Getting married in Australia is a legally binding union between two persons. We asked Civil Marriage Celebrant Carolyn Clarke (www.celebrantservices4u.com.au) to give us a heads up on what the actual requirements are to be able to get married in Australia.
This is what Carolyn shared with us:
1. Both parties to the marriage must be over the age of 18.
2. A “Notice of Intended Marriage” (NOIM) form must be completed by both parties not less than 1 month and not more than 18 months before the date of the wedding.
(You can find this document on the Service NSW website: https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/notice-of-intended-marriage-application but you must sign it in front of your marriage officiant/celebrant)
3. A Declaration of No Legal Impediment (DONLI) to the marriage must be signed by
both parties declaring there is no legal reason why the marriage cannot take place.
4. If both parties to the marriage were born in Australia their original birth certificates
or Australian Passports and documentation proving dissolution of any previous
marriage (Divorce Order) or death of spouse (Death Certificate) must also
be sighted by the officiant/celebrant.
5. If either or both parties to the marriage were born overseas, then their passports
are acceptable as proof of identity. Should either of the parties to the marriage
have overseas birth certificates or divorce papers that need to be translated into
English, they will need to contact the National Association of Accredited
Translators and Interpreters at www.naati.com.au or Suite 1,
Level 5 280 - 282 Pitt Street Sydney NSW 2000 Ph: 02 9267 1357.
6. You will also need TWO (2) witnesses over the age of 18 to sign your marriage
documents on your wedding day.
So from above information the earliest ANYONE can get married is 30 days from the date the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) document is signed in front of the celebrant/officiant.
There are a few minimum legal requirements which need to be met during your ceremony too.
• The celebrant/officiant must formally introduce themselves and state that they are legally able to solemnize marriages according to law.
• The celebrant/officiant must state your full legal names at least once.
• The celebrant/officiant must state the Monitum (as per the Marriage Act of 1961 - amended 2021)
• The couple must both state the Declaration of Intention to marry.
Of course all this information and statements will be explained to you during your meeting with your officiant or celebrant when you complete the Notice of Intended Marriage application.