Until this week, the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (RBDM) has only accepted certificate applications by post or in person.
The Registrar of RBDM, Alison Jackson, said the move to online applications had been made possible, in large part, by the development of software solutions to ensure the secure transfer of identity documents during the process.
“Guarding against identity theft is obviously a high priority these days, and we want the community to have confidence in the new process,” Ms Jackson said.
“All information uploaded to the website is fully encrypted ensuring the safe receipt and processing of all data and credit card payments.
“On top of the convenience of online applications, especially for people living in remote WA areas, interstate or overseas or those with disabilities, the new system will result in much quicker processing times.”
The streamlining of the application process will result in a number of efficiencies for the Registry in terms of the resourcing required to manually process mail, scan applications, verify data and process payments.
When a similar online service was introduced in South Australia recently, early analysis showed approximately 75 per cent of certificate applications were submitted electronically.
The RBDM creates and preserves records births, deaths, marriages and changes of name in accordance with the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 1998. Eligible customers are able to apply for certificates from these records to be used for a range of legal, personal and historical purposes.
Clients are still able to lodge paper-based applications if they wish.
Established on 1 September 1841, the RBDM is second only to the Land Titles Office (now Landgate) as the oldest State Government office continuously providing service to the community.
Since then (to 30 April 2021) there have been 2,206,811 births, 905,207 deaths and 841,123 marriages registered in WA.
Last financial year (2019/20) RBDM issued 60,074 birth, 20,552 death, 18,516 marriage and 3,472 change of name certificates – a total of 102,614.
For more information, refer to The Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages page.
