Birth Certificate Translation in Western Australia: Requirements, Certification and Submission Guide
Last reviewed: 25 August 2026
A birth certificate translation in Western Australia has one extra hurdle that surprises people who have dealt with registries on the east coast. The Western Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages does not take applications or identity documents by email or fax. Whatever you prepare has to survive a counter visit or a postal envelope, which means the paperwork needs to be right the first time.
This guide builds the submission pack item by item. Each section adds one piece to the pile on your kitchen table, and by the final heading you are holding a bundle a registry officer in Perth can process without writing back to you.
The Western Australian pack in six items
- Item 1: the foreign language document, kept safe at home.
- Item 2: a certified copy of that document signed by an authorised witness.
- Item 3: a full English translation from a NAATI certified translator.
- Item 4: identity evidence, with at least one document showing your residential address.
- Item 5: the completed application with names spelled to match the translation.
- Item 6: payment, proof of postage and a copy of everything you sent.
Item 1: the document that started all of this
Western Australia works in English. A certificate printed in Arabic, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Afrikaans or Persian sits outside that, and so does supporting evidence such as a foreign marriage record, an adoption order, a change of name deed or a court decision attached to your file.
Read your own certificate the way an officer would read it before you order anything. Some countries already issue bilingual civil records. Philippine PSA extracts, Israeli certificates and several European multilingual civil status forms print full English fields beside the original script. Where every field appears in English, including names, dates, place of birth, parents and the registration number, you may already hold what the registry needs.
Partial English changes the answer. A heading in English, a stamp in English or a bilingual cover page wrapped around a body in another script all count as a foreign language document. The registry sets out its expectations for identity and evidence on the Western Australian Government apply for a birth certificate page, which is worth keeping open while you sort your paperwork.
Item 2: the certified copy, which is not a translation
This distinction explains more returned bundles than anything else on this page. A certified copy proves a photocopy matches the original. A certified translation proves what the document says. Two different people sign them for two different reasons, and a foreign language document usually needs both.
| Item | What it proves | Who signs it | Goes to the registry? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original certificate | The registered birth itself | The issuing authority overseas | Keep it at home |
| Certified copy | This copy matches the original | An authorised witness such as a JP | Yes, when lodging by post |
| NAATI certified translation | The wording, verified by a credentialled professional | A NAATI certified translator | Yes, this is the one the registry names |
Item 3: why the translator must hold a NAATI credential
NAATI tests and credentials translators in Australia, and each credential covers a named language direction rather than a general talent with languages. That is the whole reason the requirement exists. A registry officer in Perth holding a Dari certificate and an English page has no way to judge whether the two match, so the credential number carries the judgement instead.
A compliant translation shows the translator's name, the credential number, the language direction, a signed certification statement, the date and page numbering. Every element on the source page has to appear, including handwritten marginal notes, registration stamps, seals and anything printed on the reverse. Silent omissions read as tampering even when nothing was hidden on purpose.
If the difference between a plain translation and a certified one is still fuzzy, our explainer on NAATI certified translations compared with standard translations sets out what changes on the page.
Why Perth counters see this every day
Western Australia has the highest overseas born share of any Australian state. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures from the 2021 Census put around 32 per cent of Western Australian residents as born overseas, well above the national figure of roughly 28 per cent, with England, India, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Africa, Malaysia and China among the largest birthplace groups. Those numbers come from the Cultural Diversity Census release.
The practical consequence is simple. Foreign language civil records are ordinary business in Western Australia, not an exception, and the registry has settled procedures for handling them. Follow the procedure and your file moves. Improvise and it sits.
Item 4: identity evidence that does more than repeat itself
Registry applications call for several separate identity documents, and at least one has to show your current residential address. People pull three cards out of the same wallet and discover two of them prove the same thing twice.
| Category | Examples | Needs translating? |
|---|---|---|
| Photo identity | Australian or foreign passport, WA driver licence, Proof of Age card | Yes when issued in another language |
| Proof of address | Utility account, rates notice, tenancy agreement, bank statement | Yes when not in English |
| Supporting evidence | Marriage certificate, change of name deed, citizenship or visa grant | Yes when not in English |
Who can certify a copy in Western Australia
Western Australia recognises a broad list of authorised witnesses, which makes this step easier than most people expect. A Justice of the Peace, a legal practitioner, a pharmacist, a medical practitioner, a police officer, an accountant, a teacher or a postal manager can all certify a copy. Outside Australia a notary public, or an officer at an Australian embassy, consulate or high commission, does the same job.
The witness has to sight the original, write wording confirming the copy is a true copy of the document sighted, then sign, date and print their name, position and registration or licence number where they hold one. Every page needs the treatment, not just the first one.
Item 5 and 6: lodgement, prices and timing
Western Australia is unusually firm about the channel. Applications and identity documents are not accepted by email or fax. You attend a registry office or an authorised agent in person, or you post certified copies. Do not post originals. Send certified copies, keep the originals in your own drawer, and use a trackable service so a quiet file never becomes an argument about whether anything arrived.
| Translation tier | Price | Usual turnaround | Typical use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self Service Extract Translation | $44.95 | From 1 hour | Standard birth certificates with clear scans |
| Extract Translation | $59.95 | 1 business day | Certificates needing translator handling end to end |
| Full Translation | $89.95 | 1 to 2 business days | Every field, note, stamp and reverse side rendered in full |
Turnaround times are typical rather than guaranteed. Full pricing and what each tier covers sits on our translation pricing page.
Perth, the regions and the fly in fly out problem
Perth holds the great majority of the state's population and the registry offices sit there, which is fine until your work roster does not. People living in Mandurah, Bunbury, Geraldton, Kalgoorlie, Karratha, Broome or Albany face a long trip for a counter visit, and workers on a fly in fly out swing can be away for the entire window in which a file needs attention.
