The information received by the Registrar when a death is registered by way of a Ninth Schedule form (see: "Registration of death", above) is transferred to a Third Schedule form (under the BDMR Act) at the Office of Births, Deaths and Marriages. This Third Schedule form is what you receive if you request a death certificate.

After the funeral the next of kin may need to obtain a death certificate to prove death, for example in order to obtain funeral benefits.

Within one month after a death has been registered by the Registrar of Births Deaths and Marriages, notification of the registration will be posted to the person who supplied the particulars of death in the form of an extract of the entry relating to the death.

A certified (full) or an extract of the death certificate can be obtained from the Registrar. Enquire at the office as to the fees payable.

Division 4 of the BDMR Act (ss.44–48) contains privacy provisions, which give the Registrar the power to refuse access to the Register. A general power to review the Registrar's decisions in this regard is given to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) and is contained in section 52 of the BDMR Act.