Marriage

To be married in Australia, both you and the other person must:

• not be currently married to another person;
• not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild or sibling (including relationships resulting from adoption);
• be at least 18 years old (unless in certain circumstances where Court or parental consent has been granted);
• have an understanding of what a marriage means and be entering into the marriage voluntarily;
• provide a ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’ form to an authorised marriage celebrant or minister at least one month (but no later than 18 months) prior to your wedding unless there are exceptional circumstances (see: “Can I marry in the next month?” for further information);
•  be married by an authorised marriage celebrant or minister;
• use the specific wording required by law during the ceremony; and
• produce original birth certificates or passports (or an English translation of the document) to your marriage celebrant or minister.

If either you or your fiancé has been married before, you must also provide the original Divorce Order or Death Certificate, to prove that you are now either divorced or widowed.

You can find out more by asking your authorised marriage celebrant or minister for further information or visiting the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages website.

Can I marry in the next month?​

Normally, you can’t marry until one calendar month from the date the authorised celebrant receives the Notice of Intended Marriage.

However, you could marry your fiancé within that month, without providing a a copy of the Notice to the celebrant , but only in exceptional circumstances. These include where there are:

• medical reasons;
• legal proceedings;
• an error in the Notice of Intended Marriage form; and/or
• employment related circumstances or travel commitments that cannot be avoided.

If you’d like to know more, ask your authorised marriage celebrant for further information or visit the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages website.

What happens after the marriage ceremony in Australia?

On your wedding day, the marriage celebrant will give you three copies of the Ceremonial Marriage Certificate. This certificate must be signed by:

• you and your spouse; 
• an authorised marriage celebrant or minister; and
• two witnesses, who must be over the age of 18 years.

Within 14 days from the date of your marriage, your celebrant or minister will lodge your Certificate of Marriage and other relevant paperwork with the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or territory.

Either you or your marriage celebrant or minister can apply for a copy of your official marriage certificate from the registry. This certificate will allow you or your spouse to legally change your name.