Marriage is one of the most important events in anyone’s life and everyone wants all the proceedings to take place as smoothly as possible. When getting married in Australia, there are a number of legalities also that one must take care of. In Australia, a very important one is to get a marriage celebrant without whom many legal works cannot be done.
First of all, you need to make sure that you are of marriageable age. From 1 August 1991, the marriageable age is 18 years. If you have not attained the age and still want to marry then the permission can only be given by court empowered with Section 12. Moreover, both the bride and groom are required to produce evidence of place and date of birth. These need to be converted to English officially if present in any other language. [ads2]
When you decide to be getting married in Australia with someone, you are required to give at least a one month notice to a marriage celebrant but the period should not exceed 18 months. Upon choosing a marriage celebrant you are provided with the Notice to complete. If you would be is not a resident to Australia then you are required to lodge official copies of your overseas marriage certificate with the Immigration and Border Protection.
Read Also: Registering Marriage in Australia
Previous Marriages
In case there are cases involving previous marriages then the marriage celebrant will require you to furnish sufficient proof about the termination of the previous marriage. This would include:
- In the case of divorce- Divorce certificate
- In case of widowed- Full Death Certificate
Here also, the certificates need to be translated into English if present in any other language. Photocopies are not accepted.
Read Also: Best Locations For Getting Married in Australia
Overseas Marriage
In this cases, you must approach the Embassy, Consulate or local representative of the country concerned to know about their legal requirements. Some countries may require you to furnish proof about your single status. This can be done by obtaining a Single Status Certificate which tells whether you have been married in NSW. However, if Australian citizens want to marry overseas they cannot register their marriage in NSW.
After completion of all marriage proceeding (except in the case of overseas marriage), you are required to collect standard marriage certificates from the registry of marriage which will prove the existence of marriage. These are also required to be produced at offices if you want to change your name after marriage
