Changing your Queensland-born or adopted child's name before they turn 18
You can change your child’s first name once with us before their first birthday and once between the ages of 1 and 18. You can change your child’s family name once every 12 months.
If your child was born or adopted in another Australian state or territory, you need to apply to the interstate registry office.
If your application is approved, we will send the official certificate you choose and you will need to change your child's name everywhere they are registered in the community.
You must book an appointment for each change of name application you are submitting to us.
Certificate options
If your child was born or adopted in Queensland, you will be able to choose either an updated birth certificate or a change of name certificate (or both).
The application fee includes 1 free certificate. You have to pay for additional certificates.
Change of name certificates only provide some birth information, the new name and any previous change of name registered in Queensland by us. They are not proof of birth details—you can choose to change the details on your child’s birth certificate.
Documents you will need to provide
If your child was born or adopted in Queensland, you must provide:
certified proof of ID for both registered parents (read the rules below if you are a single parent or legal guardian)
evidence explaining the reason if your or your child’s current name is different to the name on their birth certificate, such as
marriage certificate
family deed poll document
change of name document.
Your application will not be approved if:
you have not provided enough documentation to establish your identity
If only one of the parents shown on your child’s birth certificate is applying, you will need additional evidence to support this, such as a court order or death certificate.
Rules for changing your child’s names
To change your child’s names between 1 and 18, you must:
not have changed your child’s first name before or only before their first birthday
not have changed your child’s family name in the past 12 months
have consent from the registered parent(s) on your child’s birth certificate
have your child consent to changing their name (if aged 12 to 17)
A person with sole parental responsibility under a Family Court order can’t apply to change their child’s name, unless the order explicitly states that the person can change the child’s name to a specific new name.
If you are a legal guardian (i.e. you have been appointed under a law of a state or the Australian Government), you can apply to change the child’s name if you have both:
evidence of legal guardianship issued by a court
a Queensland Magistrates Court order.
How to apply
To apply to change your child’s name, you need to:
Have another adult (18 or older) witness your signature(s) on the declaration section of the application form. This includes your child's signature if they are aged 12 to 17.
Submit your signed application form, supporting documents and payment (if you chose not to pay online) to us
by post
in person by requesting an appointment at the Brisbane registry customer service centre.
Post your completed application form with your certified documents and payment (if you didn't pay online to) to:
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages PO Box 15188 CITY EAST QLD 4002
We will begin to process your application when we receive it along with your documents.
Submit in person by requesting an appointment
To submit your completed application form in person, you need to book a 15-minute interview appointment with a registry officer.
This online service allows you to choose the date and time of your appointment at the Brisbane registry customer service centre at Level 32, 180 Ann Street, Brisbane.
To book your appointment, you will be asked for your name, email and mobile number, and you will get an email confirming your appointment. The email will also allow you to easily reschedule or cancel your booking, if necessary.
Privacy notice
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages is collecting your personal information for the purpose of facilitating your appointment booking online and for contacting you in relation to your appointment. Your personal information will not be used or disclosed for any other purpose unless authorised or required by law. Your personal information will be handled according to with the provisions of the Information Privacy Act 2009.
(Phone lines are open Monday–Friday, 8.30am–4.30pm)
*Costs may be higher from mobile phones and interstate.
Visit the Brisbane registry customer service centre at Level 32, 180 Ann Street, Brisbane.
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Our processing timeframes apply to correctly filled out applications that have been submitted with all the required proof of ID and supporting documents (as required).
They apply once we receive applications submitted by post.
If an urgent application does not comply, so we have to ask for more information or documentation, you can be assured it has already been reviewed before others. When your application becomes compliant, we will continue to process it urgently.
When applying, the total cost is calculated as you fill in the application form online.
You can pay:
online
by credit card (Visa or MasterCard)
at the customer service centre
by EFTPOS or credit card
with a business account cheque
with a bank cheque
with a money order
through the mail
within Australia
by credit card
with a business account cheque
with a bank cheque
with a money order
from overseas
by credit card.
We will accept cash at the customer service centre but prefer contactless payments such as EFTPOS or credit card.
We do not accept personal cheques or cheques issued from outside Australia (in any currency).
Make Australian-drawn cheques and money orders payable to 'Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages'.
Application fees
Item
Cost
Change of name (includes 1 official birth or change of name certificate)
$205.90
Additional official birth or change of name certificate
$54.40
Urgent application
$108.10
Postage fees
Standard postage is included in the price when you order a certificate to be sent by mail.
You can choose to have your certificate sent by express or registered post for a fee.
Item
Cost
Express post
$7.45
Registered post
$5.55
International registered mail
$17.70
We value identity protection, so we recommend that you choose registered post to ensure the delivery of your certificate can be tracked and delivered to you more securely within Australia.
International registered mail is used for overseas deliveries. However, this can’t be tracked and signing on delivery is only available in some countries.
The fee you pay is for you to submit your application and for us to review it.
You will lose the fee paid if we refuse your application or you cancel it after we have started to review it.
When applying by post, you must have the supporting documents you provide certified by a qualified Justice of the Peace or another authorised person before you post them to us.
If you can't complete the application form online, you can use the PDF application form and submit it by post or in person by requesting an appointment with us.
