Getting married – important paperwork and some helpful links

For anyone getting married, a key legal requirement is completion of the Notice of Intended Marriage form – the NOIM.  As a marriage celebrant, it’s an important responsibility of mine to manage completion of this form.

Timing is important with the NOIM.  It will need to be signed by the prospective marrying couple, and witnessed by me as your marriage celebrant, at least one month before your wedding ceremony.

Supporting documents that I’ll need to see in completing the form are:  your passport; or your birth certificate and a driver’s licence – this is to confirm your identity.  If you’ve been previously married, evidence of the end of your marriage, generally through a divorce certificate, will also be required.

Here is the NOIM for your information.

In the lead up to your wedding, you will also be asked to sign a form that indicates you are freely consenting to marry.  Then, on the day of your wedding, there will be three marriage certificates.  Each certificate is to be signed by the marrying couple, two witnesses, and by me as the authorised marriage celebrant. One of the certificates will be given to you as a record of your marriage.  I’ll manage the process on the day and the subsequent lodging of the relevant documents with the registry of births, deaths and marriages for the official recording of your marriage.

If you wish to change your name after your marriage, you’ll need to apply for your official marriage certificate from your state or territory’s births, deaths and marriages registry.

For more information on getting married in Australia, you may also wish to visit the Attorney‑General’s Department Getting married page.