Australian Government: Attorney-General's Department
Australian Government: Attorney-General's DepartmentAchieving a Just and Secure Society

Becoming a celebrant

This is the official site of the Australian Marriage Celebrants Program. Anything that you read elsewhere that is inconsistent with this site is not accurate.

The Marriage Celebrants Program

Background

The Australian Marriage Celebrants Program was established in 1973. It enables the appointment of suitably qualified people to perform marriages and provides couples with a meaningful alternative to Registry Office and religious weddings.

The completion of a training course has been a requirement for registration under the Program since 2003. The completion of the required training course is not sufficient on its own for registration. An applicant must also satisfy the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants that he or she is a fit and proper person to be registered as a marriage celebrant. It is important to understand that registration is not automatic.

If you are interested in becoming registered as a marriage celebrant under the Program, you should ensure that you have read the information about the Program provided on this website before you undertake training. As mentioned below, you should be particularly aware that marriage celebrants have a complex set of responsibilities under the law and failure to meet these is a criminal offence in some cases. You should consider your willingness to accept these responsibilities before proceeding further.

Information to consider before becoming a marriage celebrant

Before you embark on the training to become a marriage celebrant, please consider the following information:

  • In 2008, there were 118,756 registered marriages in Australia, representing an increase of 2434 (2.1 per cent) from 2007. More information on the current statistics and trends on marriages performed each year can be found at the Australian Bureau of Statistics website, at Marriages and Divorces, Australia.
  • The number of Commonwealth registered marriage celebrants has increased from just under 3500 in 2003 to over 9400 in February 2010.
  • In addition, there are also approximately 23,700 ministers of religion, registered by State and Territory registering authorities to solemnize marriages.
  • To find out how many registered marriage celebrants there are in your area, you can search the Register of Marriage Celebrants / List of All Authorised Marriage Celebrants by clicking on the relevant link on the right hand side of this page.
  • Approximately 35 per cent of the marriages registered in 2008 were performed by ministers of religion and 65 per cent of the marriages registered in 2008 were performed by celebrants registered under this Program and by State and Territory Registries of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
  • Most marriage celebrants do a very limited number of weddings each year.
  • There are ongoing costs involved in meeting the requirements to maintain registration as a marriage celebrant. These need to be considered. Such costs include annual professional development obligations, business development expenses, maintaining suitable storage and office facilities and a suitable wardrobe.
  • It may take some time to recoup the costs outlaid for the initial training, annual professional development and start-up costs involved in setting up your business as a marriage celebrant.
  • Marriage celebrants have a complex set of responsibilities under the law and failure to meet these is a criminal offence in some cases. You should consider your willingness to accept these responsibilities.

Qualifications necessary to be registered as a marriage celebrant

**NOTE - The Requirements Have Recently Changed

Since September 2003, people wishing to register as a marriage celebrant have been required to have successfully completed an approved, competency-based training course, delivered by a registered organisation accredited to deliver the training. The minimum level of training required has been a single unit of training called ‘Plan, conduct and review a marriage ceremony', from a Certificate IV level qualification, ‘Certificate IV in Marriage Celebrancy’.

However the training requirement to be registered as a marriage celebrant has recently changed (see below).

In February 2009, a new qualification was released as part of the Community Services Training Package 2008. It is called a 'Certificate IV in Celebrancy', national code: CHC42608. Within this qualification there are four mandatory marriage celebrant units that must be undertaken as part of the 'elective' package. The new qualification replaces the single unit of training and the Certificate IV in Marriage Celebrancy.

Persons lodging an application for registration on and from 3 February 2010 must now hold the Certificate IV in Celebrancy or equivalent university qualification.

Please Note: Transitional provisions apply to those people who lodged completed applications before 3 February 2010 for registration as a marriage celebrant possessing the single unit of training or the Certificate IV in Marriage Celebrancy (presuming either of these qualifications was awarded before 1 January 2010) and whose application has not yet been considered.

Different criteria for registration as a marriage celebrant apply to people who are fluent in an Australian indigenous language(s). If you wish to apply under this criterion, please e-mail marriagecelebrantssection@ag.gov.au.

New qualification and applying for registration on and after 3 February 2010

As noted above, on and after 3 February 2010 a person who applies to be registered as a marriage celebrant will need to hold the Certificate IV in Celebrancy or an equivalent university qualification to meet the qualification requirements for registration.

Please note: A Certificate IV in Marriage Celebrancy is not the same qualification. It is not equivalent in any way to the Certificate IV in Celebrancy and will not meet the new requirements for registration.

