How to search using the online Registry index
A step-by-step guide to help you use the free Registry index for family history research and to buy historic certificates.
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About the Registry index
Search the Registry’s index to find historic records and buy certificates for:
- births that happened over 100 years ago
- deaths that happened over 30 years ago
- marriages that happened over 50 years ago.
Each day new records become available.
When first visiting the Registry index search website, you will be asked to ‘verify you are human’ before proceeding. Re-verification may be needed while using the index.
Searching the index
There are two ways of searching for a certificate:
- the person's name
- the certificate number (if already known).
Search births, deaths or marriages by name
Search a birth by name
To search a birth by name you can enter:
- The family name and first given name of the person.
- The date of birth (if known) or a range of dates when the birth could have happened. For example, if the birth year could be about 1904, enter the date range as 01/01/1903 to 31/12/1905.
- The first given name of one or both parents but it isn’t always necessary.
- Do not enter the place of registration as this may not match the known place of birth.
Example: Birth search by name
Search for Pearl, born about 1904 to John and Mary Wallis.
Enter the family name and first names of the child and parents. Enter the date range 01/01/1903 to 31/12/1905, select search.
The results show the correct person we are searching for.
If no results appear, consider possible alternative spellings such as Wallace or enter the family name as Wall* (the asterisk is a wildcard symbol. Using this will find all names starting with Wall). Consider also removing one of the parents names or the given name of the child.
Select ‘Modify criteria’ and make changes to the search fields. In this case, only the family name and child’s given name have been changed. The parent’s names and date range stay the same.
The results now include different spelling variations.
Narrow results down by checking the middle initials or by looking at the registration district, which may be close to the place they lived (if known).
Search a marriage by name
To search a marriage by name you can enter:
- One or both of the bride and groom’s family names and first given names.
- The date of marriage (if known) or a range of dates when you think the marriage happened. For example, if the year of marriage could be about the early to mid-1880s, enter the date range as 01/01/1880 to 31/12/1885.
- There is no need to add middle names. These are often recorded as initials only.
Example: Marriage search by name
Search for the marriage of John Smith and Anne Johnson from about the early to mid-1880s. Anne was sometimes spelled ‘Ann,’ and her surname was sometimes written as Johnston. They lived in the Tumut area.
Enter the family name and first name of the groom. Enter the bride’s first given name as Ann*, using the asterisk to search for spelling variations. Enter the date range from 01/01/1880 to 31/12/1885. Select ‘Search’.
The results for Ann* bring up the names Ann, Anne, Annie and even Mary Ann. We have found John Smith and Ann Johnson’s marriage registered in 1885 in Tumut, NSW.
Note: Sometimes there will be two index entries for the same registration. For example, registration number 7412/1885 has Annie’s surname as both O’Loughlin and Oloughlin. You only need to order one of them, as you will receive the same certificate. When searching for names with apostrophes, try using the wildcard symbol e.g. O*Loughlin or *Loughlin.
Search a death by name
To search a death by name you can enter:
- The person’s first name and family name.
- The date of death (if known) or a range of dates when the death may have occurred.
- One or both parents' names. However, be aware that if the informant didn’t know the names of the parents, they would not be on the index or certificate. If no results appear, remove one or both parent names.
Example: Death search by name
Search for the death of Patrick Sullivan. He is buried at Rookwood Necropolis cemetery. The headstone has his date of death as 23/07/1915. He is buried next to his family, so we know this is the person we are searching for.
Enter the family name and first given name. Change the Date of Event Range to ‘No’ in the drop-down choice and enter the date 23/07/1915. Select ‘Search.’
Note: When the parents’ names are not listed, you may find the age of the deceased person and place of death. This could help confirm if this is the correct person.
Search a certificate by number
If the certificate number and year are known, then you can search using these numbers.
- Choose the type of event from the home screen (either a birth, marriage or death).
- Choose ‘yes’ on the first drop-down option to ‘search by registration number’.
- Enter the registration number and registration year in the boxes.
Example: Search by certificate registration number
Search for Patrick Sullivan’s death certificate registration number 12183/1915.
Note: the year is from the date of registration, not the date of the event.
Search for a record before 1856 (Church records)
Pre-1856 records can be searched using a name or number.
Records before 1856 are church records and are different to later Registry records.
- Birth records: These are from the church baptism registers. The child may be baptised at a later date than the year they were born. Some church records only record the baptism date. The year on the registration number can be either the birth or baptism year.
- Death search: These are from the church burial registers. Do not add the father or mother’s names as they are not on the index, even if the record has their names listed. Instead of parent names, you will find the age of the deceased person.
