Vision Australia has supported the NSW Government as it pilots the digital birth certificate. Housed in a standalone app, the digital birth certificate would provide a secure and convenient way to prove identity both in person and online.
The product and pilot program is now available to Vision Australia clients born in NSW. The pilot program will run from 7 May 2024, and applications will remain open until the end of May. The pilot will be open to 200 NSW-born Vision Australia clients who are blind or have low vision. Interested clients are invited to apply for and receive a free digital birth certificate to test, providing direct feedback to the product team.
Join the pilot program
Express your interest in joining the program online at www.birthcertificate.gov.au by clicking the ‘Join the Pilot Program’ button. The first 200 applicants will be given access to the digital birth certificate application form.
Pilot participants will be able to keep the DBC after the pilot to use as a proof of identity document after the official NSW launch later in 2024. Paper birth certificates will also continue to be available.
Please note, that as the digital birth certificate is in the pilot stage, you may encounter accessibility issues when using the app. By participating in the pilot program, you understand you may encounter such issues and that feedback on such issues should be provided to the NSW Government and not Vision Australia.
JAWS users may encounter an issue during email verification where the verification link is not actionable. To navigate this issue, JAWS users can identify the link source by pressing Insert and F1 and then copy the link into their browser.
Your insights are important
To make sure the Digital Birth Certificate is easy for citizens to use, the NSW Registry of Births Deaths and Marriages will ask you to complete a survey about your experience at the conclusion of the pilot, and you may also be invited to provide feedback in the form of an online workshop or one-to-one interview.
This feedback will be used to refine and improve the app’s accessibility functions ahead of launch, providing a valuable opportunity for Vision Australia clients to help shape the future of accessible digital documentation.
For more information, to check your eligibility or to apply for the pilot, please visit www.birthcertificate.gov.au or email [email protected].