Australia

Australia is a vast and timeless land offering contrasting scenery and natural beauty from the plains of the outback, the deserts of the west and the coastlines of the north and south. You will see wildlife from koalas and kangaroos, to crocodiles and amazing sea-life that lives amongst the Great Barrier Reef. A country full of superlative, Australia is the perfect wedding and honeymoon destination, immediately conjuring up warm inviting images of the Great Barrier Reef, tropical island resorts and the lush, green rainforest.

Weather

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
T	79	79	77	72	67	63	62	64	68	72	74	77
S	7	7	6	6	6	5	6	6	7	7	7	7
R	4	3	4	5	6	4	5	2	3	3	3	4

Key to symbols used:
T - Average daily maximum temperatures
S - Average daily sunshine hours
R - Average monthly rainfall (if higher than 0.5”)

Flight time: 19.5 hours
GMT + or -: + 10
Visa: Yes

Documents and Legal requirements
Residency: There is no residential qualification required so if all your documents are in order you can in effect marry as soon as you step off the plane.
Proof of I.D: A valid 10-year passports and your original birth certificates.
Proof of status: A Certificate of Intent to Marry should be obtained from the Australian High Commission before travelling.
Divorced: If you are divorced your Decree Absolute with court stamp is required.
Widowed: If you are widowed you will be required to produce the Death Certificate of former spouse and your previous Marriage Certificate.
Adopted: If adopted - the adoption certificate.
Age limit: To marry in Australia you must be 18 years of age or over.
Name change: If your name has been changed by Deed Poll - legal proof stamped and signed by a solicitor. This also applies if a married woman has reverted back to her maiden name.

Ceremonies
Marriages do not have to be conducted in a church or Register Office so the world is your oyster. You may like to have your ceremony at the Sydney Opera House, on a tall ship, at a Koala park, on a beach, in a garden or even in a church.

Obtaining your Notice of Intended Marriage
Weddings are conducted Monday to Friday excluding Public Holidays. You will need to obtain a ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’ from the Australian High Commission, Australia House, London, WC2B 4LA Tel: 020-7379 4334. The document must be signed in the presence of and witnessed by:
- an Australian registered barrister or solicitor, or
- an Australian registered, legally qualified, medical practitioner, or
- an authorised celebrant (in Australia), or
- an Australian Diplomatic Officer or an Australian Consular Officer
Be sure to take your passport or some other form of identification with you and a fee of the sterling equivalent of $10, which is charged for each signature witnessed. Once witnessed, the ‘Notice of Intended Marriage’ form can be sent direct to the marriage celebrant or to friends or relatives in Australia if they are arranging the wedding. The marriage Celebrant must receive the Notice at least one month and a day prior to the date of the proposed wedding but not more than six months.

If you are not travelling on an Australian or New Zealand passport a visa will be required. For information on Australian visas telephone 09001 600333 or access the Australian High Commission website: www.australia.org.uk

Marriage Celebrants
Marriage celebrants can be found in the Yellow Pages of Australian telephone directories, which are available in the foyer of the High Commission. Alternatively you can access lists of marriage celebrants on the internet through www.telstra.com or through one of the following organisations:

Further information

National Organisation The Australian Federation of Civil Celebrants Inc 4/168 Lennox Street Richmond Victoria 3121 Tel: 00-61 3 9428 9926 Fax: 00-61 3 9428 9956 Email: afcc@netspace.net.au	New South Wales and A.C.T Southern NSW and ACT Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of Australia Inc 9 Allwood Street Chifley ACT 2606 Tel: 00-61 2 6282 2435 Fax: 00-61 2 6281 7290
Association Combined Civil Marriage Celebrants ACT and NSW Inc 34 Leamington Road Dundas NSW 2117 Tel: 00-61 2 9871 8982 Fax: 00-61 2 9872 6981	Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of NSW and ACT Inc 11 Hollier Street Cambridge Park NSW 2747 Tel: 00-61 2 4731 3050 Fax: 00-61 2 4683 2540
Victoria and Tasmania The Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of Victoria Inc 1/50 Windsor Cres Surrey Hills VIC 3127 Tel: 00-61 3 9898 2778 Fax: 00-61 3 9898 0778	Queensland Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of Queensland Inc 228 Marrett Street Bracken Ridge QLD 4017 Tel: 00-61 7 3261 8888 Fax: 00-61 7 3366 0729
South Australia Association of Civil Marriage Celebrants of South Australia Inc 113 Crozier Avenue Melrose Park S.A 5039 Tel: 00-61 8 8277 1786	South Australia/Northern Territory The Federation of Associations of Civil Marriage Celebrants of Australia Inc 47 William Street South Plympton S.A 5039 Tel: 00-61 8 8297 8189
Western Australia Marriage Celebrants (Civil) Association of Western Australia Inc 7 Tingle Close Maida Vale W.A 6057 Tel: 00-61 8 9359 1277	Australian High Commission Australia House Strand London WC2 Tel: 020-7379 4334 www.australia.org.uk