VICROADS not accepting Commemorative Birth Certificates

[Magee]

Went with my son to Vicroads today to get his learners permit and was turned around at he door as his Birth Certificate was the fancy commemorate type and not the plain original one.

I advised them I would not be able to find his plain one and was told I would need to apply to Births, Deaths and Marriages for a new plain original.

We have used our sons same Birth Certificate heaps of times including at the local Police Station for his working with Children Ticket.

When I was home I rechecked the Vicroads website they do refer to "not accepting certified copies of Birth Certificates". I check the certificate and whilst it is signed by the Registrar it does say at the bottom it is a certified copy in the very small print.

I have never come across this before and did not make any fuss with Vicroads. The Vicroads office is in our suburb and I was not working today but I expect this could cause problems for people who may have taken time off work only to find they wasted their time coming.

If this is known to others and just not me then I fine to accept I didn't do my homework but if others also don't know if may help before they go to Vicroads for there kids learners permit.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by Magee

Went with my son to Vicroads today to get his learners permit and was turned around at he door as his Birth Certificate was the fancy commemorate type and not the plain original one.

I advised them I would not be able to find his plain one and was told I would need to apply to Births, Deaths and Marriages for a new plain original.

We have used our sons same Birth Certificate heaps of times including at the local Police Station for his working with Children Ticket.

When I was home I rechecked the Vicroads website they do refer to "not accepting certified copies of Birth Certificates". I check the certificate and whilst it is signed by the Registrar it does say at the bottom it is a certified copy in the very small print.

I have never come across this before and did not make any fuss with Vicroads. The Vicroads office is in our suburb and I was not working today but I expect this could cause problems for people who may have taken time off work only to find they wasted their time coming.

If this is known to others and just not me then I fine to accept I didn't do my homework but if others also don't know if may help before they go to Vicroads for there kids learners permit.

Yep usually with all government departments they request the full original copy of your birth certificate, any others like extracts are not accepted.

[fordomatic]

Yep, off to Births, deaths and marriages you go. Same happened with me when I went for my learners

[FoxtrotGolfXray 5.0]

Same thing happened to me when we were heading overseas and went to apply for a passport for our daughter. Because we left it so late, and wasn't expecting any issues, I had to take a day off work to travel down to Melbourne to the B, D & M office to get a full copy. Made it by the skin of our teeth.

You weren't the first to have been caught. And you won't be the last, either.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Magee

Went with my son to Vicroads today to get his learners permit and was turned around at he door as his Birth Certificate was the fancy commemorate type and not the plain original one.

I advised them I would not be able to find his plain one and was told I would need to apply to Births, Deaths and Marriages for a new plain original.

We have used our sons same Birth Certificate heaps of times including at the local Police Station for his working with Children Ticket.

When I was home I rechecked the Vicroads website they do refer to "not accepting certified copies of Birth Certificates". I check the certificate and whilst it is signed by the Registrar it does say at the bottom it is a certified copy in the very small print.

I have never come across this before and did not make any fuss with Vicroads. The Vicroads office is in our suburb and I was not working today but I expect this could cause problems for people who may have taken time off work only to find they wasted their time coming.

If this is known to others and just not me then I fine to accept I didn't do my homework but if others also don't know if may help before they go to Vicroads for there kids learners permit.

The part I underlined in your comment actually refers to a photo copy, Vic Roads will want to see the actual certificate issued from BDM office.
If you think Vic Roads is bad try dealing with the Tax Office with official documents as they will put you through the wringer.

