How to apply for your marriage certificate & change your name
How To apply for your certificate of marriage
On your wedding day you will be signing several documents. One is the certificate of marriage. This certificate is a commemorative certificate and is one for you both to keep.
The office of Births, Deaths and Marriages (BDM) allow celebrants to apply for your official marriage certificate on your behalf. All paperwork is now submitted online to ensure quicker turn around times (note during our post Covid times turn arounds are longer than pre Covid).
Alternatively if you wish to apply for your marriage certificate yourselves see below -
To apply for your 'official' marriage certificate click here.
About marriage certificates
You can use a standard marriage certificate as proof of your wedding for official purposes, such as changing your name on a passport or driver licence.
BDM can only issue a marriage certificate once the marriage is registered in Victoria.
If you were married outside Victoria, contact the Registry office of the state, territory or country where the marriage happened.
BDM recommend you keep all Registry-issued documents safe and secure.
How to apply
Apply online, then submit certified copies of your proof of identity documents by mail, or in person at a Service Centre
To apply in person, you need to download and complete a marriage certificate application form, then bring the form and your payment and proof of identity documents to a Service Centre to have them certified.
Turnaround times vary depending on how you apply and it’s important to note this part is out of our control, the turnarounds are detemined by BDM.
Make sure you:
Fill out the whole application form.
Submit all required proof of identity documents (see the application form or page for more details).
Online or mail: Submit certified photocopies of each document. See the proof of identity page for advice on how to get your photocopies certified.
In person: Submit either original proof of identity documents or certified photocopies.
Provide the required application fee. You can pay by:
Online: Visa or MasterCard.
Mail: Visa, MasterCard, money order or personal cheque.
In person: Cash, EFTPOS, Visa, MasterCard, money order or personal cheque
Changing your name
After you get married many couples choose to change their name. I generally get asked the question by the bride how she goes about changing her name to use her husbands surname. The following information has been take straight from the Victorian Births Deaths and Marriages website.
Click here for more information.
What to do if you wish to change your surname -
If you were married in Australia and want to update your driver licence or passport to your married name, you do not need to register a change of name. Instead, you will need to present a standard marriage certificate as proof of marriage and your new surname. If you were married overseas, you may need to apply to register a change of name. Different organisations have varying requirements. Check with the relevant organisations before submitting any application to the Registry.
(BDM website July 2014)