New Zealand - Apply for Marriage Licence

Advertisement

Procedure

• You will need to get a marriage licence from a Registrar of Marriages. To apply for a marriage licence one of the parties to the marriage must fill out the appropriate form.
  • If you live in New Zealand or will be in New Zealand at least three days before you intend to be married (either the bride or groom, or both) complete the Notice of Intended Marriage (BDM 60) form. You cannot complete the form online, as either the bride or the groom must complete a statutory declaration (part of the form). The statutory declaration must be made in the presence of a Registrar of Marriages. This must be done in person.
  • If you both live outside New Zealand and will arrive in New Zealand less than three days before the date you want to marry, you may be able to complete most of the formalities before you arrive in New Zealand. You will need to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage where Parties Ordinarily Resident outside New Zealand (BDM 58) form. If you are overseas, the declaration must either be signed by a Commonwealth Representative, and then sent (with payment) to the Registry Office in New Zealand closest to where you will be married. If it is convenient, you can have the declaration witnessed by a Commonwealth Representative, for instance, at London or Sydney office. Note: only the Notice of Intended Marriage where both parties ordinarily resident outside New Zealand (BDM 58) can be signed by a Commonwealth representative. Or, you can complete everything on the form except the declaration, and send it (with payment) to the Registry Office in New Zealand closest to where you will be married. When you arrive in New Zealand, you then need to visit that office, sign the declaration before a Registrar of Marriages and collect the marriage licence.
  • If you wish to change the form of your relationship from a civil union to a marriage you will need to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage, change of relationship from civil union (BDM 59) form.
• Marriage licences are only valid for three months from the date of issue. During that period you are free to marry at the place specified on the marriage licence. An alternative place of marriage may be specified on the licence, e.g. in the case of bad weather.

Application Forms

• If you live in New Zealand or will be in New Zealand
  • Notice of Intended Marriage (BDM 60)

http://www.dia.govt.nz/pubforms.nsf/URL/NoticeofIntendedMarriageBDM60.pdf/$file/NoticeofIntendedMarriageBDM60.pdf

• If you both live outside New Zealand
  • Notice of Intended Marriage where Parties Ordinarily Resident outside New Zealand (BDM 58)

http://www.dia.govt.nz/pubforms.nsf/URL/NoticeofIntendedMarriageresidentoutsideNZBDM58.pdf/$file/NoticeofIntendedMarriageresidentoutsideNZBDM58.pdf

• If you wish to change the form of your relationship from a civil union to a marriage
  • Notice of Intended Marriage, change of relationship from civil union (BDM 59)

http://www.dia.govt.nz/pubforms.nsf/URL/NoticeofIntendedMarriagechangefromCivilUnionBDM59.pdf/$file/NoticeofIntendedMarriagechangefromCivilUnionBDM59.pdf

Advertisement

Required Documents

• Valid Identity document
• Proof of residency

Office Locations & Contacts

Contact Centre

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (New Zealand only)

Phone: (+64 4) 463 9362

Email: [email protected]

Opening hours: Monday to Thursday 8:00am - 7:00pm, Friday 9:00am - 7:00pm, Saturday 9:00am - 2:00pm

Births, Deaths and Marriages

PO Box 10-526

Wellington 6143

Level 3

109 Featherston Street

Wellington 6011

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (New Zealand only)

Phone: (+64 4) 463 9362

Fax: (+64 4) 382 3515 (for certificate and printout orders)

Fax: (+64 4) 382 3613 (for general enquiries)

Email: [email protected]

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, except Wednesday 9:00am - 5:00pm

Auckland

Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages

PO Box 6147

Auckland 1141

Level 6, AA Building

99 Albert Street

Auckland 1010

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (New Zealand only)

Phone: (+64 4) 463 9362

Fax: (+64 9) 362 7908

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, except Wednesday 9:00am - 5:00pm

Christchurch Births, Deaths and Marriages Office

Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages

PO Box 25211

Christchurch

100 Orchard Road

Christchurch 8053

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (New Zealand only)

Phone: (+64 4) 463 9362

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, except Wednesday 9:00am - 5:00pm

Manukau

Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages

PO Box 76-222

Manukau City 2241

Level 1

20-24 Lambie Drive

Manukau City 2104

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (New Zealand only)

Phone: (+64 4) 463 9362

Fax: (+64 9) 262 2404

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, except Wednesday 9:00am - 5:00pm

Wellington

Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages

PO Box 10-526

Wellington 6143

Level 3

109 Featherston Street

Wellington 6011

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (New Zealand only)

