Certificate of registration by descent
A certificate of registration by descent (RD) is issued by the Australian Government to a person who:
- was born outside Australia
- has at least one parent who was an Australian citizen at the time of their birth.
The acquisition date is the date the certificate of registration by descent was awarded.
Verifiable citizenship certificates
The following certificate types are verifiable via the Document Verification Service (DVS) as a RD document type:
Registration by descent – pre 1 July 2005

The register and entry number fields are optional for RD verifications.
This field consists of the register number and entry number, separated by a slash ‘/’.
For example, if the register number is 243 and the entry number is 87, enter 243/87.
Registration by descent – post 30 June 2005

The client ID number entry is optional for RD verifications. For certificates issued after 2005, take the number from the client ID on the certificate.
In some instances, the register and entry numbers will still be present and can be verified as an alternative to the client ID number. ·
Extracts from Register of Births (1949 – 1980s)

Example of a nationality and citizenship certificate.