Where does your NOIM (Notice of Intended Marriage) go?

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The first step to getting married legally in Australia (besides finding that special person and getting a YES) is giving the required formal notice of your intended marriage.

It requires three things - the official form, qualified witnesses to witness your signatures, and your chosen celebrant to give it to.

All very straightforward. But it is what happens after you give it to your celebrant can seem confusing. And it all comes down to one little word: lodge.

What does lodging your NOIM involve?

All it means is give it to your celebrant, who then writes on it the date on which they received it, and hey presto, it is lodged.

Unlike other countries, in Australia your celebrant is your first port of call. You don't need a marriage licence, so you don't need permission to marry from any government authority. In fact, nobody other than your celebrant needs to know your intention. So your your celebrant does not need to notify anyone else that you are getting married.

What happens to your NOIM before your wedding?

It stays with your celebrant.

Your celebrant

• notes the details of the documents you have shown them (See page 4).
• keeps your NOIM securely stored until after your marriage ceremony is over.
  

What happens to your NOIM after your wedding?

Your celebrant fills in the details of when and where on page 5, signs it, and sends it to Births, Deaths and Marriages in the state or territory where you married. So your NOIM is part of the process of documenting your marriage.

After Births, Deaths, and Marriages has registered your marriage, they forward your NOIM to the Australian Bureau of Statistics which accumulates data so they can report on marriages in Australia every year.

What if your change your celebrant before the wedding

Easy peasy.  Your celebrant will, on your request, forward your NOIM to your new celebrant. The clock doesn't reset. The date lodged remains the sam

Thanks for reading!