Firstly you need to choose a Celebrant that you're happy with and have agreed to their Terms and Conditions. The next step is to complete the Notice of Intended Marriage you can fill this in with your Celebrant or you can download the form, fill it in and have it witnessed by one of the following authorities:
an authorised Marriage Celebrant
a justice of the peace
a Commissioner for Declarations under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959
a barrister or solicitor
a legally qualified medical practitioner
a member of the Australian Federal Police or the police force of a Sate or Territory.
If you're overseas and need to get the NOIM witnessed, due to a being unable to be in Australia before the NOIM is due, you will need one of the following authorities to witness:
an Australian Diplomatic Officer
an Australian Consular Officer
a Notary public (this is the easiest option)
an employee of the Commonwealth authorised under paragraph 3(c) of the Consular Fees Act 1955
an employee of the Australian Trade Commission authorised under paragraph 3(d) of the Consular Fees Act 1955.
You would then deliver the NOIM to your celebrant, who will lodge the document in their filing system.
The Celebrant must receive the NOIM at least 1 calendar month before the date of the wedding ceremony and no earlier than 18 months before the date of the wedding. It is sometimes the case when one of the parties may not be present at the signing of the NOIM and it being sent to the celebrant at least 1 month before the wedding. This is acceptable as long as the remaining party signs the NOIM prior to the wedding being solemnised.
Proof of date and place of birth is required by the Celebrant . This ensures that you're who you say that you really are!! The Documents that you can use to prove this to your Celebrant are:
an official birth certificate, or an extract of an entry in an official register, showing the date and place of birth of each party - these can be Australian or International
or, a passport showing the date and place of birth of the party
or, a statutory declaration made by the party or a parent of the party stating that, for reasons specified in the declaration, that it's not practical to obtain such a certificate and to state to the best of the declarant's knowledge of when and where the party was born.
So if you're born in Australia, have a passport or birth certificate, with the proof of the date and place of your birth then this is sufficient to use as your document for the NOIM. If you do not currently possess either of these documents, then you will need to apply for them via the Births, Deaths and Marriages office in the State that you were born. Make this a priority if you need to obtain these documents. People born overseas will need to provide the relevant documents or obtain them from their relevant Government departments.
The celebrant can witness these documents when the NOIM is witnessed or at any other time prior to the marriage being solemnised.
The Celebrant is also required to check your Proof of Identification, to make sure that you're truly are whom you claim to be. These forms of ID can be:
a driver's licence
a proof of age/ photo card
a passport
an Australian citizenship certificate along with photographic evidence.
Have you been married before? If so, then you will need to provide evidence of death, nullity or dissolution to you Celebrant. If you do not have these documents then you will need to obtain them from the relevant Family Courts or BDM's of the State where the death, nullity of divorce took place.
So, as long as you're over the age of 18, you're not related (as in immediate family) and you can provide the forms of identification, proof of place and date of birth and any other documents required - then you can successfully completed your NOIM.