For a Civil Marriage Ceremony in Australia, Australian Law requires:
1. You must both be over the age of 18 years, or, if one is younger you must have a court order giving consent.
2. You must not be related as siblings (including adopted siblings), direct descendants or ancestors.
3. Your celebrant must sight the following documents prior to your wedding day:
4. The official birth certificate or official extract of both bride and groom,or current passport, can be expired but not cancelled..
o if your name is different from that on your birth certificate I must see your change of name documents.
o if born overseas and it is not possible to obtain a copy of your birth certificate, a foreign passport showing your date
and place of birth is acceptable.
o if previously married and divorced: a decree absolute or Certificate of Divorce is required. If divorced in Australia,
this is obtained from the Family Court of Australia;
o if widowed: a death certificate must be presented.
If I have not sighted all required documentation, prior to the wedding day, the wedding ceremony CANNOT proceed.
5. You must complete the form: “Notice of Intended Marriage” or (Download NOIM ) . I will provide it when we first meet.
o Your NOIM must be completed at least one month and not more than 18 months before your proposed wedding
date. It can be completed when we meet, or you can complete it, have it witnessed as prescribed on the form and
mail it to me. The time may be shortened only in very specific extenuating circumstances.
o If you are a distance away and time is short (eg say, just 5 to 6 weeks out) I can accept a scanned or photographed
copy of the completed and signed NOIM by email with the original then sent by post or brought with you.
o At this time I need to establish your identity by sighting a document such as a drivers licence or passport.
6. In the two weeks prior to your wedding date you must each complete a declaration stating that you are free to marry – this is
usually done at your rehearsal.
7. You will need two witnesses over the age of 18 years at your wedding ceremony.
8. Your ceremony concludes with you and your two witnesses signing three documents:
o The Marriage Register
o Your Official Marriage Certificate
o Your Couple’s Certificate. This certificate will be presented to you as the finale to your ceremony.
Within your ceremony, the following must occur:
The Celebrant’s Authority:
My name is Enzo Bortignon and I am authorised by law to solemnise marriages in Australia according to law. Before you are
joined in marriage in my presence and in the presence of these witnesses, I am bound to remind you publicly of the solemn
and binding nature of the relationship into which you are now about to enter. Marriage, according to the law in Australia, is
the union of a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others, voluntarily entered into for life.
The Marriage Vows:
You must each say ” I call upon the persons here present to witness that I, NAME, take thee, NAME to be my lawful wedded
wife (or husband).”
Your wedding ceremony marks the beginning of your new legal status – that of husband and wife – you become each other’s legal
next of kin.