You do not have to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident to get married in Australia.

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To get married in NSW or any state or territory in Australia you must:

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• not be currently married

• not be marrying an immediate family member

• be able to understand what marriage means and freely give your consent to marry

• be married by an authorised marriage celebrant. 

You must be at least 18 years old to get married, unless one of you is aged between 16 and 18 and:

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• you have court approval by a judge or magistrate to marry

• consent by your parent or guardian has been given or dispensed with.​

 

Learn more about the rules to get married in Australia at the Attorney-General’s Department. 

Once you have decided that I am the right celebrant for your big day, we will go through the inclusions that you want for your ceremony and I will prepare a Service Agreement.

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You will need to sign and return this agreement along with your deposit to formalise your booking. 

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In NSW, your ceremony must be officiated by a registered celebrant to be legally recognised. 

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This will be a state/territory appointed celebrant, commonwealth civil celebrant or minister of religion (registered religious marriage celebrant), depending on whether you choose a civil or religious ceremony.

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State/Territory

State and territory celebrants are regulated by the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages in their state or territory.

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They perform non-religious marriage ceremonies (civil ceremonies).

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Find a state and territory regulated marriage celebrant at the Attorney-General’s Department.

Or choose NSW Births, Deaths & Marriages for your Registry wedding.

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Commonwealth

A civil ceremony is a non-religious ceremony and is conducted by a commonwealth registered civil celebrant.  

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Find a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant at the Attorney-General’s Department. 

Or choose NSW Births, Deaths & Marriages for your Registry wedding. 

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Religious

Ministers of religion can perform ceremonies anywhere in Australia for their nominated recognised religion, according to the rites of that religion. 

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A nominated recognised religion is one that is proclaimed under the Commonwealth Marriage Act 1961. This does not mean that a religion is endorsed by government.

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Find a minister of religion from a nominated recognised religion at the Attorney-General’s Department.

To complete and submit a NOIM

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You must complete and submit a Notice of Intended Marriage application (PDF 883.06KB) to your civil or religious marriage celebrant (your celebrant) at least 1 month before the date you plan to marry. It’s valid for 18 months from the date your celebrant receives it from you. 

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On the form you should use the name that:

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• is on your birth certificate, or

• is on your Change of Name certificate, if you have changed your name.

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If you have already changed your surname from a previous marriage you should either:

• use your previous spouse’s surname on the form, if you have kept this name

• use your original name (i.e. maiden name) on the form, if you have reverted to this and have proof of that name, such as photo identification.

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Talk to your celebrant if there’s a reason you cannot use the name on either of these documents. 

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Video tutorial for completing a NOIM

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Required supporting documents

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When submitting the Notice of Intended Marriage to your celebrant, you’ll need to show:

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• an official birth certificate or passport  

• other current photo ID, if passport not provided.

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If either of you have been previously married, you must also provide a:

• divorce certificate, if divorced

• death certificate, if widowed

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If one of you is aged between 16 and 18, you will need to provide proof that you have the appropriate permissions.

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Note: foreign language certificates and documents must be translated into English by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters accredited translator.

Before your wedding

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Arranging your witnesses

You are legally required to have 2 witnesses at your ceremony to witness and sign the marriage certificate.  

If possible, you should know the witnesses, as their evidence can be used to:

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• establish the identity of the couple who were married

• testify to the circumstances in which the ceremony was performed.

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Your witnesses need to:

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• be 18 years or older

• speak and understand English. 

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On the day

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The ceremony

On the day, before the marriage ceremony, your celebrant will ask both of you to sign a declaration that there are no legal reasons preventing you from getting married.

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During the ceremony:  

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• your celebrant will say certain words required by law that make the marriage legal

• vows are exchanged and you may also exchange wedding rings  

• you, your celebrant, and your witnesses will sign two official certificates of marriage and one ceremonial certificate. You'll receive the ceremonial certificate on the day.  

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Your celebrant will then register the marriage with the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory where you got married.  

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Once the marriage is registered, you or your celebrant can apply for your official marriage certificate. 

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After getting married

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Once you are married you may want to think about changing your surname and updating important information.

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Changing your surname

If you were married in Australia and have an official marriage certificate, you can change your surname after marriage without going through the formal name change application proccess. 

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Updating important information

Once you’re married, you may also want to consider updating your details with other government services, such as letting Centrelink know about your change in relationship, or adding your partner to your Medicare card.