Getting Married in Australia
To be legally married in Australia, both parties to the marriage must:
- not be married to someone else
- not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister
- be at least eighteen years old, unless a court has approved a marriage where one party is aged between sixteen and eighteen years old
- understand what marriage means and freely consent to becoming husband and wife
You don’t have to be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia to legally marry in Austrlalia. You can find marriage visa information on the Department of Immigration and Border Protection website, if you hope to live in Australia after your marriage.
Notice Of Intended Marriage form
The Notice Of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form is the legal paperwork that must be completed by both parties of the marriage not more than 18 months prior to and not less than 1 month before the proposed wedding date. The form can be accessed on the Attorney-General’s website, by clicking here.
As your celebrant, I can help you complete the NOIM form and I will need to sight your birth certificate or passport and your driver licence to complete the identity requirements of the form. If either party to the marriage has been married previously, then a certificate confirming termination of that marriage is also required, such as a divorce or death certificate.
After you are Married
On the day of your wedding, you will sign three marriage certificates. Each certificate should be signed by you, your celebrant and two witnesses. I will provide you with one of the certificates as a record of your marriage on the day.
I will then send notice of your marriage to the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory your ceremony took place within seven days.
The certificate issued by the registry of births, deaths and marriages is required for many official purposes. You should apply for a copy of this certificate from the registry after your wedding through the relevant births, deaths and marriages. You can find the registry marriage certificate application details by clicking on your state or territory below:
QLD, NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS, SA, WA, NT
Looking at getting married overseas?
The Australian Government provides information on what you need to know if you are looking at getting married overseas. You can find out more information from their Smart Traveller website.
If you intend to marry overseas, please note that marriage celebrants authorised in Australia can only perform legal marriages within Australia.
An overseas marriage cannot be registered in Australia, and the foreign marriage certificate will be evidence the marriage has occurred. Ensure you keep this certificate as it may not be easy to replace if lost and it provides the only evidence of the overseas marriage.
Please note that it may not be possible to rely on a marriage certificate issued overseas for some purposes in Australia. A party to a marriage which takes place overseas may not be able to rely on an overseas marriage certificate to have an Australian driver’s licence or an Australian passport issued in their married name.
An overseas marriage will generally be recognised in Australia if it:
- was a valid marriage in the overseas country
- would have been recognised as valid under Australian law if the marriage had taken place in Australia.