If you are coming over from Australia to get married in New York and you want to know if a ceremony here will be legally binding, then you’re in the right place! I can explain what Australian couples need to do to get married in New York City. We’ve helped lots of Aussie couples to get married in Central Park since I started this business in 2012. This blog post is a long answer to a frequently asked question about what paperwork Australian couples need to get married in New York.
As I understand it, in Australia, couples need to give at least one month’s notice of their intent to marry. I think couples would need to lodge a Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) with an authorized celebrant at least one month and one day before your ceremony. Both parties must be 18 or older, freely consent, and provide some ID. You don’t need to do this at home in Australia nor in the USA if you’re getting married in New York. If you were getting married in Australia you’d have to submit the NOIM to an authorized marriage celebrant or minister of religion between one month and eighteen months before you get married. There’s no need for this is you’re getting married in New York. Australian couples are often surprised at how simple it is to get married in the USA, and how little notice is needed to be given.
Each Australian state website says that marriages entered into overseas are generally recognised as valid in Australia as long as the marriage is recognised as valid under the law of the country in which it was entered into. This must mean that both parties are at least 18 years of age, they are not closely related (ie parent/child/sibling) and neither party is married to another person at the time of marriage. This is pretty much the same as it would be in Australia. This includes same-sex marriages.
So, what exactly are the legal requirements of the country you are marrying in? Each US state has different rules for getting marriage licenses. These rules might involve waiting periods, or blood tests. At the time of writing, couples are not required to take a blood test to get married in the state of New York, and the waiting period between getting the license and getting married is 24 hours.
Before you go to New York, you should register online for your marriage license and make an appointment to go to City Hall in person to pick it up. The two of you will need to go together, and to take your passports, and proof of final divorce of death of your previous spouse if you have been married before. A marriage license will cost $35. The Manhattan branch of the City Clerk’s Office is open Monday through Friday (not open on holidays), 8:30am to 3:45pm, and is at 141 Worth Street.
The appointments to get your marriage license from City Hall become available three weeks beforehand. I’ve written a blog post that is a step by step guide to making an appointment to get your marriage license from New York City Hall. Keep in mind when making your travel plans that you can pick up the license at any point – ie you can arrive at the airport and go straight to get your license if you want to, or you can have been in town for a few days before you get your license. The waiting period rule is all about leaving 24 hours between getting the license and getting married.
Here’s a blog post with all you need to know about how to get your marriage license from New York City Hall. Once you have the license, and you’ve waited for 24 hours, then you hold a wedding ceremony! This is the part where I can do everything for you, if you want to get married in beautiful Central Park. I can book the New York state registered officiant, get your event permit for the wedding ceremony location in Central Park, write the ceremony with you, book the photographer, help you to make a plan of timings for the day, book any musicians, video, hair and makeup, and order your flowers. Check out our wedding packages and prices, or drop me an email at [email protected] to ask any questions.
Take your license with you to the ceremony. If I’m planning your wedding with you, then I’ll remind you of this a few times in the run-up to the wedding! After the ceremony, the couple sign the license, along with the officiant and either one or two witnesses who must be over the age of 18. There is only a requirement for one witness but there’s space on the license for two, and if you’re eloping then we can ask your photographer to be your legal witness. Then the officiant sends the completed license to the City Clerk’s Office, they register your marriage and then they mail the short certificate to your home address, wherever you live. If you need the marriage certificate straight away and can’t wait for it to come in the mail, then you can take the completed license back to the City Clerk’s Office in person to get the certificate.
According to Section 88G (1) of the Australian Marriage Act 1961, an: “original or certified copy of a marriage certificate or record of marriage issued by a competent authority in a foreign country is evidence of the occurrence of the marriage and of the validity of the marriage”.
Check out our wedding packages and prices, the prices quoted are in US dollars, but I can take payment from a credit card from anywhere in the world. Drop me an email at [email protected] to ask any questions. If you would like me to help you with planning your own Central Park wedding or elopement visit our website. Keep updated with our news and see lots of beautiful photos, follow us on Instagram, follow us on Facebook, follow us on TikTok, and follow us on Pinterest.
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