If there's an error on a death certificate, you can apply to have it corrected.
We assess all corrections before making them.
Refer to the ‘Evidence required’ tab for common changes and the evidence you’ll need to provide.
What we need from you
We'll ask you for the following:
1. Details of the person on the certificate
As a minimum, we ask for:
- Given name and family name
- Date and place of death.
2. The original death certificate
We ask you to return the original certificate before we can issue a new, corrected version.
If you return the original certificate
Post the original certificate to our mailing address. Please include your order number.
Once we’ve corrected the record, we’ll send you a new certificate free of charge.
If you can't return the original
You’ll need to provide a Statutory Declaration (External link) explaining why. Learn more about how to digitise and upload documents.
Once we've corrected the record, you'll need to apply for a new death certificate. There is a fee for the new certificate.
We recommend that you don’t order a new certificate until we’ve corrected the record.
3. Evidence to support the correction
The evidence we ask for depends on the correction you want to make. Check the 'Evidence required' tab.
For documents in a language other than English, provide an English translation by a qualified translator. Learn more about translated documents.
4. Proof of your identity
Acceptable documents
The easiest way to prove your identity is with your driver licence (if it confirms your residential address) and your passport.
If you don’t have these, you can provide other identity documents.
To provide identity documents, send certified copies to us by post or by uploading.
Evidence required
The evidence listed below covers the most common correction requests. If you can't provide the evidence listed, we will contact you if we need more evidence.
If we hold the evidence (e.g. a Victorian birth certificate) you don't need to provide a copy of it.
| Correction | Acceptable evidence |
|---|---|
|
Any name or age on the certificate |
One of the following documents, showing the name that needs to be corrected:
|
| Date, place or cause of death |
Evidence of correct information from:
It may be in the form of:
|
| Date or place of marriage | Marriage certificate (interstate or overseas marriage). |
| Relationship status (married or divorced) |
One of the following:
|
| Relationship status and/or name of domestic (de facto) partner |
The Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Regulations 2019 (External link) define 'domestic relationship'. For a death record, a domestic relationship includes both:
To add the name of a domestic partner, you must provide evidence that at the time of death:
Examples of acceptable evidence to add the name of a domestic partner include:
What happens next
After 28 days, the Registrar will decide whether to make the correction. If you or the informant are not happy with the Registrar’s decisionYou can ask the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (External link) to review the decision. You must do so within 28 days of the Registrar making their decision. |
| Children not listed on certificate |
One of the following:
|
Timeframes and delivery
How long will it take?
Check our certificate turnaround times.
If it's urgent, apply online then contact us.
Fees and payment
The fees are non-refundable except as set out in our Refunds page.
Certificate fees
| Whereabouts of original certificate | Comments | Price |
|---|---|---|
| If you return the original death certificate |
No fee for certificate |
$0.00 |
| If you do not return the original death certificate package | The price of a legal death certificate package applies | $85.00 |
| If you do not return the original death certificate | The price of a legal death certificate applies | $52.30 |
Postage fees are additional.
Postage fees
Postage within Australia
| Type of certificate | Postage and handling method | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Legal certificate | Express post | $10.00 |
Postage outside Australia
| Type of certificate | Postage and handling method | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Legal certificate | International express | $54.10 |
See Australia Post (External link) for product details.
Check the Payment methods we accept.