Good news! Getting your marriage licence in NZ is all done online now! With two notable exceptions (but I’ll get to those.)
You can apply online and have it emailed to you (or emailed to your celebrant).
Here’s the link for where to do this (Getting Your Marriage Licence).
I send out an email about 6 weeks before your wedding day, saying hey, time to get your marriage licence application underway! Not because it will take 6 weeks. It usually only takes about 3 days, but is valid for 3 months. So let’s not add unnecessary stress to your life and get it done early!
NZ is a very easy place to get married (this applies whether you live in NZ or anywhere overseas)
When you go online to apply, the questions are like the easiest test you’ve ever taken (again with a couple of tricks for first time players)
What are your full names?
Have either of you ever gone by another name (legally, they mean, not like do your friends call you Diesel)?
Have you ever been married before? What are your dates of birth?
Where were you born?
What is the address where you normally live?
What is your occupation?
What are you parents names, including have they ever gone by another name?
Where are you planning to get married? (You can provide an option A and and option B, but don’t worry if we end up holding the ceremony somewhere else, I make that change on the licence on the day)
Those tricks I mentioned.
If either of you have been married before, you will need to supply the date of dissolution from your divorce paperwork, or the date of death from the death certificate from your previous spouse.
Your parents? They need to be the ones listed on your current birth certificate. So even if one of your biological parents had very little to do with raising you but you had an amazing step parent, I’m sorry but you can’t include a step parent. We will absolutely make sure they are included and celebrated in your wedding day though!
If one of your parents is listed as Not Recorded on your birth certificate, but you know who they are and would like to include them, it’s best you have a conversation with Births Deaths Marriages before you apply for your marriage licence (contact details)
If one or both of your parents has passed away, still put them down as your parents on your marriage licence application.
Firstly they will always be your parents. Secondly right now, this will be your marriage licence, but in decades or centuries to come somebody may be tracing their family history and your complete marriage licence might be the key that unlocks it for them.
If you really don’t want to list your parent(s) on your marriage licence I don’t believe you will be made to. But again it’s best if you have a conversation with Births Deaths Marriages before you apply for your marriage licence (contact details)
If I am your celebrant, you will apply using the option ‘having a personalised ceremony’ regardless of which celebrant option or package you choose. If I’m not your celebrant, check with you celebrant about which option you should apply for - registry or personalised.
When you apply for your marriage licence it will give you the option of getting the marriage licence emailed to you, emailed to me or a hard copy sent to you.
Either of the first two are in my opinion the best options!
I’m not going to tell you can’t get a hard copy sent to you, but this is why I don’t recommend it.
If you lose/ spill coffee on/ leave in Invercargill a printed copy of a marriage licence emailed to one of us, no worries, we print another one!
If you lose/ spill coffee on/ leave in Invercargill the hard copy… we have a problem.
Yes, I have had a couple leave their marriage licence in Invercargill and have to drive back to pick it up the night before their wedding.
I highly recommend checking the box and paying the extra $30 to get a marriage certificate (marriage licence is what we handwrite on on the day, marriage certificate is the official typed up copy that you get after it has been lodged with Births Deaths Marriages.) A marriage licence used to be considered enough proof for most things 20 years ago, but not anymore. You can still order one after the fact, but if you tick that box it will just arrive at your house a month or two later, no need to call Births Deaths Marriages (and sit on hold).
On your wedding day or sometime between me getting the marriage licence and your wedding day I need to see proof that you are who you say you are - the simplest way is, let me see one form of photo ID for both of you from which I can confirm that:
This person looks like you
Has your date of birth
And your full name
And finally the exceptions to ‘it’s so easy it’s all done online!’
If you’re choosing to have a Civil Union rather than a Marriage (and I’m afraid I can’t help you with this, I’m a registered independent marriage celebrant happy to perform a marriage ceremony for anybody who wishes to get married regardless of their gender, sexuality etc, but I’m not registered for Civil Unions) you have to go to a Courthouse to make the application (see more information here)
And if you’re 18 years or over, you are able to get married without any further permissions. But if you are 16 or 17 years old you will have to get consent from a Family Court Judge. (See more information here). And if you are under 16, you are not able to get married in NZ.
That was a lot more writing than I thought it would be, but it is (I think) the full and complete, everything you need to know about getting your marriage licence in NZ.
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