What’s Involved in Preparing, Signing & Lodging Your Notice of Intended Marriage?
So, you’re getting married – how exciting!
Before the big day, there’s one important legal step we need to take together: completing your Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM). This is the official form that lets the government know you plan to marry, and it must be completed correctly for your marriage to be legal.
Here’s how it works:
Preparing the Notice
Once you’ve booked me as your celebrant, I’ll send you my secure link to Births, Deaths & Marriages so you can enter your personal information. From there, I’ll prepare your NOIM and send you a PDF to check page 1 carefully – we don’t want any misspellings or incorrect details!
When you’ve confirmed everything is correct, you can upload your proof of ID through the File Uploader in your Client Portal – this is a safe and secure way to send your documents.
Your proof of ID includes:
Proof of date and place of birth – your original birth certificate or passport (expired is fine, but not cancelled).
Photo ID – driver’s licence, passport, or proof of age card.
If you’re providing your birth certificate as proof of date and place of birth, I may also need extra documents:
If you’ve been previously married and still use your married name – your past marriage certificate, plus your divorce order or death certificate.
If you’ve changed your name since birth – your Change of Name Certificate.
If you’ve been previously married (regardless of which proof of birth you provide), I will need to sight your divorce order or death certificate.
If any of your documents are in a language other than English, they must be translated by a NAATI-accredited translator (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters) to meet Australian legal requirements.
Signing the NOIM
The NOIM must be signed in front of an authorised witness. This can be:
Your celebrant (that’s me!)
A Commissioner for Declarations
A Justice of the Peace
A barrister or solicitor
A legally qualified medical practitioner
A police officer
If you’re overseas, you can sign in front of:
An Australian Diplomatic or Consular Officer
A notary public
An employee of the Commonwealth or the Australian Trade and Investment Commission authorised to witness documents
Once the NOIM has been signed and witnessed, it must be forwarded to me as your celebrant. I will lodge it on the date I receive it.
It’s much simpler if you’re both in Australia – we can meet in person so I can witness your signatures, and I’ll lodge it the very same day.
If one of you isn’t available, or is overseas, the NOIM can still be lodged with just one party’s signature. The other party will sign before the ceremony takes place.
By law, you need to sign the form at least one full month before your wedding and no more than 18 months in advance.
Lodging the Notice
Your NOIM is the first of several important legal documents for your marriage. It’s essential that all the information is true and correct at the time of signing, as these details will be used for every legal document leading up to your ceremony.
I’ll ask you to check each document carefully – and triple check before the ceremony – to make sure everything is accurate. If you spot any errors before the wedding, just let me know and I can update the details in the BDM Portal.
Once you’re married and all the documents have been lodged with Births, Deaths & Marriages (BDM), any changes to your Official Marriage Certificate will need to be made directly with BDM, as you will have already approved the details before your ceremony.
Why This Matters
The NOIM isn’t just a form – it’s the foundation of your legal marriage. Without it being completed correctly and lodged on time, your ceremony can’t go ahead. This is why I take the time to guide you through every step, check every detail, and make sure nothing is missed. It’s about protecting the legality of your marriage, avoiding delays, and giving you complete peace of mind so you can focus on what matters most – enjoying your wedding day.