Legal Requirements
What you need to know to get married in Australia
Before getting married in Australia, both you and your partner must meet a number of legal requirements as follows.
Legal Requirements:
- You must be over the age of 18 years old.
- You are of sound mind and getting married of your own free will.
- You are not already legally married (to each other or anybody else).
- You are not in an prohibited relationship (you are not closely related to each other).
Other information
Notice of Intended Marriage Requirements:
You must give at least 1 calendar months’ notice by lodging a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) form with your celebrant. Once you have lodged your NOIM, you will have 18 months to get married, otherwise you will need to lodge a new NOIM with your celebrant.
When you are lodging your NOIM with your Celebrant you need the following –
ID Requirements:
- Your original birth certificate/extract (in English) or Passport
- If providing your birth certificate/extract, a Photo Id ie Driver’s License is required
- If either of you have been married before, you must also provide either a Divorce Certificate, Death Certificate of Proof of Annulment of previous marriage
$250 non-refundable fee is payable at time of lodging your NOIM paperwork and to secure your booking (cash, cheque or electronic transfer).
International Visitors
If all the above legal and time requirements are met, you don’t need to be an Australian citizen to be married in Australia. So if you are on holidays and want to get married on Australian soil, I will be happy to marry you both according to the Marriage Act 1961. It is your responsibility to check with your own country to ensure that an Australian wedding ceremony is legally recognised in your own country.
Visa and Fiancé Visa Applications
If you do lodge a NOIM with me, I am happy to provide you and your fiancé a letter to give to the immigration department as proof of your lodgement of your NOIM. Ideally, I would like to witness both parties to the marriage signature on the NOIM, but I can accept a NOIM with only one party’s signature. As long as the other party has time to sign the NOIM before your wedding date.