Is your Celebrant Duly Authorised?

(A quick and simple way to check this - and a bit more)

by Jennifer Cram, Brisbane Marriage Celebrant  © (06/08/2018) 
Categories:  | Celebrant | Wedding Legals |
While scams involving persons who are not authorised celebrants are extremely rare in Australia, now that a celebrant can be deregistered forthwith if he or she fails to pay the annual fee celebrants are now required to pay, it is particularly important to check whether your celebrant is registered at the time you book and lodge your Notice of Intended Marriage, and, if your marriage is going to take place in the next financial year, whether that registration is still in place leading up to your wedding day.

An easy way to check out whether your celebrant is authorised to solemnise your marriage (or for that matter, if a minister of religion is licensed to perform marriages) is to go to Find a Marriage Celebrant section of the Federal Attorney-General's website.

Commonwealth Registered Celebrants

A Commonwealth registered celebrant, such as myself, can be found on the database the AGs Department maintains of all authorised celebrants, both civil and religious https://marriage.ag.gov.au/commonwealthcelebrants/all.

You can then search on the person's name (NB for a simple search either first name or surname only). You will then be able to check the: date on which the celebrant was authorised (this will help you assess how experienced the celebrant is) and whether he/she is still active, together with contact details - address, phone number and contact email, and the type of ceremony (civil, religious etc) the celebrant is authorised to conduct.

In addition, you will be able to ascertain whether a particular civil celebrant has nominated to be included in the Religious Marriage Celebrant sub-category, and is therefore legally allowed to discriminate on grounds of their own personal religious beliefs.

You will also be able to see how when your celebrant was registered.

My entry looks like this:

CRAM Jennifer, Mrs Registered 2/09/2006 Active

PO Box 20 INDOOROOPILLY QLD, 4068 m: 0431 987 313 [Email address] Civil Ceremonies

Ministers of Religion (Clergy)

Ministers of religion of a recognised religious denomination are managed by:

• the registry of births, deaths and marriages in their state or territory
• their religious organisation

The minister must be part of a recognised religion in Australia.

The AGs Department maintains a searchable database of all ministers of religion in Australia.

Need to know

• Commonwealth Registered Celebrants are registered for life BUT must pay an annual fee at the beginning of each financial year to retain their registration
  
• Ministers of Religion must be nominated by their religion and are licensed for 5 years (renewable)
  

Therefore, it's a good idea to check the AGs directories before you sign on the dotted line to book your celebrant AND to recheck closer to your wedding date!