If you’re getting married in Australia, one of the first pieces of legal paperwork you’ll come across is the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM).

It sounds a little formal, but it’s actually quite straightforward. The NOIM is the legal notice you give your authorised marriage celebrant to let them know that you intend to marry.

There are a few important rules around when it needs to be completed, who needs to witness it and what documents you’ll need. But once you understand the basics, it’s simply one of the steps between booking your celebrant and standing up together on your wedding day.

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The most important date to remember is one month before your wedding.

Your NOIM must be received by the authorised marriage celebrant who will solemnise your marriage at least one month before the wedding date.

You can give your celebrant the NOIM up to 18 months before your wedding, so there’s no need to wait until the final few weeks.

• Earliest: 18 months before your wedding
• Latest: one month before your wedding
• Less than one month: a shortening of time may be possible in limited circumstances

If you’re planning well ahead, I’d generally recommend getting the paperwork sorted sooner rather than later. Once it’s done, you can concentrate on the much more enjoyable parts of planning your ceremony.

What if our wedding is less than a month away?

Don’t panic, but don’t assume the one-month requirement can simply be waived either.

Australian law allows a prescribed authority to authorise a marriage to proceed with less than one month’s notice in certain circumstances.

These can include:

• employment or travel commitments
• wedding or celebration arrangements
• medical reasons
• legal proceedings
• an error in giving notice

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The NOIM records the information your celebrant needs to establish your identities and legal eligibility to marry.

You’ll provide information about yourselves, including details such as your names, addresses, occupations, dates and places of birth and details of any previous marriages.

Your celebrant will go through the form with you and explain anything you’re unsure about.

You don’t need to become an expert in marriage law before completing it. That’s part of what your celebrant is there for.

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Your celebrant will need evidence of your identity, date and place of birth and, where relevant, evidence that a previous marriage has ended.

Depending on your circumstances, this may include:

• a passport or other accepted identity document
• evidence of your date and place of birth
• a divorce document if you’ve previously been married and divorced
• a death certificate or other relevant evidence if a previous marriage ended because your former spouse died

The exact documents you’ll need can depend on your circumstances, so it’s worth checking with your celebrant rather than assuming that everyone needs exactly the same paperwork.

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Your signatures on the NOIM need to be witnessed by someone authorised under the Marriage Act 1961.

When signing in Australia, the authorised witnesses include people such as an authorised marriage celebrant, justice of the peace, barrister or solicitor, medical practitioner, police officer or Commissioner for Declarations.

There are also circumstances where a NOIM can be witnessed remotely by audio-visual link.

This can be particularly useful if one of you is travelling, living interstate or overseas, or simply can’t arrange to be physically present with the other person.

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Not necessarily.

There are circumstances where the parties can sign the NOIM separately, provided the requirements of the legislation are followed. There are also provisions allowing signatures to be witnessed remotely by audio-visual link.

So if one of you is away for work, travelling or overseas, don’t assume that you have to wait until you’re both in the same place.

Your celebrant can explain the option that applies to your particular circumstances.

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No.

This is an easy point to get confused about.

The NOIM is a notice of your intention to marry. Completing it doesn’t mean that you’re legally married.

Your marriage still needs to be solemnised by an authorised marriage celebrant in accordance with Australian law, with the other required legal steps completed.

Think of the NOIM as the formal beginning of the legal process, rather than the marriage itself.

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This is where your celebrant takes over much of the legal detail.

The NOIM is only one part of the process. Before your wedding, your celebrant will also need to make sure the other legal requirements have been met.

This includes things such as:

1. Checking your identity and supporting documents.
2. Meeting separately and in person with each of you before the marriage is solemnised.
3. Making sure the required legal declarations are completed.
4. Preparing the documents required for your wedding ceremony.
5. Making sure the ceremony itself meets the legal requirements for marriage in Australia.

You don’t need to remember all of this yourself. A good celebrant should guide you through what’s required and let you know what they need from you and when.

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If you notice a mistake, don’t panic.

Tell your celebrant as soon as you notice it.

Some errors can be corrected before the marriage is solemnised, provided the correction is made in accordance with the requirements of the Marriage Act.

This is another reason not to leave your paperwork until the week before the wedding. There’s much more time to sort out a problem when you’ve discovered it months in advance.

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No. You don’t have to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident to marry in Australia.

There are, however, legal requirements that apply to everyone getting married here, including requirements relating to age, existing marriages, prohibited relationships and genuine consent.

If either of you is from overseas, your circumstances may also involve additional immigration or documentation considerations. Your celebrant can explain the marriage requirements, although immigration and visa advice should come from the appropriate government department or qualified adviser.

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If you’re preparing to get married, here’s the practical version:

1. Choose your authorised marriage celebrant.
2. Complete your Notice of Intended Marriage.
3. Have the relevant signatures witnessed correctly.
4. Provide your celebrant with the required documents.
5. Make sure the NOIM is received at least one month before your wedding, unless a shortening of time has been properly authorised.
6. Work through the remaining legal requirements with your celebrant.
7. Then get on with planning the ceremony you actually want.

The paperwork matters, but it shouldn’t take over your wedding planning.