Apply to be a marriage celebrant
Submitting an application
Registration is not automatic or guaranteed.
We will carefully consider your application. This means we may need to request more information or talk to you and your referees.
Section 39C of the Marriage Act 1961 sets out everything we need to consider to decide if you are entitled to be registered.
To apply for registration as a marriage celebrant, you must:
- be aged 18 years or over
- have specified qualifications and/or skills
- be a ‘fit and proper person’.
We look at a range of factors to help us decide if you are a ‘fit and proper person’. This includes:
- whether you have sufficient knowledge of marriage law
- your commitment to advising couples about available relationship support services
- whether you are of good standing in the community
- whether you have been convicted of an offence that could have resulted in imprisonment for one year or more (see Criminal history for more information)
- whether your registration may result in a conflict of interest or benefit to another business you own, control or carry out
- any other matter the Registrar considers relevant.
You must have the necessary qualifications. This means you must have one of the following:
- a Certificate IV in Celebrancy from a registered training organisation
- a qualification in celebrancy, awarded by a university specified in the Marriage (Celebrancy Qualifications or Skills) Determination 2018
- celebrancy skills: see below for further information.
To apply based on celebrancy skills you must be able to demonstrate all of the following:
- you are fluent in an Australian Indigenous language
- you have the ability to plan a marriage ceremony and work with clients and other members of the Indigenous community, if appropriate
- you have the ability to conduct a marriage ceremony and to complete and deal with the required documentation as required by law
- you have the ability to communicate effectively.
If you have applied by mistake without the necessary qualifications, please contact us directly for further advice using the details below.
You do not need to be an Australian citizen to apply to be a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant.
The Marriage (Celebrancy Qualifications or Skills) Determination 2018 has information about the required qualifications and skills.
Section 39 of the Marriage Regulations 2017 has information about celebrancy skills. You can also email us for further information.
Application fee
You must pay a one-off, non-refundable application fee when you apply to be a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant. The application fee is currently $400, unless you qualify and apply for a limited exemption.
The application fee does not include the registration charge for the first financial year of registration. Your first year's celebrant registration charge is due if your application is accepted. If you do not pay your registration charge when it is due, you will be deregistered.
Exemptions from the application fee
You must pay a $30 non-refundable fee to apply for this exemption. You can apply for an exemption via the application portal.
Applications for exemption must be submitted and finalised before submission of your application to become a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant.
If your exemption is granted:
- you will not need to pay the $400 registration application fee, and
- if you are registered, you will not need to pay the registration charge for the first financial year.
Guidelines for seeking an exemption from the registration application fee
Under the Marriage Regulations 2017 (the Regulations), an aspiring marriage celebrant must pay a registration application fee.
The Regulations allow for an exemption from the application fee to be granted by the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants where:
- the applicant’s principal residential address is in a remote area, and
- there is no more than one marriage celebrant whose principal residential address is in that remote area and has the same postcode as the applicant’s residential address.
This is the only circumstance in which an exemption to the registration application fee can be granted under the legislation.
Guidance Note:
The remoteness exemption is designed to support the retention of access to celebrancy services in remote or very remote areas. You will be eligible for an exemption if you meet both of the following criteria:
- Your principal residential address is in an area that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has defined as being remote or very remote. You can determine whether your principal address is in a remote or very remote area via the Health Workforce Locator website. Use the locator tool (ASGS Remoteness Areas (2016)) to enter your principal residential address. Addresses must be defined as belonging to the RA Code 4 – Remote Australia or RA Code 5 – Very remote Australia.
There is no more than one other Commonwealth-registered celebrant living in your postcode. You can check the Register of Marriage Celebrants, to see how many other Commonwealth-registered celebrants live in your postcode:
The following documents will provide evidence of your residential address:- electoral enrolment
- rates notice
- lease
- utility bill (home phone, electricity, gas etc)
A driver's licence, mobile phone bill or bank statement is not sufficient evidence of your principal residential address for the purposes of applying for an exemption from the registration application fee.
Please note that if you post documents in support of your application they will not be returned by the department.
There is a non-refundable $30 fee for applicants seeking this exemption. Your application for exemption will not be considered until payment has been received.
Online
Our preferred approach of applying for an exemption from the application fee is via the self-service portal. (https://marriage.ag.gov.au/mcportal). You must make your application for exemption from the registration application fee before submitting your application to become a marriage celebrant to the Attorney-General’s Department.
When you apply you will need to have:
- your credit card ready for payment of the $30 exemption application processing fee, and
- evidence ready to upload (in formats such as .PDF, .JPEG, PNG or GIF) to support your exemption application. A list of appropriate documents is shown in the guidance note above.
