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 (NIM) form to the authorised marriage celebrant who is to conduct your marriage ceremony.

You will need your birth certificates and evidence that any prior marriage has been dissolved by either death or divorce.

Birth Certificates:

Originals must be produced and for each person

• If you were born in Australia - Your Australian Birth Certificate in english.
• If born outside Australia you are required to show your birth certificate in english, or passport from your country of birth. An Australian passport is not sufficient in this case

Other Documents:

Witnessing the NIM form:

If this is done in Australia then the celebrant can witness the document.

A Notice of Intended Marriage form signed outside Australia must be signed in the presence of:

• an Australian Diplomatic Officer;
• an Australian Consular Officer;
• a notary public;
• an employee of the Commonwealth authorised under para 3(c) of the
• an employee of the Australian Trade Commission authorised under para 3(d) of the Consular Fees Act 1955

When the signature of one party to an intended marriage cannot conveniently be obtained, one party may sign and lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage form, but the other party must also sign the form in the presence of the authorised celebrant before the marriage takes place. The celebrant must be satisfied that the party who has not signed has a genuine reason for not being able to do so at the time the Notice is lodged and is fully aware of the marriage.

Shortening the notice time:

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.

Full information see

Australian Government Attorney-General's Department

Notice of Intended Marriage (NIM) form