Family ancestry search guide
If you can't find the record you're looking for right away, use this guide to help you navigate the search tool.
Having issues accessing Family History Search?
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Online certificate ordering and online registrations systems unavailable
Due to scheduled maintenance, our online certificate ordering, birth registration system and family history services will be unavailable between 8:00am and 4:00pm Sunday, 6 July 2025. We apologise for any inconvenience.
Troubleshooting
If you are having trouble starting a family history search, please clear your browser cache and history using these steps:
- On your computer, open Chrome
- At the top right, click 'more' or the 3 dots
- Click 'more tools'. Clear browsing data
- At the top, choose a time range. To delete everything, select 'all time'
- Next to "cookies and other site data' and 'cached images and files', check the boxes.
- Click 'clear data'.
How to do a family ancestry search
Our online family history search provides access to NSW Government records of:
- births over 100 years ago
- deaths over 30 years ago
- marriages over 50 years ago.
You can search the index for free and order a print or digital copy of most historical birth, death or marriage certificates, for a fee.
Only the records within these time frames are publicly accessible.
Start with what you know
Work back through your family tree: parents, then grandparents, then great grandparents. Try to find out key details like their names, the dates or time frame they were alive and places they lived.
Ask family members about your family history. Talk to friends of your parents and grandparents, their neighbours and members of the community.
Select a life event
Once you have an idea of a person or people you’d like to search for, identify what life event you’d like to find out about. You can search for records on a person’s birth, death or marriage.
Understand what records you can find
It was not compulsory to register a birth, death or marriage in NSW until 1856 and written forms did not come into use until 1918.
This means that some records may be missing key details, or missing entirely. The amount of detail in the records depends on the year of the event, the format and the condition of the original records we hold in the registry.
| Certificate | Information usually included |
|---|---|
| Death certificate | Names of the parents, names of spouse(s), names and ages of the children, place of death and occupation. |
| Marriage certificate | Place of birth, age at marriage, date of the marriage names of parents and witnesses. Some late 1800s marriage records do not include all of this information. |
| Birth Certificate | Place of birth for the parents, residence at time of birth, name and age of older siblings, date of marriage for parents, occupation of father. |
Missing records
If you can't find a record, there could be errors in the names, dates and place you are searching, or the record may never have existed.
For example, if you can't find a marriage record for your ancestors, it could be because:
- the event was not registered
- the event did not occur in NSW - try other state registries
- the registration may have been missed when the records were indexed or transferred to digital format
- the registration may have been incorrectly indexed
- the original pre-1856 early church records may not have been provided to the Registry.
Check back regularly, as index corrections and missing entries are added when found, so you may find your missing record.
If you do find an error with the index you can submit corrections using the contact details below.
Enter names
You must enter at least one name field.
If you’re unsure about a name or if you can’t find what you are looking for, try using these advanced search options.
| Use | To find | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| * | Any string of characters | R*n will match Ron, Ran, Roan. Bro* it will match any word starting with Bro, such as Brooks, Bromley, Bros. M*innes will match McInnes, MacInnes and Macguinnes. |
| ? | Replace a single character | R?n will match Ron or Ran but will not match Roan. |
| @ | Represents a soundex | @colin will match Clune, Colan, Cullan, Callahan. |
Spelling of names
When you're researching historical information, you might find differences in the spelling of a name. This could be because:
- a mistake was made in recording the name
- a name was changed from another language into English or
- the records are hard to read.
If you’re unsure about the spelling of a name or you haven't been able to find records for a person, try a few variations. For example: Stewart, Stuart or Steward. Or, use the advanced search options.
Search date ranges
If you don't have an exact date, you can try searching a date range.
- select date of event range from drop down: either 'yes' or 'no'
- if you select date of event range 'yes', you must enter a start and finish date for the period of your search
- for example, try searching a 10-year-period: event from 01/01/1900, event to 31/12/1910.
If you select 'no' for date of event range, you must enter the exact date of event. Use day, month, year, such as 22/01/1908.
Every day new certificates become available. For example, on 2 January 2025, you can search for:
- births on or before 1 January 1925
- deaths on or before 1 January 1995
- marriages on or before 1 January 1975.
Include registration numbers
After WWI, written forms came into common use for recording births, deaths and marriages. The Registrar would copy details from forms into register books and allocate a unique registration number to the event.
If you know the registration number of the form you’re looking for, select 'yes' from the search by number only drop-down. Enter the registration number and click the 'search' button.
Sort the search results
Your search results will be displayed under the following headings:
- registration number
- district
- father/mothers given name (for births and deaths), or
- groom/bride’s given name for marriages.
You can sort your search results by clicking on the heading, which will sort them in ascending or descending order.
