Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM): when to give it, who can witness it, and how the notice fits a Prospective Marriage visa
The Notice of Intended Marriage must reach your authorised celebrant at least 1 month and no more than 18 months before the wedding (Marriage Act 1961 s 42), and since 12 June 2024 video witnessing of the signature is allowed.
An Australian migration lawyer can check the timing of your notice of intended marriage against your visa dates. The page on subclass 300 legal help explains how that help works.
On a Prospective Marriage visa, that notice month has to fit inside the visa period, which ends 9 to 15 months after grant (Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511).
Download the form from the Attorney-General’s Department’s Notice of Intended Marriage page in PDF or DOCX, or get it from your celebrant, and sign before an authorised witness under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2).
Both partners sign; if one is unavailable, the other gives the notice and the absent partner signs before an authorised celebrant in Australia before the wedding (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(3)).
Give the signed notice to the celebrant who will marry you, not to a registry; the clock starts on their receipt (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a); Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 70(1)).
The celebrant also needs birth and identity evidence, and proof that any earlier marriage has ended (Marriage Act 1961 ss 42(1)(b), 42(8), 42(10); Attorney-General’s Department, Get married).
Notice received less than 1 month before the wedding needs a prescribed authority’s approval under one of 5 listed circumstances (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(5); Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 72).
At a glance — checked as at 3 October 2026
| Label | Value |
|---|---|
| When the celebrant must receive it | 1 to 18 months before the wedding date — Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a), Compilation No. 34, current as at 3 October 2026 |
| Less than 1 month’s notice | Only with a prescribed authority’s approval for one of 5 listed circumstances — Marriage Act 1961 s 42(5); Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 72, checked 3 October 2026 |
| Video witnessing | Allowed since 12 June 2024; signer and witness must both be in Australia or both outside Australia — Attorney-General’s Department, Notice of Intended Marriage, checked 3 October 2026 |
| Signed outside Australia | Australian diplomatic or consular officer, notary public, or an authorised Commonwealth or Austrade employee — Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)(d), current as at 3 October 2026 |
| Current form | Attorney-General’s Department form version dated 1 September 2021, checked 3 October 2026 |
| Who receives it | Your authorised celebrant, not the registry as a paperwork office — Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a), current as at 3 October 2026 |
Check the notice receipt window
Enter a proposed wedding date in the tool to see the ordinary period when the celebrant may receive the notice: between 18 months and 1 month before the wedding under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a). Confirm the actual receipt date with your celebrant.
The tool shows the earliest and latest ordinary receipt dates and the number of days until the latest date. It uses today’s date from your device for the day count.
The calculation keeps the same day number in an earlier month where possible. If that day does not exist, it moves inward: the last receipt date becomes the last day of the shorter month, and the earliest receipt date becomes the first day of the following month. The tool runs in your browser; it does not store or send your chosen date.
The window is measured to the day your celebrant receives the notice, not the day you sign or post it. Confirm the dates with your celebrant.
If the latest ordinary receipt date has passed, a later notice requires a prescribed authority’s shortening-of-time approval. If the 18-month window has not opened, the notice is too early. See Shortening of time below.
Worked example: for a wedding on 3 July 2027, subtracting 18 months gives 3 January 2026, and subtracting 1 month gives 3 June 2027; those are the earliest and last receipt dates under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a).
What is a Notice of Intended Marriage?
The Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) is the written notice on the form approved under Marriage Act 1961 s 119(3)(c), signed before an authorised witness and given to the authorised celebrant who will marry you. Without the notice received within the required window, the celebrant must not solemnise the marriage under s 42(1)(a). The notice sits beside the age, consent and earlier-marriage conditions, and the guide to the marriage law Australia uses for every couple sets them out step by step.
The Marriage Act 1961 also calls it a “notice of intention to marry” in s 42(6).
Australia has no marriage licence; the NOIM is the legal notice (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)).
Your celebrant records the receipt date, the documents they have seen and any shortening approval under Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 70. They also give you a document about the obligations and consequences of marriage, and marriage education and counselling, under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(5A). After the wedding, they send the notice and official certificate to the relevant registry within 14 days under s 50(4).
For the official PDF or DOCX, use the Attorney-General’s Department’s Notice of Intended Marriage page; the supplied form version is dated 1 September 2021.
When to lodge the NOIM: 1 to 18 months before the wedding
Your celebrant must receive the notice no earlier than 18 months and no later than 1 month before the wedding date (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a)).
Date window
Check the notice window
For a planned Australian wedding, the celebrant normally must receive the notice between 18 and 1 months beforehand. Confirm the actual receipt date with your celebrant.
Use the date tool above to check the proposed notice receipt window, then confirm the actual receipt date with your celebrant.
Does the month start when you sign or when the celebrant receives it?
It starts on receipt: Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a) counts from the celebrant receiving the notice, and Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 70(1) requires the celebrant to record that date. A notice signed overseas and posted needs time to arrive.
What if the wedding is more than 18 months away?
The notice is too early; give it once the wedding is within 18 months, as required by Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a).
What if there is less than 1 month left?
