Marriage Certificates – What Are the Differences?
3 To Be Signed On Your Wedding Day
On your wedding day, your celebrant is legally required to provide three marriage certificates which you (the marrying couple), your celebrant and your two witnesses will sign after you are married. This usually takes place shortly before you walk back down the aisle together and everyone comes up to congratulate you.
In all, there will be 15 signatures! Your celebrant is legally required to leave one of these, a ceremonial certificate, with you on the day and take the other two with them when they leave. One of these will have the Declaration of No Legal Impediment which you signed before your marriage (usually in the day/s leading up to it) on the reverse. When registering the marriage, your celebrant will upload (or mail) the Declaration and one of the marriage certificates plus your Notice of Intended Marriage to the Registry of Births Deaths & Marriages in the state in which the marriage occurred (along with any other relevant paperwork.) They are also legally required to keep a hard or electronic copy of these documents for a period of 6 years.
2 More Options For You to Purchase
There are two more types of marriage certificate that you can purchase through the Registry. These are known as the “standard” certificate of marriage and the “commemorative” certificate of marriage.
The “standard” certificate is your official marriage certificate. If one of both of you will be changing your name to your partner’s surname or combining the two, you will need to purchase one of these. If you don’t plan to change your name, I would still recommend you purchase this certificate as it is proof that you are legally married and that your marriage appears in the marriage register at Births Deaths & Marriages in the state in which you were married. If you decide to get a passport after your marriage, you will need to produce this certificate as an identification document. In NSW, the current price for a “standard” certificate of marriage is $67; in Queensland, it is $54.40. Note: It is not recommended you laminate your “standard” certificate as it tampers with its inbuilt security features and Government departments will not accept it as being proof of your marriage.
The “ceremonial” or couple’s certificate which your celebrant hands you on your wedding day is given to you before your marriage is registered so you are unable to use it to prove your relationship or to change your name.
The “commemorative” certificate is an elegant keepsake available in a variety of designs. Each style displays the basic details of your marriage but is not official proof of identity or marriage. In NSW, the current price for a “commemorative” marriage certificate is $44; in Queensland, it is $28.25. In NSW, you can purchase both a “standard” and “commemorative” package for $97, which equates to a saving of $14.
You, as the marrying couple, or your celebrant can order one or both certificates to be sent to a nominated address after your marriage has been registered. Celebrants who register their marriages online, can order certificates at the time they submit their marriage documents or up to 8 weeks after a marriage. If your celebrant orders your “standard” certificate on your behalf, the process is considerably faster (usually within 2-6 working days after the marriage has been registered.) “Standard” certificates arrive via registered mail and need to be signed for. This is important for couples who need their certificate for visa purposes. “Commemorative” certificates are printed in a different location and arrive separately via normal mail, usually after the “standard” certificate will have arrived.
Here is the link to the 15 “commemorative” certificate options currently available in NSW and the 5 options available in Qld.
New Designs
Two new designs have been added to those currently available in NSW. They are called “Pyrmont Bay” and “Love Is Universal”.
As with all your official paperwork (birth certificate, passport, power of attorney, will etc.), you should store your marriage certificates in a safe place such as a locked filing cabinet.
If you’d like to know more, check out these links to earlier Blog posts I’ve written:
Changing From Single to Married Status
What Each Marriage Certificate Means
122 ~ 30/04/2025
© Lindy Cooke Celebrant