Legal Requirements for Marriage in AustraliaA Notice of Intended Marriage must be lodged with your Celebrant a minimum of one month and one day prior to the date of your wedding. This is valid for eighteen months. Anyone eligible to marry can do so in Australia. Tourists often choose to be married in this wonderful country as we have the most liberal legal choices available as far as wording, venue and time. If you are applying to stay in Australia, see Legal Implications for Foreigners Marrying in Australia below. There are FOUR pages to the Notice of Intended Marriage, including details on how to complete it. It is important that you read and follow the instructions carefully. NB: please print pages 3 and 4 on both sides of ONE sheet of paper. Documents required when lodging a Notice of Intended Marriage Original Birth Certificate. If you were born in Australia, this is the only document accepted. A foreign passport is acceptable if born overseas and your birth certificate is not available. Decree Absolute - if divorced. Death Certificate - if previous spouse died. NB: All documents in a foreign language must be translated into English by an approved translator. You can find a translator here: http://www.naati.com.au/index.asp If born overseas and your documents have been lost or destroyed, you can make a Statutory Declaration. I can help with this. Age Requirements Both a Court Order and parents’ consent are required when one party is under 18 years of age. Under no circumstances may two people under 18 years of age marry each other. Witnesses Two people over the age of 18 must be present to witness your marriage and sign the Marriage Register and Certificates. Legal Implications for Foreigners Marrying in Australia Australian residents can bring a partner to Australia on a Fiancé Visa. You are required to lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage with an Authorised Marriage Celebrant within the minimum one month and one day of your nominated date of marriage. This date of your wedding can be changed if the visa is not granted in time. The Celebrant will issue you with a letter addressed to the appropriate Australian Embassy handling the applicant’s case, confirming that s/he has received that Notice, the date and location of the wedding and that you have paid a non-refundable deposit. Your partner lodges this letter with their application at the embassy in the country from where they are applying. IMPORTANT ADVICE ABOUT MIGRATION Marriage and Immigration Australia’s immigration laws offer visas to foreign people who are in relationships with Australians. However, the rules are very complex. You must seek legal advice about your personal circumstances. Only an experienced immigration lawyer or agent is qualified to give you the correct advice about whether marriage will help your application or not. |
