Within 18 months of your proposed marriage, and no later than one month and one day prior to it, you must give a completed Notice of Intended Marriage form to the authorised marriage celebrant who is to conduct your marriage ceremony. All marriage celebrants should have the necessary paper work to perform your marriage.
You will need your birth certificates (originals) and evidence that any prior marriage has been dissolved by either death or divorce.
Shortening of Time
It is possible to shorten the minimum notice time for a marriage to less than a month if the special circumstances set out in the Marriage Regulations 1963 are met. You will need to approach a Prescribed Authority for approval. See the link on the right hand side of this page.
Prescribed authorities (usually at your Local Court or Registry officials) can shorten the required period of notice if they are satisfied that the circumstances prescribed in the Regulations are met.
The five categories of circumstances set out in the Regulations. These are:
- Employment–related, or other travel commitments
- Wedding or celebration arrangements, or religious considerations
- Medical reasons
- Legal proceedings, and
- Error in giving notice.
The reason for wanting a shortening of time for notice must fall within one of these categories. There is no capacity to grant a shortening of time outside these circumstances. Shortening of time is not automatic. When making a decision, the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) or a prescribed authority will weigh up the information provided in support of your application and may seek additional information as outlined in the Regulations. You should have the documentation that supports your request before approaching a prescribed authority.
(This information is provided by the Attorney-General’s Department.)
Helen Coghlan,
Simply Magic Ceremoniessimplymagicceremonies.com.au
Gold Coast - Queensland - Australia
