A New Zealand birth certificate is the official legal record of a birth registered in New Zealand. We order it for you as an approved BDM Online organisation and post it to any NZ address for NZ$79 all in, including the certificate, our service, postage and GST. Before it is ordered, we check the four things that most often cause a refusal: the type of document, the name it will show, how recently it was issued, and whether a certificate alone is enough for the office that asked.
Start with what it's for
The same certificate can be perfect for one office and wrong for another. This is how we think about it before anything is ordered:
| It's for | What the office tends to look at | What we check first |
|---|---|---|
| An NZ passport | The official certificate, never a photocopy | For anyone born from 1 January 2006, citizenship depended on a parent's status at the birth. We flag early if separate proof may be asked for. |
| School, bank, KiwiSaver, IRD | A standard certificate in a name that matches your other ID | Whether a name change, marriage or adoption means the name won't match what the office has on file. |
| A visa or job overseas | How recently it was issued, and an apostille | The office's age limit (often 6 or 12 months) and the right apostille or authentication for the country. |
| Citizenship of another country | Your certificate and often a parent's, sometimes translated | Every certificate in the family chain, ordered together so the dates and names line up. |
| A wedding overseas | A recent certificate plus a Certificate of No Impediment | That both documents are ready, and apostilled if needed, before the venue's deadline. |
| An estate or family records | The legal certificate, or the register entry for research | Whether you need the legal document or the more detailed copy of the record, and your authority to order. |
Two documents, only one of them legal
Births, Deaths and Marriages can issue two quite different things from the same birth entry, and they are easy to mix up when ordering.
The birth certificate
The legal document. It is what passport offices, schools, banks, employers and overseas authorities expect, and the one that gets apostilled when it has to be used abroad. Living abroad? We order NZ birth certificates from overseas and courier them to you.
What we orderA copy of the birth record
A reproduction of the register entry. It can carry more detail than the certificate, which makes it useful for family history, but it is not a legal document.
Research onlyFour details on the certificate that cause trouble
These come up again and again in our specialist's experience, and each one can mean a second order and a second wait if it isn't caught first.
Old certificate, new rules
A birth certificate never expires, but many visa and immigration offices only accept one issued in the last 6 or 12 months. We had a client whose certificate was eight months old against a six-month rule: here's how we caught it.
Born before 1972?
Anyone born before 1972 was registered with no surname at all. When the gaps were filled in 1995, the surname chosen hung on one question, whether the parents were married. If what was chosen isn't the name you've used all your life, the record needs amending before a new certificate will show the right name.
Changed your name?
A name change registered in New Zealand sits against your birth entry, so the certificate can reflect it. Born overseas and changed your name here? Then it's a name change certificate you need, not a birth certificate.
Adopted?
The certificate issued after an adoption shows the adoptive parents. The original, pre-adoption certificate is a separate request, available to the adopted person once they turn 20.
Order your NZ birth certificate
Pay securely, then add the birth details and sign our short online letter of authority. It takes about two minutes, and we order the certificate as soon as it's in.
- Official certificate, posted to any New Zealand address
- Certificate fee, our service, postage and GST included
- Need two or three copies? Change the quantity at checkout
Sending it overseas? Ordered, apostilled and couriered, or ask for an all-in price.
Ordering for someone else
Parents can order for their children, and adults can order their own. For anyone else we need to know you're entitled to ask: written authority from the person, a power of attorney, or, for someone who has died, the document appointing you as executor or administrator. Births, Deaths and Marriages keeps a record of who requested each certificate, so this part is never skipped. Births from 100 or more years ago are held as historical records. Tell us the year and we'll say what can be issued before you pay.
Lost it, damaged it, or something's wrong on it?
Lost or damaged is simple: every certificate is freshly issued from the register, so a replacement is just a new order. Wrong is different. If a name, date or parent's detail on the register is incorrect, ordering another certificate will print the same mistake. The register has to be corrected first. Tell us what's wrong and we'll tell you which it is before you spend anything.
