Who Can Be a Wedding Witness in Australia? What Couples Need to Know
You need two witnesses at your wedding in Australia. But who should they be?
This is one of those wedding decisions that sounds very simple until you actually start thinking about it. Do you choose your parents? Your best friends? Your siblings? Someone from the bridal party? And what if the people who mean the most to you aren’t Australian citizens?
The good news is that there is quite a bit of flexibility.
For a marriage ceremony in Australia, you need at least two witnesses who are 18 or older. In NSW, witnesses must also be able to speak and understand English. They can be family, friends or other people who are meaningful to you, and they do not need to be Australian citizens.
The short answer
You need at least two wedding witnesses. They must be 18 or older and, for a NSW ceremony, able to speak and understand English. They don’t have to be family, they don’t have to be Australian citizens, and they don’t have to hold any special legal qualification.
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How many witnesses do you need at a wedding?
You need at least two witnesses at your marriage ceremony.
This is a legal requirement under the Marriage Act 1961. The witnesses need to be physically present for the solemnisation of the marriage and will sign the marriage certificates with you and your celebrant.
You can, of course, have many more people watching your ceremony. The legal requirement is simply that you have the two people who are acting as your witnesses.
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Who can be a wedding witness in Australia?
Your witnesses don’t need to have a particular relationship to you. They can be people you choose because they are important to you and because you want them to have a small but meaningful part in the moment you get married.
In NSW, the government specifically confirms that witnesses can be:
- family members
- friends
- colleagues
- other people who are meaningful to you
They do not need to be Australian citizens.
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What are the requirements for wedding witnesses?
If you’re getting married in NSW, there are a few practical requirements to keep in mind when choosing your two witnesses.
1. They must be 18 or older
Your two witnesses must be at least 18 years old. This is a legal requirement, so a younger child cannot act as one of the two legal witnesses, even if they are an important part of your day.
2. They need to speak and understand English
For weddings in NSW, your witnesses need to be able to speak and understand English. This is worth checking before you make your final choice, particularly if you are planning a multicultural ceremony or have family travelling from overseas.
3. They need to be there for the ceremony
Your witnesses aren’t just there for the paperwork at the end. They need to be present for the marriage ceremony itself and then sign the marriage certificates after the marriage has been solemnised.
4. They don’t need to be Australian citizens
Your witnesses do not need to be Australian citizens or permanent residents. This can be particularly helpful if you’re having an international wedding or have friends or family travelling to Australia for your ceremony.
A practical tip
Ask your witnesses to arrive a little early. It gives everyone time to settle in, find out where they need to stand and make sure the paperwork at the end is straightforward. It’s a tiny bit of planning that can make the end of the ceremony feel much more relaxed.
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Who should you choose as your wedding witnesses?
Can your parents be your wedding witnesses?
Yes.
If your parents meet the requirements for witnesses, they can be your two witnesses. There is no rule saying your witnesses have to be friends or people from your bridal party.
For some couples, having a parent sign the marriage certificate makes the moment particularly meaningful. For others, it might be a sibling, grandparent, best friend or someone who has been part of their relationship from the beginning.
Can your friends be your wedding witnesses?
Absolutely.
Your witnesses don’t have to be relatives. Close friends are a very common choice, particularly when you have a large family or simply feel that your closest friends have played an important part in your relationship.
They can also be members of your bridal party, provided they meet the requirements.
Can your bridal party be your witnesses?
Yes. There is no requirement for your witnesses to be separate from your bridal party.
So if your maid of honour and best man are the two people you’d like to have sign your marriage certificates, that’s perfectly possible as long as they meet the witness requirements.
It can also be a nice way of giving members of your bridal party a specific role in the ceremony without adding another formal reading or ritual.
Do your wedding witnesses have to be family?
No.
This is one of the things couples sometimes worry about unnecessarily. There is no requirement for your witnesses to be related to you.
If there are two people who have been important throughout your relationship, they can be your witnesses if they meet the legal requirements.
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What do wedding witnesses actually do?
Can children be wedding witnesses?
Not if they are under 18.
The two legal witnesses must be 18 or older. So while your children can be involved in many other parts of your ceremony, a child under 18 cannot be one of the two legal witnesses.
If you have an adult child, however, they can act as a witness provided they meet the other requirements.
What do wedding witnesses actually have to do?
The role of a witness is actually quite simple.
- They are present for the marriage ceremony.
- They witness you being legally married.
- After the marriage is solemnised, they sign the required marriage certificates.
That’s really it. They don’t have to prepare a speech, give a reading or perform any particular ceremonial role.
Of course, you can involve them more if you want to. Your witnesses might also be part of the processional, give a reading, help with the rings or simply be standing beside you because that’s where you’d like them to be.
