Office Use Only:
Notification of Birth for Registration of child born in New Zealand
For help completing this form contact us on Freephone 0800 22 52 52
Phone: +64 4 463 9362 (if outside New Zealand)
Note:
(A) The first character of each word must be a capital letter, except where the first letter is lower case. The remainder of
each word must be in lower case. E.g. John Wellington.
(B) You must answer all questions. Do not send us another form if you have already sent us one for your child.
(C) All fees, timelines and entitlements are correct as at the form version date.
Batch Regn Nbr
He whakaaturanga o te Rēhita Whānautanga o te tamaiti i whānau i Aotearoa
BDM27
Use smartstart.services.govt.nz to register the birth online
Why register?
Every birth in New Zealand must be registered by law. Please register the birth of your child as soon as possible. We expect you to register
the birth within two months. Both parents must jointly register the birth, with some exceptions. Birth registration is the first official step that
confirms whether your child is a New Zealand citizen. You will not be sent any confirmation that the birth has been registered, however, you
can purchase a birth certificate (see order form on the last page).
How to register the birth
You may register the birth online at smartstart.services.govt.nz or use this form. Please take care filling out this form as if
you make a mistake you will need to pay for a new birth certificate to be issued, if required. Name change fees will also apply.
• Print the names of your child the way you would like them to appear on
a birth certificate.
• Leave a space between names or words.
• Answer all questions in the form truthfully. It is against the law to give
false information.
• Please ensure that all relevant questions are completed.
• Registration is free. However there is a fee for a Birth Certificate.
Privacy
Information regarding the registration of your child’s birth is collected under the Births, Deaths, Marriages, and Relationships Registration
Act 1995 (’the Act’). Both parents are primarily responsible for notifying the birth as soon as practicable. It is an offence, punishable by a
fine, to fail or refuse to provide information for the registration of a birth.
The citizenship or immigration details of the parent(s) of a child born on or after 1 January 2006 will be checked against databases held by
the Department of Internal Affairs (Citizenship Office, Passports Office or Births, Deaths and Marriages), the Ministry of Business,
Innovation and Employment (Immigration) and / or with registration authorities in the Cook Islands, Niue or Tokelau (where relevant). The
information will be used to confirm whether your child is a New Zealand citizen by birth.
If you decide to use this form to also apply for an IRD number for your child, Births, Deaths, and Marriages will give the information you
have provided on this form to Inland Revenue for this purpose. After giving the information to Inland Revenue, Births, Deaths and
Marriages will not retain details of your IRD number if you have provided it on this form.
If you have decided to notify the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) of your child’s birth, Births, Deaths and Marriages will provide MSD
with information about the birth when the registration is complete. MSD will use this information to determine how your new baby changes
the benefits and services you are entitled to. After giving the information to MSD, Births Deaths and Marriages will not retain details of your
MSD client number if you provided it on this form.
The birth information collected on this form will be held on a public register. The Act governs access to registered birth information.
Information about a named individual may generally be accessed by any person upon application (e.g. as a certificate or printout).
Information may be released for statistical, or genuine health or demographic research in the public interest, or to certain government
agencies, as authorised by law. Information about why the information is collected, the government agencies that are authorised to receive
the information, and about a person's right to access and, where appropriate, correct the information, is available on our web site
www.govt.nz/bdm, or Freephone 0800 22 52 52.
When you have completed the form, post it to:
Birth Registrations
Births, Deaths and Marriage
PO Box 10526
Wellington 6143
Page 1 of 13 Version date: 14 May 2018