NSW Marriage Office
What You Need To Know –
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the 1st step?
The first step is to make your booking. Once you have our Pricing Package you can select the option that suits you best & book online.
For all couples getting married in Australia, a Notice of Intended Marriage is required. It is a legal requirement for all marriages conducted in Australia and this MUST be lodged at least one month prior to your wedding date.
What is the 2nd step?
The 2nd step is to lodge the Notice of Intended Marriage. It is a legal requirement for all marriages conducted in Australia and this MUST be lodged at least one month prior to your wedding date.
Once the Notice of Intended Marriage has been lodged with this office, we prepare all of the legal paperwork for your marriage. Lodging the Notice of Intended Marriage will also allow you to select a date for your marriage. To lodge your NOIM you simply scan & email your completed form to us along with your ID.
Please see the notes below for correctly submitting your Notice of Intended Marriage.
What paperwork is required?
There is a mandatory notice period for all marriages in Australia, which must be fulfilled prior to us signing the final legal documents. The mandatory notice period is a minimum of one month prior to the marriage taking place. Once the Notice of Intended Marriage is lodged with this office, we can then schedule your marriage date.
Although both parties to the marriage are required to sign the NOIM prior to the marriage taking place, if one person is unavailable (for example, overseas) at the time of lodgement, the other party can lodge the Notice of Intended Marriage on their behalf.
Identity
A passport is usually the easiest method of ID at the NSW Marriage Office. If you do not have a passport you can provide your original birth certificate and other current photo ID – a driver’s licence is the preferred method.
If either of you has been previously married you must provide:
- an original divorce certificate, if divorced or
- a full death certificate, if widowed.
If your documents are not in English, a qualified interpreter must have translated them.
Where are you located? Where will our marriage be?
The NSW Marriage office isn’t associated with the NSW Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages so our locations are not in government registry offices.
We provide our registry wedding ceremonies and courthouse wedding ceremonies in our Newcastle office and in several regional location throughout NSW including the Hunter Valley vineyards and Tamworth.
Appointments are available during business hours.
Are both parties required to sign the NOIM?
Both parties are required to sign the NOIM. Only one party to the marriage is legally required to sign and lodge the Notice of Intended Marriage with the NSW Marriage Office and commence the legal paperwork, so if the other party to the marriage is overseas or not available at the time you wish to submit your paperwork, this does not prevent the Notice of Intended Marriage from being lodged. (However, both parties’ signatures are preferred if both parties are available)
Can I lodge my NOIM from overseas?
Only one party to the marriage is legally required to sign and lodge the Notice of Intended Marriage with the NSW Marriage Office and commence the legal paperwork. If a party to the marriage is overseas or not available at the time you wish to submit your paperwork you can still start the process.
Who can marry in Australia?
- not be married to someone else
- not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild or sibling (brother or sister)
- be at least 18 years of age, unless a person aged between 16 and 18 years of age has court approval to marry
- understand what marriage means and freely consent to marrying
- at least 1 month before the date you plan to marry (but not more than 18 months), lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage with an authorised celebrant or minister
- include words required by law in the ceremony and be married by a registered marriage celebrant or minister of religion
- provide an original birth certificate or passport in English, or an official translation of the document from another language.
If either person has been previously married you must provide:
- a divorce certificate, if divorced or
- a full death certificate, if widowed.
Foreign language certificates must be officially translated into English.
What identification is required?
A passport is the preferred method of identification for marriages at the NSW Marriage Office, as this form of ID provides the required evidence of your place and date of birth, as well as a photograph of the passport holder. If you are able to provide an Australian or foreign passport, you will not require any other identification.
If a passport is not available, you’ll need your original birth certificate AND your current driver’s licence or photo card.
Your original identification documents need to be sighted before your marriage takes place. As all your marriage arrangements are made online or by phone, you need to provide ID to your Commonwealth Marriage Celebrant on the day of your marriage.
What if I have been married before?
If either party to the marriage has been married previously, evidence of the termination of the last marriage must be produced prior to your marriage taking place. (i.e. divorce certificate or decree nisi of dissolution of marriage that has become absolute or a full death certificate.)
If a divorce is pending or if the paperwork is not immediately available, this does not prevent you from lodging your Notice of Intended Marriage. The paperwork can be provided at any time prior to your marriage. Your marriage cannot take place until this paperwork is provided to the NSW Marriage Office.
What happens on the day of our marriage?
On the day, both parties to the marriage and your 2 witnesses should arrive at least 15 minutes prior to your appointment time.
Preliminary paperwork will be completed, including your original identification being sighted by your Commonwealth Marriage Celebrant. Copies of identification are not legally acceptable. You MUST bring the original documents with you as your marriage cannot take place without them being seen by your Commonwealth Marriage Celebrant.
If you have decided to simply sign the marriage register this will happen immediately after your ID documents are sighted.
If you have decided to exchange rings & vows with up to 10 guests present, everyone should be present & your Commonwealth Marriage Celebrant will deliver a short ceremony before signing your marriage certificate & marriage register.
Sign The Marriage Register
This option is the minimum requirement for couples to be legally married in Australia.
You, your celebrant & two witnesses
Exchange vows or say a simple 'I do'
No interviews or appointments needed
We look after all the registrations & lodgements
Say the legal words
Sign the marriage register
Short Marriage Ceremony
A short marriage ceremony
Bring along some family & friends to witness & celebrate your marriage
Have up to 10 people attend (including you)
Exchange rings & vows if you'd like to
No interviews or appointments needed
We look after all the registrations & lodgements
Celebrate!
The Marriage Office is staffed by Commonwealth Marriage Celebrants. The role of the Commonwealth Marriage Celebrants is to complete all of the legal paperwork for your marriage, confirm your identification documents are correct and perform your marriage according to the requirements of the Marriage Act 1961, before filing all of your legal paperwork with the NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.