What is this application for?
Use this application to order a Victorian-issued marriage certificate. Marriage certificates are a celebration of a special part of your life. They're also an important personal document. You can use the certificate as proof of your wedding for official purposes.
These might include changing your name on a passport or driver licence. Learn more about changing your name after marriage, separation or divorce.
When ordering a certificate you will need to prove your identity.
Who can apply?
- If you were married in Victoria, you can apply for a copy of your marriage certificate.
- Anyone can access an historical marriage certificate (more than 60 years ago).
- Certain people can apply for a copy of someone else's certificate.
Marriages outside Victoria
We can't issue certificates for marriages that took place outside of Victoria.
If you were married outside Victoria, contact the Registry of the state, territory or country where the marriage took place.
What you’ll need
We'll ask for information about the people named on the certificate. You’ll also need to provide proof identity.
Details of the person named on the certificate
At a minimum, you'll be asked for:
- The given, middle and family names of both parties
- Place of the marriage
- Date of the marriage.
Proof of identity
You can prove your identity two ways.
The easiest way to prove your identity is online.
You can use this proof of identity questionnaire if you are not sure which option is best for you.
Requirements when applying for someone else’s certificate
If you're applying for someone else's certificate, you must prove that you're authorised to do so. Read how to get someone else’s marriage certificate.
How long will it take to get my certificate?
When you apply for a certificate or registration, we email you details of documents you need to provide. Our processing times start when we receive all required documents.
If you didn’t receive an email after applying, contact us.
| Type of application | Processing time |
|---|---|
| Certificate | Up to 14 days (2 weeks) |
Allow extra time for public holidays and postage.
Types of certificates
Commonwealth marriage certificate (party certificate)
During the wedding ceremony, you and your witnesses signed a Commonwealth marriage certificate. This is also known as the 'party certificate'. Usually your celebrant presents it to you after the ceremony.
This certificate is a memento. It is not the registered marriage certificate. Most organisations won’t accept it as official proof of marriage.
Legal marriage certificate from BDM
The certificate used for legal purposes is known as the ‘legal’ (or registered) marriage certificate.
It is not available on your wedding day. Your celebrant registers your marriage with us after your ceremony.
Marriage registration number
The registration number is usually in the top right-hand corner of your legal marriage certificate.
Some older certificates show the registration number without the year.
If you've been asked for your marriage registration number, you’ll need to provide the number with a slash and the registration year. For example, “99999/2021”.
‘Registration year’ means the year we registered it. This may be different from when the marriage occurred, especially for marriages in December.
Certificate fees and postage
The fees are non-refundable except as set out on our Refunds page. A fee waiver may be available in certain circumstances of financial hardship.
Certificate fees
| Type of certificate | Price |
|---|---|
| Legal certificate | $55.80 |
Postage
We send legal certificates by express post, for security.
For commemorative certificates, you may only choose standard post. This is because they're not official identity documents. Legal and commemorative certificates will arrive separately.
| Postage type | Price |
|---|---|
| Express post (within Australia) | $10.20 |
| Express post (International) | $55.50 |
Payment methods
Pay via credit card, Paypal or BPAY.
After your application is submitted
You‘ll receive an email after submitting your application.
If you didn’t receive an email after applying, first check your spam inbox. If you still don’t have the email, read about common causes of delay.
Once we have everything we need, we’ll complete your application within processing timeframes. We’ll email to let you know when we’ve posted your certificate.
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