificate once issued.
Use the form's own checklist for attachments. A generic document app cannot tell you whether your particular evidence meets the Department of Internal Affairs' requirements.
Keep a copy that is useful later
When the certificate arrives, read it before filing it. If a detail seems wrong, contact Births, Deaths and Marriages through the official guide. Editing a name or date in a scan is not a way to correct the register.
For a personal scan, include the full page with all edges and endorsements. Use even light and check the saved file at a readable zoom. Keep the paper certificate safely and label the scan as a personal copy so you do not mistake it for a separately issued digital credential.
If an organisation accepts an upload, use its requested file format and channel. Send the certificate for the correct person, rather than a bundle containing every family record. If it asks for an original or a certified copy, confirm what that means for that application before sending a phone image.
Retain any officially supplied signed digital file unchanged in processes that issue one. Taking a screenshot or making a smaller derivative can remove verification information; keep derivatives separate from their source.
Before ordering or uploading
- The required certificate or record type is confirmed.
- The order uses the official service or current form.
- Delivery details and the current fee have been checked.
- Any extra overseas-use process has been confirmed.
- Your scan includes the whole issued page and is clearly a personal copy.
The New Zealand document tools prepare licence copies and supporting documents for a rental application. Keep an issued certificate or signed file unchanged. For an INZ passport upload, use a clean original or unmarked scan instead.
Questions about New Zealand birth certificates
Does an online order give me an instant PDF certificate?
Do not assume so. The official process describes delivery of the certificate, and the paper-form guidance says certificates are sent by post or courier. An order confirmation is not the certificate.
Is a copy of the record the same as a certificate?
No. BDM93B distinguishes the official certificate from a copy of the record, which has more information and is usually used for research. Order the type the receiving organisation needs.
Can I email my completed BDM93B form?
The current form says to use email for questions about the form and not to email the completed application. Follow its submission instructions and keep a personal copy for reference.