Citizens in New South Wales are hearing the Minns Government preview the Digital Birth Certificate, which will first be handed to 16-21 year-olds in a phased release next year.
The digital certificate stored on phones will provide personal verification faster, safer and more conveniently, at the users’ control over what data they choose to share with whom.
NSW residents aged 16 to 21 are the first eligible group under the plans.
If they hold a driver licence or photo card, they will convert to holding the digital document from March 2026. The certificate will sit within the Service NSW app and follow international standards for digital identity, positioning it for broad future acceptance by government agencies, businesses, schools and community organisations.
Young adults will be able to use it at Service NSW centres to apply for certain NSW Government transactions like the Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) and Responsible Conduct of Gambling (RCG) competency card.
Hon. Victor Dominello, Former Digital Minister, praised the “excellent decision” and gave credit to the “government for continuing an important piece of reform” which he had started to mobilise whilst standing in office. Parents especially know “how often a birth certificate is needed” he said.
They began early trials of the digital driver licence in 2017 and 2018 in which “more than 20,000 people took part and around 23,000 digital licences were issued during the trial phases”, he said, which concluded that the technology and desire to deliver a digital service existed back then too. In 2019, mobilisation came when his government created the Department of Customer Service and a model prototype in 2023.
Officials say this 16-21 year-old digital version is intended to reduce the friction associated with presenting proof of identity. Instead of searching for a physical paper certificate, users will be able to retrieve the document securely on their phone and choose what information to share in each interaction. The system is being developed with industry partners to ensure widespread recognition once fully rolled out.
Minister for Customer Service and Digital Government Jihad Dib said the move would strengthen privacy protections while simplifying everyday processes and being of particular value during emergencies, where paper documents are often lost or damaged.
The government says broader access and additional uses will follow after the initial rollout, forming part of a long-term shift toward secure digital identity infrastructure in the state.