You can also change search details if you did not find what you wanted.
Select 'modify criteria' to return to the search page and change your search details as required.
If you select 'continue searching', you will be taken back to the family history search page to start a new search.
Ordering certificates
You can buy a print or digital copy of a birth, death or marriage certificate. Certificates will be listed as either:
- Readily available - this has already been created, and in most cases can be sent immediately by email.
- Unavailable - this is available to order, but processing times will apply as the PDF version of the original recorded image will need to be created.
How to order
- Once you have found the record you are after in the search tool, click the box next to the item you want and select 'add to order'.
- Select the number of certificates you want to purchase.
- Select delivery method (either email or post). Click 'update order'.
- To add other certificates to your order, select 'continue searching' before you complete your purchase.
- To submit your order, click 'purchase' and complete your details and payment.
Fees and processing times
| Family history certificates with a registration number | Standard service $41 |
|---|---|
| Family history certificates without a registration number | Standard service $56 |
| Online application: email delivery | Up to 3 weeks |
| Online application: postal delivery | Up to 3 weeks |
| Postal application | Up to 4 weeks |
| Via Service NSW | Up to 4 weeks |
| Pre-1856 Church Register Records (Volume records) | Up to 5 weeks |
Common questions and available resources
How to request a Registry search
You can apply for the Registry to search your family history records at an extra cost.
Fees for a Registry search
- $56 for a search (birth, death or marriage certificate).
How to apply for a Registry search
- download and complete the family history search application
- include all the details of the person you are researching such as full name, date and place of birth, death or marriage
- after reviewing your application, we will send a secure payment link to the email address provided in your application for payment processing.
Submit your form using one of the following options:
- visit your nearest Service NSW service centre
- mail your form to:
NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages
GPO Box 30
Sydney NSW 2001.
Church codes and records before 1856
Before the establishment of the registry in 1856, baptisms, burials and marriages were recorded by the churches.
If you're searching for records before 1856, you will see a two letter code in the search results under 'district'. This code can be matched to the name of the church that recorded the life event in our list of early church and district codes.
Records of these codes have changed over time
- from 1856, the name of the district where the event was registered was recorded in the index
- from 1974, district codes were being used
- during the 1990s, the codes started to disappear from the death index as the registration of events was centralised to Sydney
- by 1995, districts were no longer recorded, as all events in NSW were now registered in Sydney, leaving the District column blank.
Why are there multiple entries on the index for the same record
Occasionally you may find multiple entries for the same record with the same registration number. This could be due to a change made to the registration such as a correction, adoption, legitimation, change of name, etc. Each time a change is recorded, a new entry is added, and entries cannot be deleted from the index.
Choose any one of the entries to order the certificate. You will always receive the latest certificate as it will replace the previous ones. Previous certificates are voided and are not available to be issued.
Multiple entries on the index can also be due to spelling variations of names, as the handwriting may not be clear.
Declarations and pre-adoption birth certificates for births over 100 years ago
From 1913, foster parents who had informally adopted a child could make a declaration to request a record of the child’s birth with their details recorded on the registration.
This declaration allowed for details to be recorded by the Registry. While no formal registration was created, certified copies of the details were issued in place of a birth certificate. Declarations are indexed and available to buy, along with normal registrations.
Legal adoptions were not introduced until 1924, under the Child Welfare Act 1923. Pre-adoption birth certificates for family history purposes, cannot be issued by the Registry without the authority from the Department of Communities and Justice adoption information unit, under the Adoption Act 2000. Even if they are for births over 100 years ago and are listed on the search index.
If you order one of these certificates, the Registry will advise that you will need authority first and a refund will be given. For further information on the process see our Certificates and searches for an adoption page.
Hire a transcription agent
You can pay a family history transcription agent to search for you. They provide:
- either full or partial details of our records (transcriptions), or
- confirm details of the records we hold.
This option might suit you if you only need the facts, and not full certified copies of certificates.
For information about their service and fees, contact a transcription agent.
Marilyn Rowan
Joy Murrin
Laurie Turtle
Additional record and archive resources
State Library of NSW: Researching your family history
State archives and records. These include:
- Family history guide
- Births, deaths and marriages guide
- House and property guide
- Land registry services
- Historical records online.
More information about the history of the Registry's records
Learn more about the history of the births, deaths and marriages registrations by visiting our Registry Records page.
Family history search enquiries
If you have a question about our historical records, including index corrections, email us at bdm-research-unit@customerservice.nsw.gov.au. Note: this is for family history enquiries only.
Make sure you include your:
- full name
- telephone number
- brief description of your enquiry.
We’ll respond within 20 business days.