Later notice needs a prescribed authority’s approval under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(5); see Shortening of time below.
Deadline: Your celebrant must receive the notice at least 1 month before the wedding date; later notice needs a prescribed authority’s approval (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a), s 42(5)).
Who can witness a NOIM in Australia and overseas
Who can witness your signature depends on where you are when you sign, and the witness must be in the same place-zone as you: both in Australia or both outside Australia (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)(c)–(d)).
The witness lists below follow the current Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2), Compilation No. 34 dated 28 March 2026, checked as at 3 October 2026; the Attorney-General’s Department’s Notice of Intended Marriage page confirms video witnessing since 12 June 2024.
| Where the partner signs | Who can witness the signature | Where the witness must be | Video witnessing |
|---|---|---|---|
| In Australia | An authorised celebrant; a Commissioner for Declarations under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959; a justice of the peace; a barrister or solicitor; a medical practitioner; a member of the Australian Federal Police or a state or territory police force | In Australia | Yes, since 12 June 2024 |
| Outside Australia | An Australian Diplomatic Officer; an Australian Consular Officer; a notary public; a Commonwealth employee authorised under s 3(c) of the Consular Fees Act 1955; an Austrade employee authorised under s 3(d) of that Act | Outside Australia; a celebrant cannot witness | Yes, since 12 June 2024 |
If one of you cannot sign yet
The other partner signs and gives the notice; the absent partner then signs before an authorised celebrant in Australia, in person or by video, before the wedding (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(3)).
Can the notice be corrected after it is given?
Yes, if the celebrant allows it: either partner corrects the error under the observation of an authorised celebrant in Australia before the wedding, and the celebrant may treat the corrected notice as the one originally given (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(9)).
Remote (video) witnessing since 12 June 2024
Since 12 June 2024, the witness can watch the signing over a video call instead of being in the room, as a permanent rule (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2); Attorney-General’s Department, Notice of Intended Marriage page).
The location conditions still apply under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)(c)–(d):
- Partner in Australia: the video witness must also be in Australia; an authorised celebrant is an eligible witness.
- Partner outside Australia: the video witness must also be outside Australia and belong to the overseas witness list; a celebrant cannot witness that signature.
The Attorney-General’s Department’s Notice of Intended Marriage page expressly says that a notice for a person or couple outside Australia cannot be witnessed online from Australia.
The Attorney-General’s Department’s NOIM form is the version updated on 1 September 2021: it still says the witness must be physically present, and its Australian witness list leaves out Commissioners for Declarations. Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)(c) now allows both video observation and Commissioners for Declarations; the form’s overseas witness list matches the Act.
The notice of intended marriage on a Prospective Marriage visa
A Prospective Marriage visa application does not need a NOIM as a named required document: Home Affairs asks for evidence of your intention to marry, “such as a letter from the person who will officiate at the wedding”, on its Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) page, updated 10 August 2026.
The visa period ends 9 to 15 months after grant, or 9 months if no date is specified, under Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511. Condition 8519 requires the holder to marry within that period. Home Affairs’ document list, updated 10 August 2026, still says “within 9 months of being granted the visa”, although the legislated period extends to 15 months where specified.
The Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page confirms that the notice is completed from overseas. Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)(d) provides the overseas witness list; alternatively, s 42(3) allows the partner in Australia to give the notice, with the absent partner signing before an authorised celebrant in Australia before the wedding.
Half of recently decided Prospective Marriage visa applications took up to 14 months, and 90% took up to 26 months, according to Home Affairs’ global visa processing times, with data pulled on 3 October 2026; these figures are a guide, not a deadline for your application.
The site’s timing calculation is straightforward: receipt date plus 18 months is the latest wedding date covered by that notice under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a). If the visa decision arrives after that window, a notice given when the visa application was lodged is too early for a wedding after grant.
The full order of events for marrying on a Prospective Marriage visa, from grant letter to wedding, is on the wedding timeline guide.
Documents the celebrant needs
The celebrant needs these three types of evidence under Marriage Act 1961 s 42 and the Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page.
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Evidence of date and place of birth: an official birth certificate or extract; an overseas passport; an Australian passport; prescribed identification; or, only if none is practicable, a statutory declaration by the partner or a parent (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(b)). The Attorney-General’s Department records the re-ordering of birth evidence from 12 June 2024.
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Identity: the celebrant must be satisfied that you are the people named in the notice (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(8)(a)). The Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page gives a passport or driver’s licence as examples.
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Proof that an earlier marriage has ended: evidence of divorce or the former spouse’s death (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(10)). Item 7 of the Attorney-General’s Department’s NOIM form says a pending divorce must take effect before the wedding.
Before the wedding, the celebrant must meet each partner separately and in person under Marriage Act 1961 s 42B, in force from 12 June 2024. A partner aged 16 or 17 needs a court order under s 12 and the required consents described in the NOIM form.
Separately from the notice, each of you signs the declaration of no legal impediment in the celebrant’s physical presence before the ceremony (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(c)).
