Legal Requirements

It is really quite simple to get married in Australia.

1. Firstly a ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’ form must be completed and lodged with me at least one month prior to the wedding.

Click here to download the Notice of Intended Marriage.

Click here to download DECLARATION OF NO LEGAL IMPEDIMENT TO MARRIAGE.

Click here to download Marriage Certificate Application.

Click here to download Booking Form.

The marriage cannot take place until one month after the date I receive the Notice of Intention to Marry form from you.

2. Paperwork that must be provided

Photo Identification -eg Passport or Drivers Licence
Proof of date and place of birth – eg birth certificate, passport, Photo ID, College/Work ID. It should be in English.

If it is not in English we have an expert team for Translation (http://www.divineconsultation.com.au/translation/)

3. If either party has been previously married,

Divorce Paper
or
Death Certificate

4. Shortening of Time Process ( to reduce the one month’s notice )

There are certain times when a shortening of time may be granted. Please call me to go over these items with you.

How to complete your Notice of Intended Marriage application

To complete and submit a NOIM

You must complete and submit a Notice of Intended Marriage application to your civil or religious marriage celebrant (your celebrant) at least 1 month before the date you plan to marry. It’s valid for 18 months from the date your celebrant receives it from you.

On the form you should use the name that:

is on your birth certificate, or
is on your Change of Name certificate, if you have changed your name.

If you have already changed your surname from a previous marriage you should either:

use your previous spouse’s surname on the form, if you have kept this name
use your original name (i.e. maiden name) on the form, if you have reverted to this and have proof of that name, such as?photo identification.

Talk to your celebrant if there’s a reason you cannot use the name on either of these documents.

Required supporting documents

When submitting the Notice of Intended Marriage to your celebrant, you’ll need to show:

an official birth certificate or passport
other current photo ID, if passport not provided.

If either of you have been previously married, you must also provide a:

divorce certificate, if divorced
death certificate, if widowed

If one of you is aged between 16 and?18, you will need to provide proof that you have?the appropriate permissions.

Note: foreign language certificates and documents must be translated into English by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters accredited translator.

What you need to know about your wedding

Before your wedding

Arranging your witnesses

You are legally required to have 2 witnesses at your ceremony to witness and sign the marriage certificate.

If possible, you should know the witnesses,?as their evidence can be used to:

establish the identity of the couple who were married
testify to the circumstances in which the ceremony was performed.

Your witnesses need to:

be 18 years or older
speak and understand English.

On the day

The ceremony

On the day, before the marriage ceremony, your?celebrant will ask both of you to sign a declaration?that?there are no legal reasons preventing you from?getting married.

During the ceremony:

your celebrant will say certain words required by law that make the marriage legal
vows are exchanged and you may also exchange wedding rings
you, your celebrant, and your witnesses will sign two official certificates of marriage and one ceremonial certificate. You’ll receive the ceremonial certificate on the day.

Your celebrant will then register the marriage with the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory where you?got?married.

Once the marriage is registered, you or your celebrant can apply for your official marriage certificate.

After getting married

Once you are married you may want to think about changing your surname and updating important information.

Changing your surname

If you were married in Australia and have an official marriage certificate, you can change your surname after marriage without going through the formal name change application proccess.

Updating important information

Once you’re married, you may also want to consider updating your details with other government services, such as letting Centrelink know about your change in relationship, or adding your partner to your Medicare card.