[Trevor 57]

I was involved in HV licensing over 20 years ago and they weren't accepting them then

[sexyxe]

I've only recently moved back down to Victoria due to work, and the vicroads offices are far worse then I ever remembered. Now having to pay booking fees for my licence change over, the incredibly steep RWC inspections and then another booking fee for rego. The prices are ridiculous and having to pay a booking fee at a government office is absurd. It is akin to making someone pay a booking fee at centerline. Perhaps excusable if the booking fee came out of the licence/rego cost, however it doesn't and is essentially just gouging.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by sexyxe

I've only recently moved back down to Victoria due to work, and the vicroads offices are far worse then I ever remembered. Now having to pay booking fees for my licence change over, the incredibly steep RWC inspections and then another booking fee for rego. The prices are ridiculous and having to pay a booking fee at a government office is absurd. It is akin to making someone pay a booking fee at centerline. Perhaps excusable if the booking fee came out of the licence/rego cost, however it doesn't and is essentially just gouging.

Welcome back home, wait until you experience everything else that's changed for the worse

[whynot]

I think a lot of this confusion can be traced back to the Queensland Bicentennial Birth Certificate. This is a legal document issued by the Queensland Registrar but only for births the year 1988, and was withdrawn in early 1989. It was issued on different parchment and the person registering the birth had to pay an additional fee for the different parchment.

The Queensland Bicentennial Birth Certificate is recognised by all jurisdictions as a full Australian original birth certificate. There are plenty of references to the Bicentennial Birth Certificate in the QLD government web site.

If the original is lost or destroyed, it will only be replaced with the standard full extract from the Queensland registrar.

Of course, when it was withdrawn in early 1989, there were howls of anguish from aggrieved parents who just missed out and lots of column inches was devoted to the matter in the local newspapers. So the idea was ... ahh, born ... no, conceived ... ummm, delivered ... to have a commemorative certificate that had no legal standing for payment of an exorbitant fee.

Of course, other states saw an opportunity to make money, and hence their printing of commemorative certificates that has no legal standing.

If you happen to have an original Queensland Bicentennial Birth Certificate, my advice is to keep it in a safe place. It will never be reissued on that parchment. And given the political climate I doubt one will ever be issued as part of the Tercentenary.

[DTFRMONT]

As above, the Commemorative & Extract birth certificates aren't accepted for other things such as passport applications, and even for employment purposes if applying for a government job or similar where your citizenship & identity need to be confirmed. So having a full birth certificate is now a necessity.

[Wretched]

Commemorative birth certificates are decorative mementos of the birth of your child. Unlike standard birth certificates, they're not a legal document and can't be used for official purposes.

https://www.bdm.vic.gov.au/births/ge...th-certificate

[Schtoo]

I now have 3 'proper' birth certificates thanks to the jerking around I had a few years ago.

Pull up a chair, this might take a while.

I got my passport in Dec. 2001, used it in Feb. 2002 to go to Japan and all was fine. Come Dec. 2011, my passport expires, but it can be renewed easily with an application form, picture and all done by mail. Don't even need it for a visa, so long as I'm in country and still allowed to have a visa.

Fate had other ideas...

Grandpa took a fall in late February, and passed away the next day. Wasn't a bad fall, but he took the opportunity offered to check out at 91 years old.

So I now need to get back to Australia, without a valid passport. Call the consulate in Osaka, they're able to give me an emergency passport. Talk to the local immigration office where I live, who tell me I'm able to get a re-entry permit from the Osaka office (normally not allowed) because of the circumstances. Get the emergency passport, told to get things sorted for a proper passport while I'm 'home' and I get the re-entry permit from someone who says "enjoy your holiday!" jump on the plane and come back.


Because of all the crap going on, I didn't get a chance to do anything. I was back for 4 days, including a funeral in there, but anyway figure I'll be able to sort it all out as I have all the proper paperwork (don't I?) and I'll get to it when I get back to Japan...

Turns out I don't have an original birth certificate. I'll ask BDM for a new one, given enough ID that should be possible, right? RIGHT?

Nope. Not a chance. I could produce any number of valid or expired government issued ID pieces, and it simply wasn't enough for BDM to give me a new birth certificate. No matter what we tried, simply wasn't going to happen. Not from overseas at least. They simply would not budge. My original one, of which I had a photocopy, couldn't be found.

