Registering a stillbirth in Australia follows the same legal framework as registering a live birth — every state and territory requires it. The process is administrative; the experience of doing it is something else. This guide walks through it state by state, calmly.
You can register at your pace. There is no urgent legal deadline in any state — late registration is accepted everywhere. The 60-day window is a guideline, not a cliff.
The general shape
In every Australian state and territory the process is:
- The hospital lodges the Birth Notification with your state's Births Deaths and Marriages (BDM) office. This is automatic and usually happens within days of the stillbirth.
- You complete the parent's portion of the registration form — usually a paper form given to you at the hospital, or an online form on your state BDM's website. Hospital social workers and bereavement midwives can help with this.
- You lodge it with your state BDM by post, online, or in person. There is no fee for registration.
- You receive a Certificate of Stillbirth (or your state's equivalent name) typically within 4-8 weeks. There is no fee for the first certificate in some states; others charge a small fee.
You can also request a separate Commemorative Certificate in most states. This is a keepsake-style certificate designed for the family rather than for legal purposes.
State by state
The differences are mostly in naming and where to lodge. The substance is the same.
New South Wales
- BDM: nsw.gov.au/births-deaths-marriages
- Form: Birth Registration Statement (the hospital provides it; you also complete it online via Service NSW)
- Certificate: Certificate of Stillbirth ($69 standard fee; one free copy provided)
- Commemorative Certificate: yes, requestable separately
- Helpline: 13 77 88
Victoria
- BDM: bdm.vic.gov.au
- Form: Birth Registration Statement
- Certificate: Stillbirth Certificate ($50)
- Commemorative Certificate: yes — Victoria's design is widely praised for being family-focused
- Helpline: 1300 369 367
Queensland
- BDM: qld.gov.au/law/births-deaths-marriages
- Form: Application for Registration of Stillbirth (separate form to live births in QLD)
- Certificate: Stillbirth Certificate ($51.30); one free copy provided
- Commemorative Certificate: yes
- Helpline: 13 74 68
Western Australia
- BDM: bdm.justice.wa.gov.au
- Form: Birth Registration Statement
- Certificate: Certificate of Stillbirth ($79)
- Commemorative Certificate: yes
- Helpline: 1300 305 021
South Australia
- BDM: cbs.sa.gov.au/bdm
- Form: Birth Registration Statement
- Certificate: Stillbirth Certificate ($80)
- Commemorative Certificate: yes
- Helpline: 13 18 82
Tasmania
- BDM: justice.tas.gov.au/bdm
- Form: Birth Registration Statement
- Certificate: Stillbirth Certificate ($63)
- Commemorative Certificate: yes
- Helpline: 1300 135 513
Australian Capital Territory
- Access Canberra: accesscanberra.act.gov.au
- Form: Birth Registration Statement
- Certificate: Stillbirth Certificate ($80)
- Commemorative Certificate: yes
- Helpline: 13 22 81
Northern Territory
- BDM: nt.gov.au/law/bdm
- Form: Birth Registration Statement
- Certificate: Stillbirth Certificate ($52)
- Commemorative Certificate: available on request
- Helpline: 08 8999 6119
State fees change occasionally — check your BDM website for the current figure.
What hospitals usually offer (and what you can ask for if not offered)
Most Australian maternity units have dedicated bereavement protocols. The Sands Australia hospital training program has been adopted by many public and private hospitals over the past decade. Practices that are usually available include:
- Time with your baby — there is no fixed limit; you can ask for hours, or you can ask for none. Either is supported.
- Hand and footprints — taken on paper or cloth, often included in a memory box.
- Photographs — many hospitals can take professional bereavement photographs through Heartfelt (heartfelt.org.au), a free Australian volunteer service.
- A lock of hair — kept in the memory box.
- A memory box — a small box provided by the hospital with the items above.
- Time with a bereavement midwife, social worker, or chaplain.
- A separate room or wing away from the main maternity ward.
- Naming the baby is fully supported and optional.
If you arrived at the hospital and any of these were not offered, you can still ask for them — sometimes hours later, sometimes days later. Hospitals understand the request.
Telling other systems
Beyond the BDM registration, a few practical updates may be helpful when you're ready:
- Centrelink — call the Bereavement Service on 1800 050 004 to update them on PPL, FTB, and any other entitlements.
- Your employer / HR — for compassionate leave, miscarriage leave, paid parental leave.
- Health insurance — to claim hospital fees and to update any unborn-baby cover that may have been added.
- Childcare bookings — many parents have a place held; centres are universally supportive about cancelling without notice.
There is no rush on any of these. There is no penalty for taking your time.
Sources
- Sands Australia — After your baby has died
- Red Nose Grief and Loss — Stillbirth resources
- State and territory Births Deaths and Marriages offices (linked above)
- Heartfelt — free bereavement photography
- Pregnancy Birth Baby — Stillbirth