The workaround is preparation rather than travel. Get the translation done digitally while you are on site, arrange the certified copies through an authorised witness near you, and post the bundle complete so a single envelope carries the whole job. Regional Western Australia has JPs and pharmacists in most towns, so the certification step rarely requires a drive to the city.
Western Australia compared with the eastern states
State registries share a shape and part ways in the detail, which catches out people who lodged interstate before moving west.
| Point | Western Australia | New South Wales | Victoria | Queensland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Translator standard | NAATI certified | NAATI certified | NAATI certified | NAATI certified |
| Email or fax lodgement | Not accepted | Varies by service | Varies by service | Varies by service |
| Authorised witness list | Broad, includes pharmacists and postal managers | JPs and named professionals | JPs and named professionals | JPs and Commissioners for Declarations |
| Originals by post | Discouraged, send certified copies | Discouraged | Discouraged | Discouraged |
If your paperwork is heading east instead, our walkthrough of Queensland registry translation requirements covers that state's own lodgement habits in the same step by step way.
Apostilles and documents leaving Australia
An apostille sits on the other side of the equation. It authenticates an Australian document for use overseas rather than helping a foreign document be read here. Western Australians who need one deal with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which operates a Perth passport and legalisation office. The requirements sit on the document legalisation page.
Order matters here. The translation is usually attached before authentication, not after, so check with the receiving country's requirements before you send anything for stamping.
What actually gets bundles sent back
| Fault type | What it looks like | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Translation fault | No credential number, missing pages, marginal notes skipped | Order a complete translation covering every page and both sides |
| Translation fault | Prepared by a relative or a bilingual colleague | Use an independent NAATI certified translator |
| Certification fault | Copy signed without true copy wording or the witness position | Return to an authorised witness with the original in hand |
| Submission fault | Documents emailed or faxed to the registry | Attend in person or post certified copies instead |
| Identity fault | Several documents but none showing a residential address | Add a utility account, rates notice or tenancy agreement |
| Name fault | Spelling on the form differs from the translated certificate | Match the form to the translation and note any prior spellings |
Other Western Australian services that need translations
Registering a marriage or a change of name
Both lean heavily on documentary proof of who you are and where you were born. A foreign birth certificate, a religious marriage record or an overseas divorce order all arrive in the original language and all need an English version an officer can read.
Driver licences, schools and universities
Licensing transfers, school enrolments and tertiary admissions in Western Australia ask for the same standard of translation as the registry. Families arriving mid year often need several documents handled at once, and our guide to enrolling a child in an Australian school with foreign language documents walks through that side of the move.
Visa and citizenship applications
Federal applications sit alongside state ones for most new arrivals. A single well prepared translation usually serves both, provided you keep enough certified copies that one agency never holds your only version.
Getting your translation started
We translate birth certificates and civil records from more than 70 languages with certification included, fixed prices published up front and no quoting stage. Start on the birth certificate translation, upload a clear colour scan of both sides, and receive the certified file by email ready to pair with your certified copy.
Final checklist before you lodge
- Foreign language birth certificate located, legible, both sides visible.
- Certified copy signed, dated and stamped by an authorised witness on every page.
- Full English translation completed by a NAATI certified translator.
- Credential number, certification statement and signature all present on the translation.
- Names, dates, places and parent details checked line by line against the original.
- Identity evidence assembled, including one document proving your home address.
- Supporting evidence translated where it is not in English.
- Application completed with spellings matching the documents enclosed.
- Lodgement method confirmed as in person or by post, never email or fax.
- Payment made, receipt saved and a full copy of the bundle kept at home.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a translation of my foreign birth certificate in Western Australia?
Yes, when the document is not in English and forms part of your identity or supporting evidence. The registry asks for an English translation prepared by a NAATI certified translator alongside the original language document.
Does the WA Registry accept emailed or faxed documents?
No. Applications and identity documents are not accepted by email or fax. Lodgement happens in person at a registry office or agent, or by post using certified copies.
Who can certify a copy in Western Australia?
An authorised witness such as a Justice of the Peace, legal practitioner, pharmacist, medical practitioner, police officer or postal manager. Overseas, a notary public or an Australian consular officer.
Can a family member translate my birth certificate?
No. The translator must be independent of the person named on the document and must hold the credential the registry asks for. Fluency on its own carries no weight.
How much does a birth certificate translation cost?
Prices are fixed and published. Self Service Extract Translations are $44.95, Extract Translations are $59.95 and Full Translations are $89.95, with certification included in every tier.
How long does a certified translation take?
Self Service Extract Translations start from around one hour, Extract Translations usually take one business day and Full Translations usually take one to two business days. These are typical times rather than promises.
Do I need an apostille as well as a translation?
Only when an Australian document is heading overseas. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issues apostilles and has a Perth office serving Western Australian applicants.
Can one translation serve a visa application and the registry?
Usually yes, since both look for a full English translation carrying a NAATI credential number, a certification statement and a signature. Keep several certified copies so one agency never holds your only version.
Closing thoughts
Western Australia asks for the same translation standard as the rest of the country and then adds a lodgement rule that removes the easy shortcut. Nothing travels by email, so the bundle you build has to be complete before it leaves your hands. Get the wording translated by someone whose credential a registry officer can check, get the copies certified by an authorised witness, then treat the identity documents as their own small project. Requirements shift over time, so read the current instructions attached to your service before anything goes in the post.
Population figures are drawn from the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census cultural diversity release. Registry requirements are summarised from published Western Australian Government guidance and can change without notice.
Hannah Whitfield
NAATI Certified Translator
Hannah Whitfield is a NAATI certified translator based in Perth who prepares birth, marriage and civil registry documents for Western Australian registry, licensing and visa applications.