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Legal Marriage Requirements
Requirements
» To be married in Australia you must be at least 18 years of age.
» You are required to lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage with your celebrant at least one calendar month prior to the wedding. This can be lodged up to 18 months in advance of the wedding.
» You are also required to show the celebrant your birth certificates if you are born in Australia. If born overseas, then a birth certificate or a passport issued by your country of birth. Australian passports are not acceptable.
» If either of you have been previously married, you are also required to show your Divorce Decree Absolute or a death certificate of a previous spouse.
» It is also a requirement to have two witnesses to the ceremony and they must be at least 18 years of age.
International Visitors
You must lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage with your celebrant at least one calendar month prior to the wedding day. This can all be arranged via fax, email or mail.
When you arrive in Australia you will be required to show your celebrant your passport or birth certificate and if either of you have been previously married the celebrant is also required to see your Divorce Decree Absolute or a death certificate of a previous spouse.
Your celebrant will work with you on the ceremony words and all other arrangements to ensure your wedding day is stress free.
To be married in Australia you must be 18 years of age. The law requires you to have two witnesses to the marriage. This can be organized for you if do not have family or friends attending the wedding.
On the wedding day you are given a Presentation Certificate. You will need to check with your local authorities on what documentation is required to have your marriage recognized in your country.
Many countries require you to obtain a Certified copy of the your Marriage Certificate. This is issued by the office of Births Deaths and Marriages once your marriage is registered. Some countries require you to have an Apostile Stamp attached to this certificate. Your celebrant can advise you fully on this.
It is a good idea to meet with your celebrant when you arrive in Australia to complete the paperwork and discuss all arrangements for your wedding day.
Interstate or out-of-town visitors
If you are planning to marry interstate, you can lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage with your Celebrant via mail or fax. If you lodge via fax (or email scan) you are then required to bring the original Notice of Intended Marriage with you to give to your celebrant prior to the wedding.
If you were born in Australia you will be required to show the celebrant your birth certificate. If born overseas you can either produce your birth certificate or your passport issued by your country of birth. If either of you have been previously married, we are required to sight your Divorce Decree Absolute or a Death Certificate of a previous spouse.
Ceremony Wording
The words of the ceremony are entirely up to the couple, with the following words required to be included to satisfy the Marriage Act:
• The celebrant must introduce him/herself at the beginning of the ceremony
• The Monitum must 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 union of a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life”.
• The bride and groom must say “I, (bride), take you (groom) to be my husband” – or words to that effect.
Documentation
A declaration must be signed prior to the wedding which states the bride and groom are 18 years or more, not married to anyone else and there is no legal reason why they should not be married.
After the ceremony there are 3 documents to sign for the bride, groom, 2 x witnesses and the celebrant.
These are:
• Certificate of Marriage – this has the declaration on the reverse
• Another Certificate of Marriage, which is kept as the Register
• Marriage Certificate – for the couple to keep
Please click here to download the "Notice Of Intended Marriage".
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