Shortening of time: marrying with less than 1 month's notice
A prescribed authority decides whether to authorise a wedding with less than 1 month’s notice under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(5). Section 5 defines these authorities as appointed Commonwealth, state or territory officers or employees; the Attorney-General’s Department’s prescribed authorities list contained 341 entries when checked on 3 October 2026, including registry officers.
The five circumstances in Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 72 and Schedule 3 are:
- Employment-related or other travel commitments.
- Wedding or celebration arrangements, or a religious consideration.
- A serious medical condition of a partner or someone involved in the wedding.
- Legal proceedings involving a partner.
- An error in giving notice by a celebrant, or someone you believed was a celebrant.
Under Marriage Regulations 2017 Schedule 3, the prescribed authority considers evidence for the circumstance, why notice was not given sooner, why the wedding cannot be postponed and any hardship. Relevant documents include an employment offer, tickets, receipts, a medical letter, a sealed court order, or a letter explaining a lost or invalid notice.
Talk to your celebrant first, as the Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page advises. If approval is given, the celebrant records it on the notice under Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 70(2)(d).
Approval is the prescribed authority’s decision, not an automatic exemption; without it, the 1-month rule in Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a) stands.
Is the NOIM different in NSW, Victoria or Queensland?
No. The NOIM is the one form approved under the Commonwealth Marriage Act 1961 s 119(3)(c) and published by the Attorney-General’s Department, used in every state and territory.
What differs is the registry receiving the paperwork after the wedding: under Marriage Act 1961 s 50(4), the celebrant sends it to the relevant state or territory registry within 14 days.
At a registry-office wedding, the authorised registry officer who marries you is your celebrant under Marriage Act 1961 s 5 and receives the notice in that role. The Victorian Marriage Registry’s Your ceremony on the day page and Western Australia’s Marriages page describe registry ceremonies; Tasmania’s Getting married page says its registry does not hold ceremonies.
Prospective Marriage visa couples: when the notice month runs close to the visa end date, and why an Australian migration lawyer checks the dates
Condition 8519 in the Migration Regulations 1994 requires the holder to marry within the visa period. Clause 300.511 fixes that period at grant, and Part 300 contains no extension mechanism; Home Affairs’ Visa about to expire page, updated 24 September 2026, says staying longer requires a new visa.
For an Australian wedding without shortening approval, the last notice date is therefore the latest wedding date inside the visa period minus 1 month, calculated from Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a) and condition 8519. Leave time after the wedding for the next application rather than treating the visa’s last day as the planned wedding date.
A visa end date is not one of the five prescribed circumstances in Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 72 and Schedule 3. Whether another circumstance applies, and whether to approve shortening, is the prescribed authority’s decision.
If the dates are already tight, what is known about a Prospective Marriage visa expiring before the wedding is set out separately, and the outcome depends on the case.
If the engagement ends and no notice will be given, the steps for the holder and the sponsor are on the page for a Prospective Marriage visa relationship ended.
Frequently asked questions
How long is a NOIM valid for?
18 months: the wedding has to take place within 18 months of the celebrant receiving it under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a).
How long does a notice of intended marriage take?
At least 1 month must pass between the celebrant receiving it and the wedding, unless a prescribed authority approves shorter notice under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a) and s 42(5).
Can you change celebrant after giving the notice?
Yes: since 12 June 2024, the notice can be transferred to another celebrant at your request under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(6), as explained on the Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page.
Do I need a celebrant to fill out the NOIM?
No: you complete it and sign before an authorised witness, who can be a celebrant if you sign in Australia; you then give it to the celebrant who will marry you (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)).
Checking the notice against your grant letter
The notice clock—receipt at least 1 month before the wedding—runs alongside two grant-letter dates: first entry and visa expiry, set under Migration Regulations 1994 cls 300.611 and 300.511. Giving notice or changing the wedding date does not move either deadline. Shortening of time is discretionary and is not built around visa dates, so it is not a dependable timing plan.
A notice signed overseas before someone outside the authorised witness list is defective under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)(d), and s 42(8)(b) prevents a celebrant proceeding on a notice they believe contains an error or defect. Correcting it risks using weeks that a couple close to visa expiry does not have.
An Australian legal practitioner is permitted to give immigration assistance in connection with legal practice under Migration Act 1958 s 280(3). An Australian migration lawyer’s review involves reading the grant letter, checking the overseas witness and receipt evidence, and mapping the notice, entry, wedding and planned 820/801 lodgement dates. The purpose is to check whether those steps fit within the visa period and identify missing evidence or deadlines before lodgement—not to predict a visa outcome.
If you need a notice and date check
Have the grant letter, actual first-entry date, notice receipt date, witness details and proposed wedding date ready for an Australian migration lawyer. The shared enquiry page can send a private question to Australian Migration Lawyers. If a deadline is close, contact an Australian migration lawyer directly; viewing this page does not lodge an application or pause a deadline.
Ask an Australian migration lawyer
An Australian migration lawyer can check the timing of your notice of intended marriage against your visa dates. The page on subclass 300 legal help explains how that help works, and the enquiry page is where to put your question to Australian Migration Lawyers.