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How to register a child’s birth
The hospital will give the birth mother a birth registration form after the birth of your baby. You can use this to register the birth of your child with your state or territory government. You can’t get Dad and Partner Pay until you do this.
How to prove a child’s birth
The hospital or midwife will give the birth mother a Parent Pack after the birth of the baby. It will include a Newborn Child Declaration. A doctor or midwife must sign the Doctor/Midwife - Proof of Birth Declaration on the last page. Use this declaration to give us proof of your child’s birth.
You or the other parent only need to give proof of your child’s birth once. Use the signed declaration to complete your claim for Dad and Partner Pay.
The other parent may also claim a payment for your child. If they give us proof of the child’s birth, we’ll use it for your Dad and Partner Pay claim. You won’t need to give it to us again.
If the other parent hasn’t claimed another payment for your child, you need to verify your child’s birth. To do this, complete all sections of the Newborn Child Declaration form supplied by the hospital and give it to us.
If you lose the Newborn Child Declaration, it can't be reissued. However, you can still claim the payment by giving us either:
- your child’s birth certificate or a certified extract
- a letter from the doctor or midwife who attended the birth, including home births.
If you give us a letter from the doctor or midwife, it must include all of the following:
- your child’s name, date and place of birth
- your details and the details of the other parent
- the doctor's or midwife’s signature, qualifications and registration number.
You can also provide an Australian Government document that verifies your child's name and date of birth, such as either a:
- passport
- naturalisation certificate.
How to prove a child’s adoption
When you adopt a child, you’ll get adoption papers to confirm the process has started. Use these to do both of the following:
- give us proof of adoption of your child
- complete your claim for Dad and Partner Pay.
Read more about payments and services when adopting a child.
How to give us proof of birth or adoption to claim a payment
You can make a claim for a payment either before or after your child's birth or adoption. If the other parent provides proof of your child’s birth or adoption, you won’t need to give it to us again. If they don’t give us proof, you will need to give it to us to finalise your claim.
Submit a claim before your child’s birth or adoption
You can start a claim before your child’s birth or adoption. You’ll need to finish the claim after your child’s birth or adoption.
If the other parent hasn’t given us proof of your child’s birth or adoption, you’ll need to give it to us.
If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov, you can upload your proof of birth or adoption online.
To do this:
- Sign in to myGov.
- Select Upload documents and upload the form.
- Attach a scan or photo of your proof of birth or adoption. Proof of birth is the signed Doctor/Midwife - Proof of Birth Declaration. This is found on the back of your Newborn Child Declaration. If you adopted your child attach the adoption papers.
You can also use the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app.
If you can’t do this online, you can submit your proof of birth or adoption at a service centre.
Submit a claim after your child’s birth or adoption
After your child’s birth or adoption, you can submit the proof of birth or adoption with your online claim.
If your Centrelink online account is linked to myGov, you can upload your proof of birth or adoption online.
To do this:
- Sign in to myGov.
- Select Make a Claim or view claim status, then Make a claim.
- Under Families, select Get started.
- Select Apply for Family Assistance Payments (including Paid Parental Leave).
- Answer all the questions and attach a scan or photo of your child's proof of birth or adoption. Proof of birth is the signed Doctor/Midwife - Proof of Birth Declaration. This is found on the back of your Newborn Child Declaration. If you adopted your child attach the adoption papers.
If you can’t do this online, you can submit your proof of birth or adoption at a service centre.