What is a Notice of Intended Marriage?

The Commonwealth form that gives legal notice you intend to marry. It is signed by both of you and lodged with your celebrant, who holds it and later lodges the completed paperwork with the state registry. Without a valid notice on file at least one month before the day, the marriage cannot proceed.

What documents do we need for the NOIM?

A birth certificate or a current passport for each of you, photo identification, and — if either of you has been married before — a divorce order or a death certificate. Documents in another language need an authorised translation. Originals are sighted by the celebrant; copies are not enough on their own.

Can the one-month notice be shortened?

Only by a prescribed authority, and only for one of five listed reasons: employment or travel commitments, wedding arrangements already made, medical reasons, legal proceedings, or other exceptional circumstances. It is applied for in person with evidence, it is not granted often, and the celebrant cannot approve it.

Do we sign the NOIM in front of the celebrant?

One of you must sign it in front of an authorised witness — your celebrant, a doctor, a lawyer, a police officer, a JP or an Australian consular officer if you are overseas. The other can sign later, before the ceremony. In practice most couples sign together at the first meeting.

What if we are overseas when we lodge?

The notice can be signed in front of an Australian diplomatic or consular officer, a notary public or a lawyer overseas, and posted or emailed to the celebrant. The one-month clock starts when the celebrant receives it, not when you sign, so allow for the post.

Who lodges the paperwork after the wedding?

The celebrant, within fourteen days, to the registry in the state where the marriage took place. You sign three certificates on the day: one for the registry, one for the celebrant's records and one decorative copy for you. The decorative one is not the legal certificate.

Is the certificate we sign on the day the official one?

No, and this catches a lot of couples. The commemorative certificate signed at the ceremony is a keepsake. The legal marriage certificate is issued by the state registry and ordered separately — $70 in New South Wales, $58.10 in Queensland — and is the one Services Australia and Passports will ask for.

The NOIM, explained

A Notice of Intended Marriage is the form that starts a marriage. It goes to your celebrant, not to the registry, at least one calendar month and no more than eighteen months before the day. You each need a birth certificate or passport, photo identification, and evidence that any previous marriage has ended.

What the registries charge

Registry	Weekday	Saturday	Certificate
NSW — NSW Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Sydney (Pyrmont and Parramatta) only for Northern Rivers couples. Premium room $1,304; Saturday late slots $802. Fees effective 2026-07-01.	$482	$597	$70
QLD — Queensland Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Legals-only is weekdays only, 15 minutes, four people, no guests. Saturdays booked out for the year; weekdays twelve weeks out. Fees effective 2025-11-24.	$410.60	$534	$58.10

Both schedules are set by regulation and are published here as they stand at the dates shown. They are the registries' fees, not this celebrant's.

The one-month rule, exactly

One calendar month means the same date in the following month, not thirty days. A notice received on 12 February covers a ceremony on 12 March; received on 13 February it does not. The clock starts when the celebrant receives the completed notice, not when you sign it, which is what catches couples who post it from overseas.

The notice is also valid for a maximum of eighteen months. If your date moves beyond that window the notice lapses and a new one has to be lodged, with the month starting again.

Shortening of time

The one-month period can be shortened, but not by the celebrant and not by agreement. An application goes to a prescribed authority — in practice a nominated officer at the state registry or a court registrar — and it must fall into one of five categories: employment or travel commitments, arrangements already made for the wedding, medical reasons, legal proceedings, or other exceptional circumstances.

Evidence is required and it is refused often. A wedding booked at short notice is not by itself a reason; the arrangements category means something like a deployment date or a visa expiry, documented. Assume it will not be granted and work to the month.

Questions people ask

What is a Notice of Intended Marriage?: The Commonwealth form that gives legal notice you intend to marry. It is signed by both of you and lodged with your celebrant, who holds it and later lodges the completed paperwork with the state registry. Without a valid notice on file at least one month before the day, the marriage cannot proceed.
When does the NOIM have to be lodged?: At least one calendar month before the ceremony and no more than eighteen months before it. One calendar month means the same date in the following month, not thirty days. If your ceremony is on 12 March, the notice must be with your celebrant by 12 February at the latest.
What documents do we need for the NOIM?: A birth certificate or a current passport for each of you, photo identification, and — if either of you has been married before — a divorce order or a death certificate. Documents in another language need an authorised translation. Originals are sighted by the celebrant; copies are not enough on their own.
Can the one-month notice be shortened?: Only by a prescribed authority, and only for one of five listed reasons: employment or travel commitments, wedding arrangements already made, medical reasons, legal proceedings, or other exceptional circumstances. It is applied for in person with evidence, it is not granted often, and the celebrant cannot approve it.
Do we sign the NOIM in front of the celebrant?: One of you must sign it in front of an authorised witness — your celebrant, a doctor, a lawyer, a police officer, a JP or an Australian consular officer if you are overseas. The other can sign later, before the ceremony. In practice most couples sign together at the first meeting.
What if we are overseas when we lodge?: The notice can be signed in front of an Australian diplomatic or consular officer, a notary public or a lawyer overseas, and posted or emailed to the celebrant. The one-month clock starts when the celebrant receives it, not when you sign, so allow for the post.
Who lodges the paperwork after the wedding?: The celebrant, within fourteen days, to the registry in the state where the marriage took place. You sign three certificates on the day: one for the registry, one for the celebrant's records and one decorative copy for you. The decorative one is not the legal certificate.
Is the certificate we sign on the day the official one?: No, and this catches a lot of couples. The commemorative certificate signed at the ceremony is a keepsake. The legal marriage certificate is issued by the state registry and ordered separately — $70 in New South Wales, $58.10 in Queensland — and is the one Services Australia and Passports will ask for.

Not yet taking enquiries here

This site is being built. The phone number, the Google listing and the entry on the Attorney-General's register of marriage celebrants will be published together, as one identical set — which is what a search engine needs in order to be sure they all describe the same business.

Prices, inclusions and paperwork on this site are complete and current. Only the contact details are outstanding.