So, you’re planning your wedding—congratulations! 🎉 Along with picking the perfect dress, getting RSVPs from your guests, and choosing a venue and finding a wedding celebrant, there’s one important task that makes it all official: filling out the Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM). Don’t worry—it’s not as tricky as it sounds, and I’m here to guide you every step of the way.
Why Is the NOIM Important?
The NOIM is a big deal because it’s one of the main legal steps in getting married. You can’t fill it out until you’ve picked a marriage celebrant (the person who will officiate your wedding). It’s the celebrant’s job to make sure this form is filled out correctly and sent in on time.
Steps to Complete the NOIM
Before filling out the NOIM, you need to:
- Find a wedding celebrant
- Agree on their price and terms.
- Pick a wedding date.
Once that’s done, you’ll need some documents.
Proof of Birth
You need to prove when and where you were born. You can use:
- your passport
- your birth certificate (from Australia or another country)
- a legal statement (called a statutory declaration) if you can’t get your birth certificate
Documents that won’t work:
- faxed or photocopied birth certificates
- a copy of a birth certificate that isn’t the original
You can give the celebrant these documents any time before the wedding, but they need to see the originals before the marriage takes place.
Proof of Identification
The celebrant needs to confirm that you are who you say you are. You can use:
- Driver’s license
- Proof of Age/Photo Card
- Passport
- Australian citizenship certificate (if you include another photo ID)
Proof That You’re Not Already Married
If you’ve been married before, you’ll need to show proof that your last marriage ended (through death, divorce, or annulment).
Other Things You Need to Prove
- you and your partner aren’t closely related (like siblings or parent/child).
- you’re both over 18 (or have court permission if under 18).
Signing the NOIM
Both people getting married usually sign the NOIM. You must give it to your celebrant at least one month before the wedding. If one of you can’t sign it right away, the other person can sign later, but before the wedding happens.
Witnessing the NOIM
If you can’t sign the NOIM in front of your celebrant, you’ll need to sign it in front of someone else who is legally allowed to witness, like:
- Another celebrant
- a justice of the peace
- a lawyer
- a police officer
If you’re overseas, you can sign it in front of:
- an Australian Diplomatic Officer
- a notary public
- an employee of the Australian Trade Commission
When to Submit the NOIM
You must give the NOIM to your celebrant no more than 18 months (1 ½ years) before the wedding and no less than 1 month before the wedding. If you need to get married in less than 1 month, you must apply for special permission (called a “shortening of time”) for reasons like travel, medical issues, or mistakes on the form. You’ll need to ask a special authority for this, but it’s not guaranteed.
Changing celebrants
If you change celebrants, you can transfer the NOIM to the new celebrant. However, they will still need to check your proof of birth and identification.
And That’s It!
Once you’ve got all the details sorted and the NOIM filed, you’ll be one step closer to saying “I do.” It might seem like a lot, but your wedding celebrant is here to help make sure everything goes smoothly so you can focus on what matters most – your special day!