Do wedding witnesses need to bring ID?
It’s a good idea.
NSW Government recommends that witnesses bring identification so their names can be recorded accurately on the marriage certificate.
As a practical matter, I’d always rather have the correct details available than be trying to remember someone’s full name when you’re standing there with everyone watching.
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What happens when your witnesses sign?
The signing usually happens towards the end of the ceremony, after you have been legally married.
You, your celebrant and your two witnesses sign the marriage certificates. The witnesses are confirming that they were present and witnessed the marriage ceremony.
It’s often a very small moment in the overall ceremony, but I think it’s worth treating it as part of the celebration rather than just paperwork. These are the two people who have literally put their names beside yours as witnesses to the day.
Eliza’s advice
Don’t choose your witnesses simply because you feel like you should. Choose people who feel meaningful to you. The legal role is small, but having someone you love sign your marriage certificates can make that little moment feel surprisingly special.
How do you choose your two witnesses?
This is where I think it’s worth stepping away from the legal checklist for a moment.
You don’t necessarily need to choose the two people you’ve known the longest. And you don’t have to choose the people who seem like the obvious choice on paper.
Think instead about who you would genuinely like beside you at that particular moment.
- Who has been part of your relationship?
- Who would understand why the moment matters to you?
- Who would enjoy having this small role in the day?
- Who will be comfortable standing with you and staying for the whole ceremony?
Sometimes the answer is your parents. Sometimes it’s your oldest friends. Sometimes it’s a sibling or an adult child. And sometimes it’s two people who might surprise everyone else but make perfect sense to you.
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One thing to be careful about: your NOIM witness is different
There is a small distinction here that can cause confusion.
The people who witness your Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) are not necessarily the same people who will witness your wedding ceremony.
The NOIM has its own rules about who is authorised to witness your signatures. For example, in Australia this can include an authorised celebrant, Justice of the Peace, barrister or solicitor, registered medical practitioner, or police officer.
Your two wedding witnesses are simply the people who are present at the marriage ceremony and sign the marriage certificates afterwards. If you’re unsure about any part of the paperwork, your celebrant should be able to talk you through what is required and when.
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What if you don’t know who to choose?
Don’t overthink it.
If you have plenty of people you’d love to choose, that’s a lovely problem to have. You can simply decide which two people you’d most like to have in that particular role.
And if you’re having a very small ceremony, or an elopement with very few guests, talk to your celebrant early. The requirement for two witnesses still applies, so it’s worth knowing how you’re going to handle that before the day arrives.
You don’t need to turn it into a big decision. It is simply about choosing two people who meet the requirements and who you’d be happy to have beside you when you make it official.
FAQ
Wedding witness questions, answered
Can a friend be my wedding witness?
Yes. Friends can be wedding witnesses provided they meet the requirements, including being 18 or older and, for a NSW ceremony, being able to speak and understand English.
Can my parents be our wedding witnesses?
Yes. Parents can act as your witnesses as long as they meet the requirements.
Can members of our bridal party be witnesses?
Yes. Your bridal party can also be your legal witnesses.
Do wedding witnesses have to be Australian citizens?
No. NSW Government confirms that witnesses do not need to be Australian citizens.
Can someone under 18 be a wedding witness?
No. The two legal witnesses must be 18 or older.
Do wedding witnesses need to speak English?
For a wedding in NSW, yes. NSW Government states that witnesses must be able to speak and understand English. If you’re planning a ceremony involving people who do not speak English, talk to your celebrant about the requirements before choosing your witnesses.
Do wedding witnesses need to bring ID?
NSW Government recommends that witnesses bring identification so their names can be recorded accurately on the marriage certificate.
What does a wedding witness actually have to do?
They need to be present for the marriage ceremony and sign the marriage certificates afterwards. They don’t need to give a speech or perform any other particular role unless you would like them to be involved in that way.
The important thing to remember
Choosing your wedding witnesses doesn’t need to be complicated
Legally, you need two people who meet the requirements. Personally, you have a lot more freedom. Choose people who matter to you, who you’ll be glad to have beside you and whose names you’ll be happy to see sitting there on your marriage certificate for years to come.
If you’re planning your ceremony and you’re still working through the legal requirements, that’s something I can help make much simpler. I’ll guide you through the paperwork, explain what needs to happen and help you work out the ceremony itself so you know what to expect before the day arrives.
You can read more about my ceremony process, see my celebrant fees or explore where I conduct ceremonies across the Northern Beaches, North Shore and Sydney.
Want to talk through your ceremony?
If you’re planning your wedding and have questions about the legal requirements, your ceremony or who to choose as your witnesses, I’d be happy to talk it through with you. There’s no need to have everything figured out before you get in touch.
