Victoria Deaths 1836-1985

A record from findmypast’s index to Victoria Deaths 1836-1985 will tell you:

• The deceased’s first name and surname
• Their age
• Their place of death, where recorded
• Their father’s and mother’s names, where recorded
• Their estimated year of birth based on their age
• The year of death
• The registration number

You will need some of this information to order a copy of the birth certificate.

Once you have located the relevant record from findmypast’s index to Victoria Deaths 1836-1985, you can order the death certificate itself from Births, Deaths & Marriages Victoria.

In order to purchase a death certificate, you must know the following:

• The surname of the person whose record you’d like
• Registration number of the record
• Registration year of the record

When ordering a death certificate in Victoria, you can purchase either historical certificates themselves or uncertified images.

The historical certificates include the Registrar’s certification, signature and seal.

The uncertified images, on the other hand, are scanned images of the original registration records. Designed specifically for family history research, uncertified images include the same details as the historical certificate, but cannot be used for official purposes.

The other difference is that uncertified images can be downloaded to your computer immediately after ordering.

You can order historical certificates either online or through post.

Historical birth certificates can be ordered online on the Births, Deaths & Marriages Victoria website here.

The certificate will be issued within five business days from the date your application is received, plus postage time.

To order through post, you must download and print this application form here, fill it in and send it to Births, Deaths & Marriages Victoria. Its address is:

Certificate applications Births, Deaths & Marriages GPO Box 5220 MELBOURNE VIC 3001

You can download an uncertified image directly from the Births, Deaths & Marriages Victoria website here.

Instructions on how to download the uncertified images can be found here.

How do I order recent death certificates from Victoria? It is important to note that different rules apply for deaths that are considered recent, due to privacy laws. This includes any death certificates from 10 years ago or less.

Ordering these must be done through Births, Deaths & Marriages Victoria with proof of identity documents. Learn more about ordering recent marriage certificates here.

What information will I find on Victorian death certificates? As explained above, findmypast’s index to Victoria Deaths 1836-1985 will give you the basics of the death in question: the deceased’s name, age, estimated year of birth, death place (where recorded), parents’ names (where recorded), year of death, and the registration number that you will need to order the certificate.

The death certificate (or uncertified image of it) will usually contain much more information. If the death occurred after 1 July 1853, you can also expect to find additional information such as:

• The deceased’s birthplace
• Their parents’ and spouse’s names
• Their marriage details
• Their children’s names
• The deceased’s burial place
• Occupation
• Number of years in the colony - often referred to as “residency"

In this period, Victorian death certificates – as well as birth and marriage certificates – were the most detailed of all Australian colonies’ records, making them particularly useful for family history researchers.

Victorian birth, deaths and marriages (BDM) certificates date back to 1853, when the Victorian government began civil registration. There are also church baptism, marriage and burial records dating as far back as 1836.

Today, these are managed by the Registry of Births, Deaths & Marriages Victoria.