Filling in a Notice of Intended Marriage

Want to get married in Australia? You need a NOIM!

If you want to get married in Australia you need to fill in and lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM). All couples marrying need to lodge this form with their celebrant at least one month and up to 18 months before their wedding date. You can find this document here

If you want to know who can marry in Australia, read this or feel free to contact me.

Although the Notice of Intended Marriage is a fairly short form, it’s an easy one to make mistakes. I can help you with filling in the form, or if you’re filling out at home, the below may help you avoiding any mistakes.

Please note, you can marry under certain circumstances with less than one month’s notice. This is called a Shortening of Time. You can read about this here.

General Points

• There are guidance notes on page 1 and 2.
• Please fill in page 3, and only sign page 4 when you are in front of an eligible witness
• It’s important to write neatly and, if possible, use capital letters or you can enter the information onto the form electronically
• If you make a mistake, don’t use white-out.  Instead, you can cross out the mistake, then write the correct information next to it
• Do not sign the Notice of Intended Marriage until you are in front of your witness. If you’re not using your celebrant as your witness, make sure the person you choose is eligible to witness the document.  The only eligible witnesses if you are signing this in Australia are:
  • Authorised celebrant
  • A Justice of the Peace
  • A barrister or solicitor
  • A legally qualified medical practitioner
  • A member of the Australian Federal Police or police force of State/Territory
  • If you are signing this outside of Australia, you will need to sign in front of
    • A Notary Public
    • An Australian Consular Officer
    • An Australian Diplomatic Offer,
    • An employee of the Commonwealth authorised under paragraph 3(c) of the Consular Fees Act 1955
    • An employee of the Australian Trade Commission authorised under paragraph 3(d) of the Consular Fees Act 1955

Completed NOIM? What Now?

If you’ve filled out the NOIM, and you’ve had it signed by a valid witness, then you can scan it and send to your celebrant. If you’re seeing them in person, you can hand it to them.

Other documentation your celebrant will need to see is:

• evidence of your date and place of birth (birth certificate or passport)
• identity (driver’s licence or passport)
• proof that a previous marriage has ended

Need More Info?

If you have any specific questions about any of the other elements of you Notice of Intended Marriage, please don’t hesitate to ask me at roxy@roxyrocks.com or on 0478 041 227.  Always happy to help.