Getting married in Australia — from the NOIM one-month rule to marriage registration
Lodging the NOIM at least one month before the wedding, choosing an authorised celebrant, registering the marriage with your state BDM, and how overseas marriages are recognised — a guide to getting married in Australia for international couples.
How marriage works in Australia — one federal law for the whole country
Marriage in Australia is governed by the federal Marriage Act 1961, so the requirements for getting married do not differ from state to state. If you are 18 or over (apart from exceptional cases with court approval), not currently married, and not in a prohibited close-family relationship, you can marry in Australia regardless of your nationality or visa type. Since 2017, two people can marry regardless of sex or gender. However, the ceremony must be conducted by an authorised celebrant for the marriage to be legally valid.
Legal marriage vs de facto relationship
A legal marriage is a relationship formalised through the NOIM, a ceremony and registration with the state BDM, whereas a de facto relationship means living together as a couple without marrying — a status that is often recognised separately in law for visas, tax, inheritance and more. This guide covers the marriage process itself; for residency matters such as a Partner visa, see the separate Partner visa guide.
The NOIM — lodging it at least one month before the wedding is the key
The NOIM (Notice of Intended Marriage) is a statutory form giving advance notice of your intention to marry. It must be lodged with (received by) an authorised celebrant at least one month before the ceremony and remains valid for up to 18 months from lodgement. The most common mistake is booking the venue first without knowing about this deadline, which throws the whole schedule off. The form can be downloaded from the Attorney-General's Department website.
Shortening the one month is only possible with a prescribed authority's exceptional approval
If you have unavoidable circumstances, you can apply to your state's prescribed authority for a shortening of the notice period, but approval is granted only exceptionally and only within the limited categories set out in law, such as employment or travel commitments, medical reasons, legal proceedings, or an error in the notice process. Since approval is not guaranteed, the rule is to plan your schedule around the one-month requirement from the outset.
- Work back from your wedding date and get the NOIM to your celebrant with at least one month plus a buffer to spare
Documents to prepare and eligibility requirements
Along with the NOIM (or at the latest before the ceremony), you must show your celebrant documents proving your identity and your eligibility to marry. The documents required depend on your personal history, and foreign-issued documents often come with translation requirements, so international couples in particular should allow plenty of preparation time.
- Proof of birth and identity — prove your date and place of birth with a birth certificate or passport, and bring photo identification
- Proof that any previous marriage has ended — a divorce order if you have been divorced, or the former spouse's death certificate if widowed
Four cases — which kind of marriage or relationship is it?
There is more than one path to formalising a relationship in Australia. Looking at it as four cases — two types of ceremony, marriages already held overseas, and not marrying at all — makes it clear which process fits your situation.
A non-religious ceremony conducted by a civil celebrant listed on the government register. Venue and format are relatively flexible, and the simple ceremonies held at each state BDM's registry office also fall into this category. Celebrant fees are set privately, so contact several and compare.
A ceremony conducted by a minister of religion from a recognised religious body. The legal requirements (NOIM, two witnesses aged 18 or over, BDM registration) are the same as for a civil ceremony, and you should confirm that the officiant is on the register of authorised celebrants.
A marriage that is valid in the country where the ceremony took place is generally recognised in Australia as it is, unless there is a disqualifying factor under Australian law such as bigamy or being under the marriageable age. There is no need — and no way — to re-register it with an Australian BDM; you simply use that country's marriage certificate (with a certified translation where needed).
Instead of marrying, you can register your relationship on the relationship register in some states and territories and receive an official certificate. It has value as relationship evidence for a Partner visa, inheritance and more; whether the scheme exists and its requirements vary by state, so check with the BDM where you live.
Step-by-step tips — keeping your timeline on track
The marriage process in Australia is not complicated in itself, but the order matters. The NOIM deadline and translations of foreign documents in particular take time, so following the sequence below will greatly reduce scheduling headaches.
- Confirm your celebrant and lodge the NOIM before booking the venue or flights — the NOIM is the legal foundation of your wedding date
- Foreign documents can take several weeks to obtain and have certified-translated, so start on the paperwork first of all
- Two witnesses aged 18 or over must attend the ceremony, so arrange them in advance
Five common mistakes
These are the mistakes international couples run into most often. Most stem from miscalculating deadlines or misunderstanding what a document is for, and all of them are avoidable if you know about them in advance.
- Getting the NOIM one-month deadline wrong — the clock runs from the day the celebrant receives it. The most common scenario is booking the venue first, dealing with the NOIM too late, and having to postpone the ceremony
- Mistaking the ceremonial certificate for an official document — the certificate you receive at the ceremony is commemorative. For visas and administrative processes you need the BDM standard certificate
Useful official links
- Attorney-General's Department — Marriage(opens in a new window)
The central authority on marriage in Australia — Marriage Act guidance, NOIM form downloads, and official information on marriage requirements
- 공인 셀레브런트 검색 (marriage.ag.gov.au)(opens in a new window)
Official search for authorised celebrants — the government register for finding registered officiants (civil or religious) by location or name
- NSW Births, Deaths & Marriages (BDM)(opens in a new window)
NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages — confirm marriage registration and apply for the official marriage certificate (use your own state's BDM elsewhere)