Phone: (+64 4) 463 9362

Fax: (+64 4) 474 8147

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, except Wednesday 9:00am - 5:00pm

Australia

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Department of Internal Affairs

Level 10

55 Hunter Street

Sydney

GPO Box 365

Sydney

New South Wales 2001

Freephone 1300 559 535 (Australia only) Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm, except Wednesday 9:30am - 5:00pm

Phone: (+61 2) 9225 2300

Fax: (+61 2) 9223 0223

Public Counter opening hours: Monday to Friday 9:00am - 4:00pm, except Wednesday 9:30am - 4:00pm

United Kingdom

Births, Deaths and Marriages

Department of Internal Affairs

New Zealand House

80 Haymarket

London SW1Y 4TQ

United Kingdom

Phone: (+44 20) 7968 2730

Fax: (+44 20) 7968 2739

Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10:00am - 2:00pm (excluding public holidays)

Eligibility

Anybody can marry in New Zealand, as long as they are legally free to marry. Under New Zealand law this means that:

• A marriage may only be entered into by couples of opposite sexes.
• They are not already married or in a civil union with a person other than the person they will be marrying (or if they have been married, the marriage has been dissolved by a court of law).
• They are old enough (16 or over, although parental consent is required if either party is 16 or 17 years old).
• They are not closely related by blood, marriage, civil union or adoption. Details of these "prohibited" marriages appear on the form 'Notice of Intended Marriage', which is used to apply for a marriage licence.

Fees

• Marriage Licence (intended to be solemnised by a Marriage Celebrant): NZ$122.60
• Marriage Licence (ceremony in a Registry Office): NZ$173.70

Validity

Marriage licences are valid for three months from the date of issue.

Documents to Use

Please attach documents which can be used by people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Sample Documents

Please attach sample completed documents which would help other people who would like to follow this procedure.    

Processing Time

Please explain the processing your application.    

Related Videos

Videos explaining the procedure or to fill the applications. 
Attach videos using the following tag <&video type="website">video ID|width|height<&/video&> from external websites.
Please remove the "&" inside the tags during implementation.
Website = allocine, blip, dailymotion, facebook, gametrailers, googlevideo, html5, metacafe, myspace, revver, 
sevenload, viddler, vimeo, youku, youtube
width = 560, height = 340, Video ID = Can be obtained from the URL of webpage where the video is displayed.
e.g In the following url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0US7oR_t3M" Video ID is "Y0US7oR_t3M". 
	

Instructions

• To get a licence you will need to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage application form.
• If either of you have been married or in a civil union before, and the marriage or civil union has been dissolved, you may be asked to produce evidence of the dissolution (e.g. Divorce/Dissolution Order) when you give notice to the Registrar.
• If your previous spouse or partner has died you do not have to produce evidence of their death, but you will have to give the date of death on the Notice of Intended Marriage.
• To get married both parties to the marriage must be at least 16 years of age. If either party is 16 or 17 years of age, they must obtain consent:
  • You must obtain consent' from each of your guardians (usually your parents) unless they cannot be located or are, as a result of incapacity, unable to give consent.
  • If none of your guardians are able to give consent, you must obtain consent from a relative acting in place of a guardian, or from a Family Court Judge.
  • If your parents or guardians refuse consent, you can apply to a Family Court Judge for consent to get married.
• The completed 'Consent to Marriage of a Minor' must be submitted with the 'Notice of Intended Marriage' form.

Required Information

• Name of Bride and Bridegroom
• Date and Place of birth of both Bride and Bridegroom
• Usual occupation, profession or job of both Bride and Bridegroom
• Usual residential address
• Fathers and Mothers Name
• Mailing address
• Residence address
• Daytime phone number
• Email address

Need for the Document

A marriage is the formalisation of a relationship between a man and a woman, in accordance with the Marriage Act 1955. The Marriage Act 1955 provides the criteria, rules and processes for two people to have their relationship solemnised as a marriage (by way of a formal ceremony) and officially registered in New Zealand.

Information which might help

Enter other informations which might help

Other uses of the Document/Certificate

Please explain what are other uses of obtaining this document/certificate.
e.g. Birth Certificate can be used as proof of identity.

External Links

The Department of Internal Affairs How to Get a Marriage Licence http://www.dia.govt.nz/diawebsite.nsf/wpg_URL/Services-Births-Deaths-and-Marriages-How-to-Get-a-Marriage-Licence?OpenDocument#five

The Department of Intern