- Infants: In the death index, reference to an infant can be a child from a newborn to 9 years of age.
- Early church and district codes: The results will contain a two-letter code. Find the list of codes by selecting the Help menu, that takes you to the Search Guide. The early church and district codes are located at the side menu. The code provides the denomination of the church and the parish/circuit/district name. This is another piece of information that may help to confirm you have the correct person.
- Pre-1856 records are not digitised: When you order a pre-1856 certificate, we will issue a typed certificate from the volumes. We do not have digital images of these records and we no longer hold the original records.
Example: Pre-1856 records search
Example search: We're trying to trace the burial certificate of Thomas Smith. He died in the 1840s.
Enter the family name and the first given name. Leave the parent’s names field blank.
Enter the date range 01/01/1840 to 31/12/1850. Select search.
The results give the age of the person, and the church code of where the burial took place.
The registration number for the records are in 3 parts, for example 247/1848 V1847247 32B.
Thomas Smith age 16 died or was buried in 1847. The index shows he would have been born about 1831. He is recorded in the burial register of St James’ Church of England, Sydney (code CJ).
Understanding search results
Use columns to search
We recommend viewing the results in full screen mode to see all columns of information and headings.
The order of results can be changed by selecting a column heading. The names and districts will be in alphabetical order, and the registration numbers will be in chronological order.
PDF availability column
You can buy a print (delivered by post) or digital copy (delivered by email) of a birth, death or marriage certificate. Certificates will be listed as either:
Readily available – the certificate has already been created, and in most cases can be sent immediately by email.
Unavailable – the certificate is available to order, but processing times will apply as the PDF version of the original image will need to be created.
How to work out the number of results
If there are over 10 results, more page numbers will be shown at the bottom. Each page has 10 results, with up to 10 pages shown at a time.
To find out how many pages of results there are, select the '>>' (double arrow) on the far right, to move to the last page. To return to the first page, select the '<<' (double arrow) on the far left. To move one page at a time, select the '<' '>' (single arrow forward or back) or select the next page number. Page numbers that can be selected will show a hand pointing with the message ‘Go to page #’. The page you are currently on will not show the hand when trying to select it.
If the search provides too many pages of results, click on ‘Modify Criteria’ and try to add other information such as one parent’s name for a birth search or reduce the timeframe. To go back to the home page, select ‘Continue Searching’.
How to order a family history certificate
Find the correct record
Locate the correct entry on the index and check the box found in front of the index entry and then select ‘Add to order.’
Decide how many to purchase
On the ‘Family history order details’ screen, enter the number of certificates to purchase. Only select two or more if you want multiple copies of the same certificate. Select the delivery method, then select 'update order' to calculate the final price.
Continue searching (optional)
To keep searching, select ‘Continue searching’ which will take you back to the home page. Your order is still showing at the top right-hand side of the page.
Purchase certificate(s)
Once you have completed the order, select ‘update order’. Check the order total is correct, then select ‘purchase’.
Fill in the details and check your email or address is correct to avoid delays. Note: For international contact numbers do not add the + symbol at the start, enter numbers only. Contact is usually by email.
Check if the ‘Transaction summary’ is correct. To finalise, select ‘payment’. This will take you to a secure online payment portal where you can enter your card payment information.
Getting certificates and receipt
Once payment has been made, an email with a tax invoice attached will be sent. The certificate(s) will be emailed in a separate email or sent by post, if requested.
Search tips when using the Registry index
- Do not fill in all the fields when starting a search. For example, do not complete the ‘place of registration’ or middle names. This will help to bring up more results and possible options.
- Narrow down search results by column. If there are a large number of search results, narrow them down by sorting them by District or any of the other columns.
- Adjust the date range. Either expand it or narrow it if you're not getting the right results.
- You only need one surname on the marriage index. You do not have to fill in both the groom and brides' surnames. Only one is mandatory.
- Try alternative spelling of names. Names may be recorded differently due to spelling errors or handwriting interpretation. E.g. Anne, Ann, Annie.
- Use the wildcard symbol. Try using the asterisk symbol (*) as a wildcard to replace one or more letters in a name or word. This helps find variations in spelling or incomplete entries during a search. E.g. searching for Ann* will also find Anne and Annie.
- Some births were recorded with the child’s name as ‘Unknown’ or ‘Unnamed’ and were never updated. Try searching for the surname, parents names, and date range only.
- Work backwards from what you know.
Start your search
Research family history by searching the Registry index for NSW births, deaths, and marriages records.
Still can't find the person on the index
If you can’t find the family history record in the online index after searching and it is within the searchable years, you can still apply for the certificate.
The Registry can search our records for you at an extra cost. Learn the other ways to find your family history.