Reissuing a birth certificate

General information

Caution

These rules apply to all births in Austria.

After a birth, a birth certificate is issued by the registry office (Standesamt). You will need this for bureaucratic procedures in many situations in life, as proof of certain personal data.

If you require a further birth certificate (e.g. duplicate in the event of loss or theft, multilingual birth certificate), you can submit an application to be re-issued a birth certificate.

The birth certificate records the name and sex of a person, as well as the date and time of birth and the place of birth. To present the birth certificate abroad, you can apply for translation assistance in accordance with the EU Document Regulation. 

Affected

To prevent third parties from freely accessing your data, the right to have a birth certificate issued is limited to a specific group of people.

Requirements

The following people can request a birth certificate, provided that this is not precluded by any overriding interests worthy of protection in respect of the persons to whom the registration relates:

  • persons to whom the registration relates and other persons whose civil status is affected by the registration;
  • persons who establish a legal interest in doing so.

Deadlines

There are no deadlines.

Competent authority

For births after 1 January 1939:

All authorities responsible for civil status, i.e.:

For births before 1 January 1939:

  • Here, parish offices of the various denominations, the Israelitische Kultusgemeinde for their religious members and district administrative administrations for members of non-recognized religious communities and persons without religious confession kept the birth books.
  • In these cases, therefore, the request for the issuance of the desired document or information, for example for the place of birth Vienna, should be addressed to:

Procedure

It is possible to apply for the issue of the birth certificate at any registry office. Applications can be made in person, in writing or electronically (with ID Austria or EU Login). The application form can be obtained from the competent authority.

The birth certificate is generally issued immediately for applicants appearing in person, provided that all the data has already been recorded and stored in the Central Civil Status Register.

Required documents

  • for applicants appearing in person: official ohoto ID
  •  if applicable, evidence for the purpose of establishing a legal interest.

Costs and fees

For the application

  • Verbally: no fee
  • In writing: 14.30 Euro
  • Electronic application using a ID Austria or EU Login): 8.60 Euro

For the issue of a birth certificate

  • Federal administration fee: 7.20 Euro
  • Federal administrative levy: 2.10 Euro

There are no fees for the first issue of a birth certificate/international birth certificate for a child, provided that these documents are issued within two years of the child’s birth (i.e. by or on the 2nd birthday). There are generally additional costs for sending the birth certificate/international birth certificate. Please inquire at the competent registry office.

Further information

For Austrians residing abroad, it is possible to obtain a birth certificate from the Austrian administrative authority located in the country concerned, provided that the required data is already recorded in the Central Civil Status Register (ZPR) .

Further links

Austrian administrative authorities located abroad (→ BMEIA)German text

Legal basis

Expert information

In general, in order to issue a birth certificate for a birth that occurred before 1 November 2014, it is necessary to retrospectively enter the data in the Central Register of Births, Marriages and Deaths (ZMR) at the relevant municipal registry of births, marriages and deaths. The municipal registry of births, marriages and deaths where the birth took place is responsible for this.

Link to form

Authentication and signature

Means of redress or appeal

An appeal against a decision by the department responsible for civil status can be filed with the relevant Regional Administrative Court. This must be submitted within four weeks to the authority which issued the decision.

Assistance and problem-solving services

There are no assistance or problem-solving services.

Further service points

Support is provided by the local municipal registries and further information can be accessed electronically at österreich.gv.at.

Translated by the European Commission
Last update: 17 November 2023

Responsible for the content: Federal Ministry of the Interior