Living overseas? We send it to you
You don't need a trip home or a RealMe account. We order your NZ birth certificate for you as an approved BDM Online organisation and send it where you live. In Australia, it's couriered to your address for NZ$129 all in, tracked. Anywhere else in the world, we quote the tracked courier all in before you pay. If an overseas office needs it apostilled first, we arrange that too: see birth certificate apostille or NZ documents in Australia.
Not born in New Zealand?
We can only order births registered in New Zealand. A birth overseas is registered, and certified, by that country. If you're the child of a New Zealander and were born abroad, registering New Zealand citizenship by descent is a separate application, but the New Zealand documents it leans on, such as a parent's birth certificate or the parents' marriage certificate, are ones we can order for you.
What happens after you pay
- Pay securelyNZ$79 per certificate.
- Add the details and signOur 2-minute letter of authority.
- We check, then orderDirectly, as an approved BDM Online organisation.
- Posted to youUsually within 1–2 weeks.
Registering a NZ-born child with another country? See the Philippine Report of Birth documents and OCI documents for a NZ-born child of Indian origin. For UAE residence visas and schools, see NZ birth certificate attestation for the UAE. Citizenship by descent: Italian citizenship documents from NZ and Irish Foreign Births Register paperwork. In Australia? We order your NZ birth certificate from Australia, no RealMe needed.
Questions people ask us
How quickly can I get a New Zealand birth certificate?
Most certificates reach a New Zealand address within one to two weeks of ordering. If something is waiting on it, such as a passport appointment or a visa lodgement date, put that date in your order and we will tell you straight away whether it is realistic.
Is an NZ birth certificate proof of New Zealand citizenship?
Not always. For anyone born in New Zealand before 2006, birth here generally meant citizenship. From 1 January 2006 it depends on whether a parent was a citizen or entitled to live here indefinitely at the time of the birth. If you are using the certificate for a passport or citizenship matter, tell us the birth date and we will flag whether separate proof of citizenship may be asked for.
My birth certificate is years old. Is it still valid?
A New Zealand birth certificate does not expire. The catch is that some overseas offices, most often visa and immigration offices, only accept a certificate issued within the last 6 or 12 months. In that case you need a newly issued certificate, even though nothing on it has changed.
Can you order a birth certificate for my parent or grandparent?
Usually, yes. We can order with their written authority, under a power of attorney, or for an estate when you are the executor or administrator. If the birth was 100 or more years ago, it is held as a historical record and we will tell you what can be issued before you pay.
Certificate or copy of the record: which one will an office accept?
The certificate is the legal document. A copy of the record reproduces the register entry and can show more detail, but it is meant for family history and is not a legal document. Passport offices, schools, banks and overseas authorities want the certificate, and that is what we order unless you ask otherwise.
I changed my name. Will my new name be on my birth certificate?
A name change registered in New Zealand is recorded against your birth entry, so a newly issued certificate can reflect it. If you were born overseas and changed your name here, the document you need is a name change certificate instead. We confirm which one fits before ordering.
Do I need an apostille on my birth certificate?
Only if it is going to an authority in another country that asks for one. For New Zealand use, such as a passport, school or KiwiSaver, the certificate on its own is what is needed. If it is going overseas, we can order, apostille or authenticate and courier it in one job.
Can you send the certificate to me overseas?
Yes. The NZ$79 price covers posting within New Zealand. If you are overseas, ask for an all-in price that includes courier to your country, and an apostille if the receiving office wants one.
Are you Births, Deaths and Marriages?
No. NZ Document Assist Limited is an independent company and an approved BDM Online organisation. The certificate you receive is the official certificate issued by Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Sources
Checked against official New Zealand information on 14 October 2026.
- Order a birth certificate, govt.nz
- Request for NZ birth certificate or printout (BDM93B), govt.nz
- Citizenship by birth, Community Law
- Use your NZ documents overseas, govt.nz
NZ Document Assist Limited is an independent company and an approved BDM Online organisation. We are not Births, Deaths and Marriages, the Department of Internal Affairs or any government agency, and our price includes our service on top of the government certificate fee. We are not a law firm or licensed immigration adviser and do not give legal or immigration advice.