Del Edwards - Weddingdells

You will need to obtain the Official Standard Marriage Certificate from The Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages.  If your marriage was held in NSW, I can order this for you, or you can order it yourself any time after your marriage, either in person at a Government Service Centre or online.  For NSW residents, once the Official Standard Marriage Certificate is posted out to you, take it (and your old driver's license) to a Roads & Maritime Services Centre (RMS) or Service NSW Centre and apply for a new driver’s license in your married name.  The new license will be free, it will have the same expiry date as your old driver's license.  Changing your passport into your married name is also free if you apply within 12 months of your marriage AND you have at least two years validity left on your current passport.  Simply take the Official Marriage Certificate and identification paperwork to the post office or go online.

*When using the Official Standard Marriage Certificate, either party can change their name into that of their spouse at no cost. You can also double barrell your surnames or hypenate them.  You cannot, however, create a whole new surname that is a mixture of both your names; that will require a Change Of Name Certificate and there will be a cost involved.  

Eg. Brown marrying Taylor can be Taylor-Brown, but it cannot be Browlor

Not at all!  As long as you are both 18 years or older and you meet the other legal requirements for marrying in Australia (see below).  I marry a lot of overseas people who travel to Australia just to get married!

To be legally married in Australia, a person must: 

• not be married to someone else
• not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister
• be at least 18 years old (unless a court has approved a marriage where one party is aged between 16 and 18 years old)
• understand what marriage means and freely consent to marrying
• use specific words during the ceremony
• give written notice of their intention to marry to their authorised celebrant, at least one full calendar month before the wedding ceremony

You will need to lodge a "Notice of Intended Marriage" (NOIM) with the Authorised Celebrant that you choose to perform your ceremony.  Under Australian law, you can marry one full calendar month after the Authorised Celebrant receives your completed NOIM.  You then have 18 months to complete your wedding ceremony before the NOIM expires.  If you live in Australia, you can fill out the NOIM with your Celebrant or you can fill out the NOIM by yourselves and have your signatures witnessed by a a JP, police officer, solicitor, or doctor.  Then you can email the NOIM to your Celebrant along with copies of your Passports or Birth Certificates.

If you live overseas, you can fill out the NOIM and have your signatures witnessed by a Notary Public or an Australian Consular/Diplomatic Officer. Then you can email the NOIM to your Celebrant along with copies of your Passports or Birth Certificates.

Once your Celebrant has received the NOIM, you are lodged with the Australian Government and you can be married one full calendar month later.

Yes.  A Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) can be received by an Authorised Celebrant even though a party is, or both parties are, still married to another person at the date the NOIM is received.  When filling out the NOIM your status will read "married, divorce being sought, expected to be finalised (date)".  However, the marriage cannot be solemnised unless evidence of the divorce is given to the Authorised Celebrant prior to the marriage ceremony.