By Email
If you are not using the self-service portal, you can submit your application for exemption from the registration application fee via email to marriagecelebrantssection@ag.gov.au. Please do not submit your application to become a marriage celebrant until you have been advised of the outcome of your application for exemption from the fee.
The department will arrange for an invoice for the exemption application processing fee to be sent to you via email.
The Registrar may request further information from you to support your exemption application. If you do not provide the further information by the date requested your application will be taken to have been withdrawn.
If you cannot access a computer or require assistance with seeking an exemption from the celebrant registration charge please email marriagecelebrantssection@ag.gov.au or call 1800 550 343 (Tuesday to Thursday – 10am to 12.30pm – 1pm to 4pm Canberra local time).
The Registrar will notify you in writing (via email) of the outcome of your application for exemption from the registration application fee within 21 days of receiving your application including $30 payment, unless further information has been requested.
If an exemption is granted
You will not be required to pay the registration application fee. Celebrants who have been granted an exemption from paying the registration application fee will automatically receive an exemption from paying the celebrant registration charge for the financial year in which they are registered (section 45(b) of the Regulations).
If an exemption is not granted
You will be notified in writing (by email) and advised to pay the registration application fee at the time of completing your application.
If your exemption application is refused, you may apply for an internal review of that decision. Applications for internal review must be made in writing (by email) within 14 days from the date you receive notice of the decision and set out your reasons for making the application. An Attorney-General’s Department officer, who was not involved in the original decision, will consider the decision not to grant you an exemption and decide whether to:
- confirm the original decision; or
- that the exemption is granted with effect from the time the internal review decision is made
You may be asked to provide further information to support your internal review application.
Completing your application
When you have received your Certificate IV in Celebrancy, complete the online application form.
You will have 90 days to submit your application from the date the account is created. After 90 days, your application will expire and you will need to set up a new account and start again.
Until you are a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant, you cannot:
- accept a notice of intended marriage
- solemnise marriage ceremonies
- advertise your services as an authorised marriage celebrant.
During the application process you will need to provide:
- your qualification (or supporting evidence of your celebrancy skills)
- a letter of authorisation from your independent religious organisation or body if you are a minister of religion
- advice about whether you have previously been, or are currently, registered or authorised as a marriage celebrant
- advice about whether you are already a marriage celebrant in Australia.
In the application, you will need to attach:
- a completed consent form for a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (police check)
- identity documents as stated in pages 2-3 of the consent form for a police check
- a photo of yourself holding a photo identity document as stated on page 2 of the consent form for a police check
- an up-to-date copy of your Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- 2 completed referee reports with contact details.
Difficulties may arise if an application is submitted with inconsistent identity documents. This includes names, addresses and other personal information.
We should be able to reach you at all times while we review your application in case we need more information.
How we assess applications
We assess all applications in the order in which we receive them. We cannot fast-track any particular application.
We have up to 6 months to assess your application from when we receive a completed application with payment.
Due to the volume of enquiries and applications we receive, it is not possible to provide progress updates about your application.
We will let you know about our decision in writing.
If your application is unsuccessful, we will tell you why. You can ask for a review from the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART).
You can apply to the ART if we do not make a decision about your application in 6 months (section 39J of the Marriage Act 1961). Please contact us if you have any questions.
Conflict of interest and benefit to business
You must tell us:
- if there is a possible conflict of interest between your role as a marriage celebrant and your business or other interests
- if your registration as a marriage celebrant is likely to result in you receiving a benefit from another business you own, control or carry out
- how you propose to manage any conflict or benefit to business.
Even if the potential conflict of interest or benefit to business is listed as generally acceptable in the guidelines, you must tell us about it.
Find out more on our Conflict of interest page.
Criminal history
When you apply to be a marriage celebrant, we will conduct a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check (police check).
This is to find out, among other considerations, if you have a criminal conviction that is:
- punishable by imprisonment for 1 year or more
- against a law of the Commonwealth, or a state or territory.
We will advise you by email of the result we receive on your check, including any disclosable outcomes.
Disclosable outcomes are police information released to us as part of the check.
We are unable to accept completed checks provided by the applicant.
How we treat your private information
Find out how we collect and use your information under the Marriage Celebrants Program.
Instructions for how to apply online
- Instructions for completing the application for registration as a marriage celebrant
- Documentation checklist
Template for your referee reports
Contact Us
If you wish to contact us to discuss any of the information in these guidelines, you can do so through the following ways:
Phone: 1800 550 343 between 10am–12:30pm and 1pm–4pm Tuesday to Thursday (Canberra local time)
Email: marriagecelebrantssection@ag.gov.au