Your wedding ceremony is one of the most important moments of your life and to help make sure your day goes as planned, you need to be aware of your legal obligations.
The Marriage Law and Celebrants Section within the Attorney-General's Department provides information and advice to marrying couples. The information on this page is taken from the Attorney-General's website.
To be legally married in Australia, a man and woman must:
A completed Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form must be given to your celebrant at least one month before the wedding. You can give it to your celebrant up to eighteen months beforehand. I can help you complete the form. The notice may be completed and witnessed outside Australia if required.
If there is less than one month before your wedding you need to talk to your Celebrant. You may be able to seek a shorter notice time in some limited circumstances.
You will need to give your celebrant evidence of date and place of birth, identity and the end of any previous marriages for each party. Your celebrant may also ask you to complete a statutory declaration to support your evidence.
On the day of your wedding, you will each sign three marriage certificates. Each certificate should be signed by you, your celebrant and two witnesses. You will be given one of the certificates as a record of your marriage.
Your celebrant must register your marriage with the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory it took place within fourteen 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.
There are certain documents you need to supply before you can marry. These are:
If you were born in Australia - your Original Birth Certificate or Australian Passport
If you were born overseas - your Original Birth Certificate or Overseas Passport.
If either party has been previously married then your Original Divorce Decree papers or Death Certificate of a previous spouse. (If you need a copy of your Divorce Paper please contact the Family Law Court in the State you were Divorced).
- Any documents in a foreign language must be translated into English and aTranslation Certificate supplied.
Witnesses
You are required to have two witnesses who are both over the age of 18 present to sign the Marriage Register and Certificates.
More to come....
The Marriage Law and Celebrants Section within the Attorney-General's Department provides information and advice to marrying couples. The information on this page is taken from the Attorney-General's website.
To be legally married in Australia, a man and woman 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
- use specific words during the ceremony
- give written notice of their intention to marry to their authorised celebrant.
A completed Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form must be given to your celebrant at least one month before the wedding. You can give it to your celebrant up to eighteen months beforehand. I can help you complete the form. The notice may be completed and witnessed outside Australia if required.
If there is less than one month before your wedding you need to talk to your Celebrant. You may be able to seek a shorter notice time in some limited circumstances.
You will need to give your celebrant evidence of date and place of birth, identity and the end of any previous marriages for each party. Your celebrant may also ask you to complete a statutory declaration to support your evidence.
On the day of your wedding, you will each sign three marriage certificates. Each certificate should be signed by you, your celebrant and two witnesses. You will be given one of the certificates as a record of your marriage.
Your celebrant must register your marriage with the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory it took place within fourteen 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.
There are certain documents you need to supply before you can marry. These are:
If you were born in Australia - your Original Birth Certificate or Australian Passport
If you were born overseas - your Original Birth Certificate or Overseas Passport.
If either party has been previously married then your Original Divorce Decree papers or Death Certificate of a previous spouse. (If you need a copy of your Divorce Paper please contact the Family Law Court in the State you were Divorced).
- Any documents in a foreign language must be translated into English and aTranslation Certificate supplied.
Witnesses
You are required to have two witnesses who are both over the age of 18 present to sign the Marriage Register and Certificates.
More to come....