Get help with fees

What is a fee waiver?

A fee waiver means you don’t have to pay the usual fee for:

A legal certificate, or
Registering a life event(opens in a new window) for things like a change of name, record of sex or relationship.

There are two types of fee waivers:

Automatic waiver – we apply it for you. You don’t need to do anything.
Assessed waiver – you apply and provide proof of your situation.

A legal certificate is an official record about a life event such as birth, death, or marriage. You use them for proof of identity, like getting a passport.

Automatic fee waivers

You don’t need to apply. We’ll automatically waive the relevant fee.

This applies when:

You submit two registration applications at the same time
A fee/s would normally apply
They’re about the same person and life event
It’s cheaper for us to process them together.

This also applies when you register a change of name with change a record of sex (you won’t pay any fees).

You’ll only pay:

One fee when you register a change of name and need to reflect a previous deed poll name
Postage fee for certificates sent outside Australia.

Examples

Julie changed her name by deed poll(opens in a new window) in 1984. She applies for another change of name. We need to make a ‘double’ change of name to ensure the certificate lists Julie’s previous and most recent names. Julie will only pay for one fee because it costs much less for us to process the two applications together.

Sam applies to change their name and recorded sex at the same time. Normally, only a change of name has a fee. We process them together. We automatically waive the fee, so Sam has access to identity documents that match their affirmed sex. Sam pays no fee.

Assessed fee waivers

We waive fees to help people access important documents and services. This includes people:

Facing financial difficulty
Affected by past government actions or systems that caused significant harm or disadvantage.

You can apply for a fee waiver if you (or the person you’re applying for) are:

Experiencing financial hardship
Impacted by a declared natural disaster in the past 6 months
An Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person in prison or on remand.

You can’t apply for a fee waiver for postage outside Australia. We can waive the fee for postage within Australia.

Applying for someone else?

If you’re allowed to register someone else’s life event or get their certificate, you may be able to request a waiver. Check our Access Policy(opens in a new window) to see what’s allowed.

Who can’t apply

You can’t get a fee waiver if:

You’re applying for a commemorative birth certificate
You already received a certificate for the same life event in the past 12 months (except for a death certificate with and without cause of death)
An organisation is applying for you or you’re in the custody or care of the State (unless you’re an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander person in custody).

Proof you need

The proof you need and the fees we can waive will depend on your situation.

If you’re applying for someone else, the situation and proof must be about them.

You may qualify if paying the fee is hard because you have limited access to money.
Fees that may be waived:
- Registering a life event (relationship, change of name, or change a record of sex)
- Getting a legal certificate (birth, death, marriage, relationship, name change, or recognised details).
You must provide proof of one of the following:
On low income
Certified copy(opens in a new window) of a current Centrelink health care card, pension card, or disability support pension card.
Affected by family violence, homelessness, or refugee status
Letter on an official letterhead confirming your situation. It must be from a government agency or a recognised community or outreach organisation.
Under 18 in formal care
Provide one of the following:
- An official letter from a Youth Justice case manager confirming:
  - Youth Justice Community Order, or
  - Children’s Youth Diversion Order.
- A care order document confirming:
  - Guardianship order, or
  - Permanent care order, or
  - Out-of-home care arrangement.
- For kinship, proof of carer relationship, including a statutory declaration, explaining the events that resulted in the informal care arrangement. The statutory declaration(opens in a new window) must include:
  - why the parent(s) is unable to exercise their parental responsibility and reason for the care arrangement
  - when the care arrangement started and length of time the child is anticipated to be in the arrangement
  - the name(s) that the child is known by in the community, and
  - a letter from a professional confirming the information on the statutory declaration is correct.
Examples of professionals are: General practitioner, Aboriginal Community Controlled Organisation (ACCO), a case worker and a staff member from a sports organisation.
If you’ve been affected by a declared natural disaster where you live in the last 6 months, you may be eligible for a fee waiver.
To confirm if the disaster is officially declared, check:
- Australian disasters(opens in a new window)
- Victorian natural disasters(opens in a new window).
Fees that may be waived:
Getting a legal certificate (birth, change of name, or marriage).
Proof you need:
Letter confirming your loss. It must be from a disaster response group (e.g. Country Fire Authority) or from another state or territory Registry(opens in a new window).
Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people in prison or on remand may be eligible for a fee waiver.
Fees that can be waived:
Getting a legal birth certificate
Proof you need:
Letter confirming your details and the need for a birth certificate. It must be from your Assessment and Transition Coordinator (or similar).
As part of applying to get the birth certificate, you’ll also need to provide a certificate of authority form.

How to apply

Get the form
Download the fee waiver form or contact us(opens in a new window) if you need a printed copy.
Complete the form and get your proof

You need to show proof of your situation. Check what proof you need.
Submit your application

Upload or attach your form and proof when you apply.
- Getting a certificate online? Submit your certificate application first, then upload the form and proof to your online account.
- Registering a life event online? Upload your form and proof either during the application or afterwards using your online account.
- Applying by post? Send the form and proof with your application to:
  
  Births, Deaths and Marriages
  GPO Box 4332
  Melbourne VIC 3001
  
  or visit a Justice Service Centre(opens in a new window) to submit it in person
We’ll review your application

We review each request to ensure it’s fair and consistent. We’ll contact you with you with the outcome. If your request is:
- Approved, you won’t need to pay, or we’ll refund you.
- Not approved, we’ll explain why. You’ll need to pay.

Already applied to register a life event or get a certificate?

If you applied online, upload your fee waiver form and proof under ‘supporting documents’ using ‘My items(opens in a new window)’ within 2 weeks. If you applied using a paper form, please contact us(opens in a new window) within 2 weeks.

Download the fee waiver forms

Need help?

If you’re unsure what to do or want to check if you’re eligible for a waiver, get in touch.

Updated 7 November 2025