Legal Requirements
To be married in Australia you must be at least 18 years of age, or obtain Court permission to marry.You are required to lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage with me at least one calendar month prior to the wedding. This can be lodged up to 18 months in advance of the ceremony. You'll need to show me your Birth Certificates plus a Drivers Licence if you are born in Australia, or a Passport if born overseas. If either of you have been previously married, you are also required to show proof of how the last marriage ended (Divorce papers or Death certificate) It is also a requirement by law, to have two witnesses at the ceremony and they must be at least 18 years of age.
International Visitors
You must lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage with me at least one calendar month before the wedding day. This can be downloaded from the BD&M website in the state in which you plan to marry, or I can send you a copy. The Notice of Intended Marriage will need to be signed and witnessed by an authorised person prior to it being sent to me.
When you arrive in Australia you will be required to show me your passport as a form of ID, and if either of you have been previously married I will also need to see your Divorce papers, or a Death Certificate of a previous spouse.
Australian law requires that you are both 18 years of age or older and that you have two witnesses to the marriage. I can organised witnesses for you if do not have family or friends attending the wedding.
On your wedding day you will be given a Presentation Certificate, and your marriage will be recorded in the Australian State in which it was conducted. You will need to check with your local authorities back home as to what documentation is required to have your marriage recognized in your country.
Many countries require you to obtain a Certified copy of your Marriage Certificate. This is issued by the Office of Births Deaths and Marriages, in the State where the marriage took place. After your ceremony, I will register the marriage and send in the appropriate paperwork to the Office of Births Deaths and Marriages. I can help you to then apply for a Certified copy of the marriage certificate. Some countries require you to have an Apostile Stamp attached to this certificate. You will need to discuss this when you apply.
It is a good idea for us to meet when you arrive in Australia, to finalise the paperwork and discuss your needs and wishes for your special day.
When you arrive in Australia you will be required to show me your passport as a form of ID, and if either of you have been previously married I will also need to see your Divorce papers, or a Death Certificate of a previous spouse.
Australian law requires that you are both 18 years of age or older and that you have two witnesses to the marriage. I can organised witnesses for you if do not have family or friends attending the wedding.
On your wedding day you will be given a Presentation Certificate, and your marriage will be recorded in the Australian State in which it was conducted. You will need to check with your local authorities back home as to what documentation is required to have your marriage recognized in your country.
Many countries require you to obtain a Certified copy of your Marriage Certificate. This is issued by the Office of Births Deaths and Marriages, in the State where the marriage took place. After your ceremony, I will register the marriage and send in the appropriate paperwork to the Office of Births Deaths and Marriages. I can help you to then apply for a Certified copy of the marriage certificate. Some countries require you to have an Apostile Stamp attached to this certificate. You will need to discuss this when you apply.
It is a good idea for us to meet when you arrive in Australia, to finalise the paperwork and discuss your needs and wishes for your special day.
Interstate or Out-of-Town Visitors
If you are planning to marry interstate, you can lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage with me by post, as long as it is appropriately witnessed. You will then need to bring your identification with you (Passport, or Birth Certificate and a driving licence, and divorce papers if applicable).
Ceremony Wording
Most of the wording of the ceremony are entirely up to you, and can be as simple or lengthy as you wish. However, the following few words must be included to satisfy the Marriage Act:
As your celebrant, I must introduce myself at the beginning of the ceremony and state my role as a person authorised by Australian law to marry you.
The following ‘Monitum’ must also be said before the exchange of vows: ‘Before you are joined in marriage, in my presence, and in the presence of these witnesses, I am bound to remind you of the serious and binding nature of the relationship into which you are about to enter. Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the joining together of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life’.
The marrying couple must also state their full name, and agree to take the other as their lawfully wedded partner / wife / husband / spouse.
As your celebrant, I must introduce myself at the beginning of the ceremony and state my role as a person authorised by Australian law to marry you.
The following ‘Monitum’ must also be said before the exchange of vows: ‘Before you are joined in marriage, in my presence, and in the presence of these witnesses, I am bound to remind you of the serious and binding nature of the relationship into which you are about to enter. Marriage, according to law in Australia, is the joining together of two people to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life’.
The marrying couple must also state their full name, and agree to take the other as their lawfully wedded partner / wife / husband / spouse.
Documentation
A Statutory Declaration must be signed prior to the wedding which states the marrying couple are at least 18 years old, not married to anyone else and that there is no legal reason why they should not be married. I provide this document for you and can witness it for you.
After the ceremony there are 3 documents to sign, by you, your 2 witnesses and the celebrant.
These are:
Certificate of Marriage (with the Statutory Declaration on the back), sent in to Births Deaths and Marriages.Certificate of Marriage, which is kept by the CelebrantCertificate of Marriage, presented, for you to keep
After the ceremony there are 3 documents to sign, by you, your 2 witnesses and the celebrant.
These are:
Certificate of Marriage (with the Statutory Declaration on the back), sent in to Births Deaths and Marriages.Certificate of Marriage, which is kept by the CelebrantCertificate of Marriage, presented, for you to keep