Out of Scope Documents

Some documents cannot be checked using the DVS system. This can be due to several reasons:

• The documents are too old
• The documents are part of a set which has not been digitised by the responsible jurisdiction.
• Some quirk of the name or address formatting.

The list below outlines the current known out of scope documents by document type and jurisdiction.

These are guidance, not rules the API enforces. They describe what each jurisdiction typically holds in a form the DVS can check, and are useful for understanding why a document came back unverified. They are not applied as validation: a request for a document in one of the ranges below is still sent to the DVS, because a record from outside the usual range may have been captured electronically and will match. Equally, a document outside these ranges is not guaranteed to verify. Treat the list as the likely explanation for a no-match rather than as a pre-flight check - rejecting a document on these ranges alone would turn away documents the DVS would have verified.

Birth Certificates

All Jurisdictions:

• Births registered in Papua New Guinea - The Territory of Papua and New Guinea was considered an external territory of Australia before becoming an independent nation in 1975

ACT

• Birth certificates issued (printed) prior to 1 January 1930 - Certificates issued prior to this were issued by NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages and could be obtained from there.

NSW

• Birth certificates prior to 1 January 1914
• Birth records occurring prior to 1952 that contain a district number only

NT

• Birth certificates issued (printed) prior to 1 January 1870

QLD

• Birth certificates where the birth occurred prior to 1 January 1941 and the certificate has not been re-issued since 27 June 2016

SA

• Birth certificates issued (printed) prior to 1 January 1917
• District certificates issued for births only by/in the following districts:
  • District of Adelaide
  • District of Angaston
  • District of Burra
  • District of Clare
  • District of Daly
  • District of Encounter Bay
  • District of Flinders
  • District of Frome
  • District of Gawler
  • District of Gilbert
  • District of Grey
  • District of Hindmarsh
  • District of Kapunda
  • District of Mount Barker
  • District of Murray
  • District of Norwood
  • District of Pirie
  • District of Port Adelaide
  • District of Robe
  • District of Talunga
  • District of Wilunga

TAS

• Birth certificates where the birth was registered prior to 1 January 1965 and the certificate has not been re-issued since 1 January 2000
• Single name birth certificates

VIC

• Birth certificates issued (printed) prior to 1 January 1929
• Birth certificates where a change of name, correction or legitimation occurred prior to and during 1993 - these records were re-registered and were allocated a different number and registration year and will not verify through the DVS.

WA

• Birth certificates issued prior to 1 January 1841
• Birth certificates registered in the Cocos Islands prior to 1977
• Birth certificates issued by/in Christmas Island prior to 1 July 1993