Civil status registration

What this service is

Civil status registration is the registration of life events: birth, marriage and death. The Embassy's procedure page is divided into two directions. The first is registration directly at the Embassy; the guidance page covers birth registration for children born overseas and marriage between two Vietnamese citizens temporarily residing overseas. The second is recording in the civil status register an event already registered with a competent Australian authority, including births and other civil status events.

We have not been able to read separate guidance on registering a death on these pages. In that case, please ask the Embassy or use the procedure for recording events already registered in Australia.

Who needs it and when

• Parents who are Vietnamese citizens and have a child born in Australia. According to the Embassy, registration must be made within 60 days of the birth, and only for a child who holds Vietnamese citizenship under the law.
• A child with one parent who is a foreigner: an additional agreement from the parents choosing Vietnamese citizenship for the child is needed.
• Two Vietnamese citizens who want to register their marriage at the Embassy, provided it does not fall within the prohibited cases of the 2014 Law on Marriage and Family.
• People who have registered a birth, marriage or other event in Australia and need civil status documents in the Vietnamese format. For a child who needs a first Vietnamese passport but has no Vietnamese birth registration, this step must be done before applying for the passport.

Documents usually needed

• Birth registration: the declaration form, the original birth notification from the health facility if the birth has not been registered in Australia, or a certified copy of the Australian birth certificate if it has already been registered.
• Certified copies of the parents' passports, the parents' marriage certificate if they are married, and a copy of the Australian visa (or foreign passport, if any).
• Marriage registration: the declaration form, copies of passports, a health check certificate within 6 months, a certificate of marital status, and documents about divorce or a deceased spouse if applicable. The marital status certificate is valid for 6 months.
• Recording other events: the declaration form, a copy of the civil status document to be recorded, and a copy of the passport. The guidance page lists the passport copy item twice, so please check how many copies are required.
• A registered post envelope with your address if you want to receive the result by post.

Steps

1. Work out what you need to do: a new registration, or recording an event already registered in Australia.
2. Download the declaration form from the Embassy's forms page and fill in names in the order surname, middle name, given name, the same on every document.
3. Gather the documents, certify copies and translate English documents when needed.
4. Lodge in person or by post, then pay the fee.
5. For a marriage, both people must attend the Embassy to sign the register and receive the certificate.
6. Collect the result in person or receive it by post.

Timing and fees

According to the Embassy's pages: recording a birth or other civil status event takes about 5 working days from receipt of a complete and valid application. Registering the birth of a child born overseas takes about 15 working days, not including the time to obtain a passport. Marriage registration takes 10 working days, and if verification is needed, 2 working days after the verification result is received.

Fees are only described as being as prescribed, with no amounts on these pages. Please check the fee schedule linked from the Embassy's FAQ page or ask directly.

How TNT Global helps

We prepare a checklist of documents, check that names and dates match across documents, translate birth or marriage certificates when needed, prepare the application, and help with booking and sending the application. TNT Global helps prepare, translate and lodge documents; the registration, recording in the register and issue of civil status documents is decided by the Embassy and the competent authorities.

Common mistakes

• The child's name differing between forms. The guidance page stresses that the surname must come first and the order of names must be the same everywhere.
• Leaving it beyond the 60-day deadline to register a birth, or applying for the child's passport before the birth has been recorded.
• A marital status certificate older than 6 months when lodged.
• Posting originals when the Embassy requires certified copies.