How do you legally become married in Australia? Firstly, you have to decide to marry and who is going to be the celebrant. Priests, ministers of recognised religions and registry officers are nominated by their religious bodies to be marriage celebrants.
How do you become a civil marriage celebrant? Being appointed a Justice of the Peace does not allow you to be a marriage celebrant. Before applying to become a Commonwealth-registered marriage civil celebrant you must:
(a) be 18 years of age;
(b) complete Certificate IV in Celebrancy at a registered training organisation and ;
c) be a fit and proper person and be of good standing within the community.
Secondly, you are required to give a marriage celebrant at least one month’s notice and not more than 18 months’ notice of an intended date of marriage.
The priest or marriage celebrant will provide you with the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) to complete. The marriageable age is 18 years. If a person is 16 or 17 and wishes to marry prior to their 18th birthday, a court can give authority for the marriage to be solemnised, although parents may also give their permission. A NOIM may be lodged prior to the 18th birthday, as long as the marriage occurs after the birthday.
Both parties are required to provide original birth certificate or passport. If either party has been previously married, you must provide evidence of the termination with either a divorce certificate (if divorced) or a full death certificate (if widowed). Certificates in a foreign language must be translated into English by an authorised interpreter/translator service. Photocopies are not accepted.
If we can help further at Matthews Williams please contact us.