Donor-conceived births

Donor-conceived births are births conceived through assisted reproductive technology (ART). This includes self-insemination and IVF.

Registering a donor-conceived birth

If your child is born in Victoria, you need to register the birth within 60 days of your child being born. See Register a birth.

Information on birth certificates

Donors

Birth certificates generally don't include donor details. These details are kept on donor registers (see below). For information on adding donor details, refer to Add a parent to a birth certificate.

Birth mother's female partner

To add the birth mother's female partner to your child's birth certificate, learn how to:

• Add the birth parent's female partner when registering a birth, or
• Add a parent to a birth certificate

You can also apply to remove the birth parent’s female partner from your child’s birth record at a later date. See Relationships that have ended

Previous children

Your child’s birth certificate includes all ‘previous children of the relationship’. This includes those born to the mother’s female partner.

Remove the father's name (if incorrect)

You can apply to remove a person incorrectly named as the father.

BDM will waive the application fee in this instance.

You’ll need to attach evidence that the father named on the certificate isn't the child's biological father.

For more information, refer to Remove a parent from a birth certificate. 

Relationships that have ended

In most cases, if you and your partner consented to donor treatment together, you're both recorded on the child’s birth certificate. This is the case even if the relationship ends.

To remove the birth parent’s female partner from your child’s birth record, you must provide a court order. Refer to Remove a parent from a birth certificate.

Birth certificate addendums

From 1 January 2028, BDM will provide additional material to people applying for their birth certificate if they: 

• Were donor-conceived in a Victorian-registered fertility clinic
• Were born in Victoria on or after 1 January 2010, and
• Are over 18 years of age when they apply. 

This additional material is known as an ‘addendum’.

The addendum will notify the person that further information is available about their birth. The exact content of the addendum has not yet been finalised.

Donor registers

Information about donors and donor births is kept on donor registers. You can apply to access information on the registers if you are:

• A Victorian donor
• A donor-conceived person, or
• Their relative.

To do this, contact Victorian Assisted Reproductive Treatment Authority (VARTA) (External link).

Surrogacy

Learn more about registering the birth of a child born through a surrogacy arrangement.