Who can legally perform a marriage?
- Ministers of religion of a recognized denomination who perform religious ceremonies.
- State officials who perform civil ceremonies.This includes some staff of state and territory registries of births, deaths and marriages and some local courts.
Why Choose a Celebrant?
What constitutes a legal wedding in Australia?
Marriage according to law in Australia is the union of two people:
Do I need to be an Australian citizen to legally marry in Australia?
What is the Notice of Intended Marriage Form and how do we lodge it?
What documents do we need to show our celebrant before the wedding?
My partner is divorced, and I am widowed, what documents should we show?
What happens after the ceremony?
My Partner cannot understand or speak English, can we still be married in Australia?
What happens if I have problems with my celebrant?
- Only an authorized celebrant can legally perform your marriage.
- There are three kinds of authorized celebrants:
- Ministers of religion of a recognized denomination who perform religious ceremonies.
- State officials who perform civil ceremonies.This includes some staff of state and territory registries of births, deaths and marriages and some local courts.
Why Choose a Celebrant?
- Personalized Ceremony
- Choice of time and place
What constitutes a legal wedding in Australia?
Marriage according to law in Australia is the union of two people:
- not be married to someone else
- not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister and be at least eighteen years old, unless a court has approved a marriage where one party is aged between 16-18 years old.
- have an understand of 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
Do I need to be an Australian citizen to legally marry in Australia?
- You don't have to be an Australian citizen or a permanent resident of Australia to legally marry here.
- See the marriage visa information on the Department of Immigration and Citizenship website if you hope to live in Australia after your marriage.
What is the Notice of Intended Marriage Form and how do we lodge it?
- This is an Australian government form that must be lodged with your chosen celebrant at least one month before the wedding.
- The form remains current for 18 months before expiring.
- The form must be given to your chosen celebrant by hand, by post, faxed or emailed at least 30 days before the wedding day.
- If the form is faxed or emailed, the original copy must be posted to the celebrant the same day
- Your celebrant can witness the document in person, and when he/she receives it, it is considered to be “lodged”.
What documents do we need to show our celebrant before the wedding?
- A Birth certificate, extract of birth or Passport needs to be produced to your celebrant - No photocopies are acceptable.
- A current or expired, but not cancelled passport may be shown.
- If these documents cannot be produced, you should advise your celebrant, who will organise and witness a Statutory Declaration regarding your birth details.
- If one partner is not able to attend the celebrant’s office for the lodgement, the other can lodge the Notice of Intended Marriage alone, but both partners must sign before the wedding takes place.
My partner is divorced, and I am widowed, what documents should we show?
- If previously married, evidence is need to show that the last marriage is ended.
- This is in the form of a Death Certificate of the previous spouse, or a Certificate of Divorce -Photocopies are not permitted.
What happens after the ceremony?
- After you are married, on the day of your wedding, you will sign three marriage certificates. Each certificate should be signed by you, your celebrant and two witnesses. Your celebrant will give you 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.
My Partner cannot understand or speak English, can we still be married in Australia?
- Section 112 of the Marriage Act requires the couple to provide an interpreter where a celebrant considers that one is required to enable the couple fully understand the legal requirements and wording of the ceremony.
- The interpreter cannot be a member of your family or friend but should be an accredited interpreter through NAATI or other official agency.
- Formal paperwork has to be signed by the interpreter as part of their role in the ceremony.
- The cost of the interpreter will be at the couples expense.
- Further information on Interpreters can be found at http://www.naati.com.au/home_page.html
What happens if I have problems with my celebrant?
- Speak to your celebrant early if you have concerns.
- If you can't resolve the issue you can find more information on the Attorney General's website.