About the Certificate IV in Celebrancy and what you will need to be complete in order to meet statutory requirements for registration

The new Certificate IV in Celebrancy is a broader qualification than its predecessors. It comprises 13 units of training: five compulsory units and eight electives. The list of electives includes four units that are compulsory units, especially written for marriage celebrancy.

The following five compulsory units in Celebrancy must all be undertaken:

  • CHCADMIN305D-Work with the administration protocols of the organisation
  • CHCCEL401A-Work effectively in a celebrancy role
  • CHCCEL406A-Identify and address client needs in a celebrancy role
  • CHCCOM403A-Use targeted communication skills to build relationships
  • CHCCS400A-Work within a relevant legal and ethical framework

In order to meet the statutory requirements for registration as a marriage celebrant you will also need to complete additional compulsory units from the list of elective units which are mandatory for being registered as a marriage celebrant. Those units are as follows :

  • CHCCEL402A-Establish and maintain knowledge of legal responsibilities of a marriage celebrant
  • CHCCEL403A-Develop an effective relationship with a marrying couple
  • CHCCEL404A-Plan a marriage ceremony in line with legal requirements
  • CHCCEL405A-Conduct and review a marriage ceremony in line with legal requirements

These four units are referred to as the four additional mandatory marriage celebrancy units.

Your training provider will advise you about any other requirements you will need to meet in order to be awarded the Certificate IV in Celebrancy or equivalent university qualification.

Finding a training provider

Training organisations accredited to offer the Certificate IV in Celebrancy can be found on the National Training Information Service (NTIS) website. To search for training providers, first search for the qualification code, 'CHC42608' , then search in 'RTOs by scope'.

Universities may also offer courses in celebrancy but are not listed on the NTIS website. Currently, the only university offering equivalent training to the Certificate IV in Celebrancy is Monash University in Victoria, which offers a Graduate Diploma Civil Ceremonies (Monash). Further information may be obtained from Monash University directly.

Your training provider (whether a registered training organisation or a university) must also meet additional requirements in respect of the four additional mandatory marriage celebrancy units, which have been specified by the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants in a written determination. If you are considering enrolling in the Certificate IV in Celebrancy you should ensure that the training organisation complies with the following requirements:

Additional requirements for training providers concerning the four additional mandatory marriage celebrancy units

On 22 December 2009 the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants made a determination in accordance with the amendments to the Marriage Regulations 1963 (which commenced on 15 December 2009). In accordance with those regulations the Registrar determined the following requirements for the delivery of the four additional mandatory marriage celebrancy units:

a) The person delivering the four additional mandatory marriage celebrancy units must have the following attributes:

  • have been registered for at least three years as a marriage celebrant under Subdivision C, Division 1 of Part IV of the Marriage Act (the Marriage Celebrants Program)
  • not be subject to any disciplinary measures imposed by the Registrar under subsection 39I(2) of the Marriage Act for any period beginning on the day the unit is delivered and ending on the day the unit is completed
  • have complied with ongoing professional development obligations under subsection 39G(b) of the Marriage Act
  • have been found satisfactory at their most recent performance review conducted under section 39H of the Marriage Act, and
  • have conducted at least three marriage ceremonies during the two years prior to the date of commencement of the delivery of any of the four additional mandatory marriage celebrancy units.

b) The following materials must be included – as a minimum - in the delivery of the four additional mandatory marriage celebrancy units:

  • the Marriage Act 1961
  • the Marriage Regulations 1963
  • the 'Explanatory Material on the Marriage Act 1961 for Marriage Celebrants' 2008
  • the DVD ‘When Words are not Enough: Some Legal Obligations of a Marriage Celebrant' 2008 produced by The Production Hub Canberra for the Attorney-General’s Department
  • information on the Marriage Celebrants Program at http://www.ag.gov.au/celebrants and
  • sample copies of the following forms and certificates (Forms 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 12A, 12D, 13, 14, 14A, 15, 16, 24 and Schedules 1A, 1B and Schedule 2) as prescribed in the Marriage Regulations for use in the conduct of marriages and fulfilment of obligations under the Marriage Celebrants Program.

These will be matters for your training provider to attend to.

When you complete your training you should ensure that your training provider provides you with a certificate of qualification that states that you have completed the four addional mandatory marriage celebrancy units and also states the name of your trainer in those units. You will need to submit a certified copy of your certificate of qualification with your application for registration as a marriage celebrant.

The training organisations listed on the NTIS website are accredited by State and Territory government authorities. The NTIS website has contact details for all State and Territory training and accrediting bodies.

