Can a marriage celebrant certify documents?

Registered marriage celebrants are authorised to certify a range of documents needed to both legitimate marriages and for other purposes.

In their training, celebrants must show they are fit and proper persons to the Attorney Generals Department. If so, they have the power to witness signatures on a number of documents.

If you are getting married, the following documents need to be completed with the celebrant's signature or, in some cases, another authorised person.

For example, the Notice of Intended Marriage or NOIM is the first piece of paperwork that must be completed a full calendar month before the ceremony.

The celebrant, or an authorised witness as specified on the form, has to sign to witness the signatures of both parties to the marriage. After the ceremony, the celebrant signs again to confirm the details of what has taken place.

The declaration of no legal impediment to marriage and the official marriage certificates naturally require the celebrant's signature.

Celebrants are also authorised to witness statutory declarations and certify copied documents, which may have nothing to do with marriage.

However, the details can vary between the states and territories, so check here for a comprehensive list of requirements.

Celebrants take their obligations seriously under the law to ensure all documents are completed with due process, and they face severe penalties for any breaches.

It's an important area of the law, so be sure to ask your celebrant well ahead of deadlines as to what documents they can or cannot certify.