Legal Requirements for Marriage in Australia – from Civil Marriage Celebrant Sydney Liverpool
A Notice of Intended Marriage must be lodged with your Celebrant a minimum of one month and one day prior to the date of your wedding. This is valid for eighteen months. Anyone eligible to marry can do so in Australia. Tourists often choose to be married in this wonderful country as we have the most liberal legal choices available as far as wording, venue and time. If you are applying to stay in Australia, see Legal Implications for Foreigners Marrying in Australia below.
Article from Civil Marriage Celebrant Sydney Liverpool
There are FOUR pages to the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM), including details on how to complete it. It is important that you read and follow the instructions carefully. (NOIM.PDF)
- Documents required when lodging a Notice of Intended Marriage
- Original Birth Certificate and drivers licenses. If you were born in Australia, this is the only document accepted. A foreign passport is acceptable if born overseas and your birth certificate is not available.
- Decree Absolute – if bride groom or bride is divorced.
Important from Civil Marriage Celebrant Sydney Liverpool
- Death Certificate – if either party is a widow or widower
- Two people over the age of 18 must be present to witness your marriage and sign the Marriage Register and Certificates.
From Civil Marriage Celebrant Sydney Liverpool
NB: All documents in a foreign language must be translated into English by an approved translator. You can find a translator.
If born overseas and your documents have been lost or destroyed, you can make a Statutory Declaration. I can help with this.
Age Requirements
Both a Court Order and parents’ consent are required when one party is under 18 years of age. Under no circumstances may two people under 18 years of age marry each other.
The Ceremony
You can choose almost all the wording of a wedding ceremony performed by a Civil Marriage Celebrant. However, your celebrant must include the following:
The Monitum:
“I am duly authorised by law to solemnise marriages according to law. Before you are joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am to remind you of the solemn 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.”
Legal Vows:
Although you may lengthen the legal vows to include personal promises that you wish to make to each you must each say the following:
“I call upon the people here present to witness that I, AB/CD, take you, CD/AB, to be my lawful wedded wife/husband.” You may leave out lawful or wedded but not both; you must use one of these words.
Both the Monitum and the Legal Vows MUST be spoken at your ceremony otherwise your marriage will not be valid.
Legal Implications for Foreigners Marrying in Australia
Australian residents can bring a partner to Australia on a Fiancé Visa.
You are required to lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage with an Authorised Marriage Celebrant a minimum of one month and one day before your nominated date of marriage. The date of your wedding can be changed if the visa is not granted in time.
The Celebrant will issue you with a letter addressed to the appropriate Australian Embassy handling the applicant’s case, confirming that she or he has received that Notice, the date and location of the wedding and that you have paid a non-refundable deposit. Your partner lodges this letter with their application at the embassy in the country from where they are applying.
Linda Mani – Civil Marriage Celebrant Sydney Liverpool