Birth Registration

Before you can obtain a birth certificate for a child born at home unassisted, you will need to register the birth. Registering the birth does not cost anything but it is required by law that you register your child's birth within 60 days of being born. If you do not, there will be fees for late registration, and you could get fined.

There may be difficulties with obtaining a birth registration form and answering the questions on it. Some birth registration forms ask for the details and signature of the person who attended to you at your birth - this is the doctor, OB or midwife.

Obviously, if you have an unassisted birth, you won't be able to fill out those details for obvious reasons : ) I believe those details are required for birth registration simply to provide a way to verify that you gave birth to that child.

Alternate means of proof of birth can be provided and it may vary from state to state. I am still in the process of finding this information out.

Birth Certificates

You should not have any problems at all applying for, and getting a birth certificate for your child. Simply fill in the birth certificate application form and enclose payment. It is easiest to apply for a certificate at the same time that the birth is registered.

Birth Registration & Certificate Information

QLD	NSW	ACT	SA
WA	NT	VIC	TAS

Statutory Declarations

All statutory declarations must be witnessed and signed by an authorised witness such as a Justice of the Peace. There is a list of authorised witnesses available in Microsoft Word format below, along with sample statutory declarations. Statutory declarations can only be made by people 18 years or over.

I believe an exception is made for the mother who gives birth, and the father of the child.

Mother	Father/Partner	Witness Present at Birth
Authorised Witnesses		Witness Not Present at Birth

Personal Experiences

Blue of NSW: My Experiences in Obtaining a Birth Certificate
Lisa Schuring: Registering an Unassisted Birth in Queensland
Penny Burrows: Registering Unassisted Births (NSW)
Rose who found QLD forms online! Thanks Rose!: Registering a Freebirth in Queensland