Rules to get married in Australia
To get married in Australia, you must:
- not be married
- not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister
- be at least 18 years old, unless a court has approved a marriage where 1 person is 16-18 years old
- understand what marriage means and freely agree to marry
- use specific words during the ceremony
- give a notice of intended marriage form to an authorised marriage celebrant at least 1 month and no more than 18 months before your wedding
- be married by an authorised marriage celebrant
You don’t have to be:
- an Australian citizen
- a permanent resident of Australia If you are not an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Australia and you want to live in Australia after your marriage, you should find out about getting a visa.
Before you get married, you need to complete a notice of intended marriage form with the authorised marriage celebrant at least 1 month (but not more than 18 months) before your wedding.
If there is less than 1 month until your wedding, talk to your authorised marriage celebrant. You may be able to get married if a prescribed authority approves it.
Your authorised marriage celebrant will also need:
- evidence of your date and place of birth (birth certificate or passport)
- identity (driver’s licence or passport)
- proof that a previous marriage has ended
After you get married
On your wedding day, three marriage certificates must be signed by:
- you and your spouse
- your authorised marriage celebrant
- two witnesses, who must be over 18 years old
Your authorised marriage celebrant will give you a certificate of marriage on the day. This is a ceremonial certificate of your marriage.
Your celebrant must then (within 14 days of the marriage) submit your marriage paperwork to the registry of births, deaths and marriages in the state or territory you got married in.
You should apply for a copy of your official marriage certificate from the registry. Your celebrant can do this on your behalf, generally at a cost. You will need this if you want to change your name or prove that you are married.