Australia - Apply to Get Married

ProcedureEdit

You will need to obtain a "Notice of Intended Marriage Form" which you must give to your celebrant at least a month before the wedding. Your celebrant can help you fill out the form. The notice may be completed and witnessed outside Australia if required.
If you have less than one month before the wedding talk to your celebrant. A prescribed authority may approve a shorter notice time in some limited circumstances.
You will need to give your celebrant the following documents:
- Completed Notice of Intended Marriage Form
- Evidence of date and place of birth
- Identification
- If either of the parties were previously married: divorce papers or any proof that the previous marriage has ended
- The celebrant may also ask you to complete a statutory declaration to support your documents

Required DocumentsEdit

Completed Notice of Intended Marriage Form
Evidence of date and place of birth
Identification
If either of the parties were previously married: divorce papers or any proof that the previous marriage has ended
The celebrant may also ask you to complete a statutory declaration to support your documents

Office Locations & ContactsEdit

Marriage Law and Celebrants Section
Phone: 1800 550 343
Outside Australia: +61 2 1800 550 343
Email: [email protected]
Fax: 02 6141 3246
Address: 3-5 National Circuit

EligibilityEdit

To be legally married in Australia applicants 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, within the required time frame.

Note: You don't have to be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia to get married in the country.

FeesEdit

Explain the fees structure which is required for obtaining the certificate/document.

ValidityEdit

Explain the time until which the certificate/document is valid.
e.g. Birth Certificate Valid Forever

Documents to UseEdit

Marriage stationery and forms

Sample DocumentsEdit

Please attach sample completed documents that would help other people.

Processing TimeEdit

Please explain processing time taken in obtaining the document/certificate.

InstructionsEdit

Please provide instructions on obtaining the certificate/documents.
e.g. The state office holds birth records since january 1908.

Required InformationEdit

A list which displays the kind of information which is required to complete the procedure.
e.g.
1. Date of Birth.
2. City or County of Birth.

Need for the DocumentEdit

Please provide the need for the procedure. 
e.g. Birth Certificate - why do we need to have a birth certificate?

Information which might helpEdit

Getting Married Overseas

An overseas marriage cannot be registered in Australia.

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.

Same-sex relationships

Same-sex marriages entered into in other countries are not recognised as legal marriages in Australia. The law defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

There are some state and territory governments in the country that allows people to register their same-sex relationship. Find out more information from state and territory registries of births, deaths and marriages - LINK.

External LinksEdit

Attorney General's Department:

http://www.ag.gov.au/FamiliesAndMarriage/Marriage/Pages/Getting-married.aspx

OthersEdit

More information which might help people.