Marriage Certificates
Legal Document
International couples are required to obtain a marriage licence.
When the
Wedding Date has been confirmed, we will lodge an application form
on your
behalf, before you arrive here in New Zealand.
New Zealand law does not require blood tests for couples intending to marry
and New Zealand marriage documents are recognized in the United States, Japan,
Australia,
U.K, Hong Kong and most other countries.
Obtaining a N.Z Marriage Licence
A marriage in N.Z is open to anyone as long as they are legally free to marry.
Under N.Z law this means that:
- They are not already married (or if they have been married,
the marriage has been dissolved by a court of law)
- They are old enough (16 or over, although parental consent is required
if either party is under 20 years old)
- They are not closely related by blood, marriage or adoption.
Statutory Declaration
N.Z law requires that you make a statutory declaration
in person stating
that there is no lawful impediment to the marriage (ie,
no legal reasons that you cannot marry) that the details
you give are true,
that the Bride and Groom are not within the prohibited degrees of relationship
and that
parental consent has been given (where relevant).
This must be done before your wedding:
- In the presence of a Registrar of marriages in Auckland, Wellington or in Christchurch.
- Or in the presence of a Commonwealth
representative in your home country this must be done
no earlier than three
months prior to the wedding date as the licence is valid for three months
only.
When planning your itinerary, please note that time of a week day prior to
your wedding
must be set aside in order to uplift your marriage licence from
the government office.
Marriage licence offices are only open on weekdays (not public holidays)
during normal working hours (9am to 5pm). We will advise you which office
is going to be most appropriate for you to uplift your marriage licence
and
we will also provide assistance and transport to the government office.
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" New Zealand Traditional Maori Weddings "
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