The application process

The completion of the required training qualification is necessary to meet the legislative requirements for registration as a marriage celebrant. However, it is not sufficient on its own. In addition, a person seeking registration must satisfy the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants that they are a fit and proper person to be registered as a marriage celebrant.

Section 39C of the Marriage Act 1961 lists the matters the Registrar must take into account in making that decision. These matters are:
  • Do you have sufficient knowledge of the law relating to the solemnisation of marriages by marriage celebrants?
  • Are you committed to advising couples of the availability of relationship support services and do you have sufficient knowledge of such services to be able to do this?
  • Are you of good standing in the community?
  • Have you been convicted of an offence, punishable by imprisonment for one year or longer, against a law of the Commonwealth, States or Territories?
  • Do you have an actual or potential conflict of interest between your practice, or proposed practice, as a marriage celebrant and your business interests or other interests such as employment, voluntary work or hobbies?
  • Would your registration as a marriage celebrant be likely to result in you gaining a benefit in respect of another business you own, control or carry out?
  • Will you fulfil your obligations as a marriage celebrant?
  • Any other matter the Registrar considers relevant to whether you are a fit and proper person to be a marriage celebrant.

How to apply

You can contact the Marriage Celebrants Section by email at marriagecelebrantssection@ag.gov.au for an application package.

You should carefully read all the information before filling in the form. You must comply with all instructions. If you do not, your application may be regarded as incomplete and returned to you. Until you submit a completed application you will not have made an application for registration and you will not be assessed.

A completed application is one that thoroughly addresses all the matters required to be addressed in the form.

Applications are processed strictly in order of receipt (as required under section 39D of the Marriage Act 1961).

It can take three months from the date a completed application is received for it to be assessed and the applicant notified of the result.

Changes to the application process on and after 3 February 2010

A new application form will take effect on and after 3 February 2010 to coincide with the Certificate IV in Celebrancy or equivalent university qualification becoming the mandatory qualification prescribed by the Marriage Regulations 1963.

In order to assure the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants that you have sufficient knowledge of the law relating to the solemnisation of marriages, the application process will, on and after 3 February 2010, include a set of questions on legal matters relating to the solemnising of marriages. These questions will be provided to applicants by the Registrar.

The application pack will provide you with full details on how to obtain and complete these questions.

These questions form part of the new application process, not part of the training process. However, training providers will be given information about what matters may be covered in the questions.

Please note: Your application will not be complete, and therefore not lodged, until you have completed and returned the questions.

Your conduct while you undertake training and your application is assessed

Completing your training and lodging your application for registration as a marriage celebrant does not make you a registered marriage celebrant. There are certain obligations under the Marriage Act 1961 that can only be undertaken by a registered marriage celebrant.

Unless and until you are registered as a marriage celebrant, you are not entitled to engage in advertising or promotion that suggests that you are able to conduct marriage ceremonies.

Participants in a ceremony

Persons, such as friends or relatives, who are not authorised as marriage celebrants may participate in aspects of a marriage ceremony as long as the couple and authorised marriage celebrant are in agreement about that participation. However it is the authorised celebrant who must conduct the legal component of the ceremony and who must fulfill all the legal requirements for solemnising a marriage.

An authorised marriage celebrant must:

  • consent to be present as the responsible authorised marriage celebrant
  • take a public role in the ceremony
  • identify themselves to the assembled parties, witnesses and guests as the celebrant authorised to solemnise the marriage
  • be responsible for ensuring the validity of the marriage according to law
  • say the words required by section 46 of the Marriage Act 1961 in the presence of the parties, the formal witnesses and the guests before whom the marriage is solemnised
  • be in close proximity (ie nearby) when the vows required by section 45 of the Marriage Act are exchanged. It is the exchange of vows that constitutes the marriage and the authorised celebrant should ensure that they see and hear them exchanged
  • be available to intervene (and exercise the responsibility to intervene) if events demonstrate the need for intervention elsewhere in the ceremony
  • be part of the ceremonial group, or in close proximity to it, and
  • sign the papers required by the Marriage Act.

Registration

Registration is for life, subject to satisfying ongoing professional development and performance requirements. Marriages may be solemnised anywhere in Australia. Once registered, a marriage celebrant will need to satisfy a range of obligations. These include:

  • compliance with all the requirements of the Marriage Act 1961 in conducting marriages
  • compliance with a Code of Practice covering such matters as maintaining a high standard of service and professional conduct, compliance with the Marriage Act and other laws, and a range of requirements for the conduct of marriage ceremonies
  • undertaking professional development each year, and
  • undergoing regular performance reviews to ensure continuing compliance with obligations.