What the letter confirms

Home Affairs asks for a signed and dated letter, on letterhead, from the celebrant conducting the ceremony, confirming:

• Both of your full names

• The date of the intended marriage

• Where the marriage will take place

• That a Notice of Intended Marriage has been lodged

Our letters cover all four, with the celebrant contact details so a case officer can check it. The current requirements are set out on the Home Affairs subclass 300 page.

The same letter works for a Partner visa application. It does not name the visa. It confirms who is marrying, when, where, and that the notice has been lodged, so use it wherever your application asks for evidence of the wedding. We are marriage celebrants, not migration agents, so for advice on what your application needs, speak to a registered migration agent.

What it costs

There is no separate charge for the letter. Tick the visa support letter box when you book and it comes with your ceremony: $399 Monday to Friday, $469 Saturday or Sunday.

That covers lodging your Notice of Intended Marriage, all the legal paperwork, the ceremony at our Glenelg office, your commemorative certificate, and lodging the completed paperwork with Births, Deaths and Marriages afterwards. The letter is issued once the booking is paid. Full details on our fees page.

How it works

1. Pick a date from our calendar, tick the visa support letter box, and pay for your booking.

2. Complete the Notice of Intended Marriage. You each sign it in front of an authorised witness. In Australia that is a celebrant, JP, barrister, solicitor, GP (doctor) or police officer. Outside Australia it has to be an Australian consular or diplomatic officer, or a notary public.

3. Send it to us with your documents: a passport or birth certificate plus photo ID for each of you, and a divorce or death certificate if either of you have been married before. Anything not in English needs an official NAATI translation. We need everything at least 14 days before the ceremony.

4. We lodge the notice and issue your letter within one business day of receiving your payment. Signed, dated, on letterhead, ready to upload with your application.

You do not have to wait out the one month notice period to get the letter. It is issued once the notice is lodged and your booking is paid. The notice has to be lodged at least a month before the wedding and stays valid for 18 months, which means most visa couples lodge early and get the letter for their application.

Common questions

Can you write the letter before we lodge the notice?

No. The letter confirms that the notice has been lodged, so the notice comes first. Lodge it, pay for your booking, and the letter follows within one business day.

Does the letter say which visa we are applying for?

No. It confirms your names, the date and place of the marriage, and that the notice has been lodged. That is what Home Affairs asks a celebrant to confirm, whichever visa you are applying for.

My fiance is overseas and cannot sign here. What do we do?

They sign the Notice of Intended Marriage where they are, in front of an Australian consular or diplomatic officer, or a notary public, and send it to us. You sign yours here in front of an authorised witness. If it is not possible for your overseas partner to visit an authorised witness, you can submit the Notice of Intended Marriage to us with just your own signature witnessed, and your partner signs before the ceremony.

How far ahead can we lodge?

The notice is valid for 18 months and has to be lodged at least one month before the wedding. Most visa couples lodge as early as they can, so the letter is ready when the application goes in.

What if our visa is delayed and we need to move the date?

Tell us in writing as early as you can and we can transfer to a new date, subject to availability. Our terms and conditions set out how changes and cancellations work.

Do you give visa advice?

No. We are marriage celebrants. We handle the notice, the letter and the ceremony. For anything about the application itself, speak to a registered migration agent or an immigration lawyer.

The question about moving the date links to the terms and conditions.

Pick a date and we will get the letter to you

Our calendar shows every date we have open, seven days a week. Legally married from $399 in Glenelg, with the paperwork and the visa letter handled.