So, on the next planned trip back to Australia for family stuff, I had to then ask the consulate for another emergency passport. Which is not an easy thing to get, because they'll issue one, but a second one? Why the heck didn't you get it replaced idiot? Anyway, after a lot of cajoling and pleading and hoping (it was not a given I'd get it, the issuing officer had to call BDM who confirmed they're a bunch of stubborn pricks) I got the second one and came back to Australia with the primary mission of getting a new passport.

First stop was Vicroads, because my license had expired so needed a new picture and a new license. They don't hand them out anymore, they come from Sydney, and over the new year, it's going to take some time...

1 week later (out of 2 weeks in country) I get the new license, which I then use to drive into BDM for a birth certificate along with all the other ID I need. They looked at the new DL, issued me 3 certificates without much fuss. I asked why it wasn't possible to get one from overseas at all, but any clown could have got one in person with a flash of a DL? They didn't have any good answers for that, and besides I didn't have time to argue and make a scene. Keep in mind these @$$clowns had by now cost me several days and a few grand in trouble, along with annoying the crap out of multiple government officials. Next stop, passport office in Melbourne to get a new PP issued double quick. Told it'll be ready in 3-5 days, but my plane ticket is for 4 days time. Oh crap.

Get the notice my PP is ready at the end of day 3, so I need to collect it on the way to the airport, which I do. Jump on the plane, family in tow, and head back to Japan. Explain to Japanese immigration officials why my visa isn't in my passport, who look skeptical but let me on through anyway. By this time they've canned the re-entry permit stuff so that missing isn't an issue, but they did want to see the exit stamp in the now dead emergency passport.

And that's why I have 3 birth certificates. I can put my hand on one within minutes, no matter where I am. I've gone through enough hassle to make sure I've always got at least one nearby.

Which reminds me, the boy turns 16 tomorrow. Need to get a 'proper' one for him.

Stu.

[Vesper Martini]

Wait till he tries to get a Home loan..

[simon varley]

it's probably not helpful, but we used their passport for the girls. Don't suppose you have one of those instead?

[FroudeyBrand]

Commemorative birth certificate I gotta ask why would someone think thats the legal document to use in regards to buying/selling applying for stuff? I am not trying to have a go or take the ****....

[Magee]

No offence taken, but the simple answer for me is that Commemorative Coins and Stamps are legal tender and accepted everywhere.
I now understand the Birth Certificate must be the Original for government departments thanks to to the replies of members here with more knowledge on this topic than me.
My beef is if the intention of commemorative certificate is only to be a keep sake or to be put on a wall. Then it should have a watermark or be stamped "For display purpose only" or "Not for official use"
The document is issued by BDM and signed by their Registrar. There is nothing to say in it that it cannot be used as an official certificate and since we have lost our son's original years ago we have used this one for schools, sporting clubs and even the police station without anyone ever refusing it.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Magee

No offence taken, but the simple answer for me is that Commemorative Coins and Stamps are legal tender and accepted everywhere.
I now understand the Birth Certificate must be the Original for government departments thanks to to the replies of members here with more knowledge on this topic than me.
My beef is if the intention of commemorative certificate is only to be a keep sake or to be put on a wall. Then it should have a watermark or be stamped "For display purpose only" or "Not for official use"
The document is issued by BDM and signed by their Registrar. There is nothing to say in it that it cannot be used as an official certificate and since we have lost our son's original years ago we have used this one for schools, sporting clubs and even the police station without anyone ever refusing it.

You wont be the first or last to be screwed over by government bureaucracy.

[Trevor 57]

same as the bit of paper you receive at your wedding ceremony, it is NOT an official marriage certificate, just a commemorative document

[Peter B - CV8]

Originally Posted by Vesper Martini

Wait till he tries to get a Home loan..

Funny you should say that.. Most Banks won't accept a phone based Drivers Licence as acceptable ID (but plastic card is still ok).