Overseas marriages
Marriages performed overseas cannot be registered in Queensland.
We have no involvement with overseas marriages. Each country has its own requirements for marriage, details of which can be obtained through the assistance of the High Commission, Embassy or Consulate of the country concerned.
If you intend to marry overseas, you should note that some countries require evidence that you are free to marry. To help you provide proof, we can supply a ‘No record of marriage in Queensland’ document stating you have not been married in Queensland in a specific period.
No record of marriage in Queensland
A ‘No record of marriage in Queensland’ document is written confirmation that we do not have any record of a registration of a person’s marriage during a specific period.
We will conduct a search of our records to ensure that you are not currently registered as being married in Queensland.
Unless otherwise advised we conduct the search from when you turned 16 years old or from the date of your arrival in Queensland.
If you have been previously married, we require a copy of the divorce document or a copy of the death certificate of your previous spouse. We will search from the date of that event.
You should also check whether the foreign country requires an Apostille stamp to be affixed to the document. If a stamp is required, contact the Australian Government - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for more information.
To apply, complete and lodge a No record of marriage in Queensland application (PDF File, 155.7 KB) form.
The fee for this search is dependant on the time period to be searched. A search fee of $20.00 is payable for every period of five years (or part thereof).
Lodging your form
You can lodge your form with us by post, in person at our Brisbane Registry, or in person at your local Queensland Magistrates Court or Queensland Government Agent Program (QGAP) office.
Applications can not be faxed or emailed.
Payment options
If you are lodging your form in person, you may pay by cash, cheque, credit card (Visa or MasterCard only) or money order.
If you are posting your form, you may pay by cheque, credit card (Visa or MasterCard only) or money order.
Make cheques or money orders payable to the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages.
Proving your identity
Before a certificate, information or source document is released, an applicant’s entitlement to the document must be established and proof of identity produced in accordance with the eligibility criteria.
Photocopies must be certified by a qualified witness as being "a correct copy of the document".
Applicants are required to provide:
- One form of identification from each list (at least one containing a signature); or
- Two forms of identification from List 2 and one form of identification from List 3 (at least one containing a signature), if unable to provide identification from List 1.
| List 1: Linkage between identity and person | List 2: Evidence of identity operating in the community | List 3: Evidence of residential address |
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Proof of identity documents are to be in the English language, otherwise these must be translated by an accredited translator. The official translation document is to accompany the original documents.
The Registrar-General's discretion in deciding acceptable proof of identity documents is not exhausted by the above lists. Decisions may be made by the Registrar-General on any unusual case that may fall outside the requirements of the above table.
Certification of photocopies of proof of identity documents
As part of establishing proof of identity, copies of documents submitted to the Registry in support of an application must be certified as a true and correct copy by a qualified witness.
The following persons are considered to be qualified witnesses and are able to certify photocopies of documents as being “a correct copy of the document”:
- Justice of the Peace
- Commissioner for Declarations
- Barrister/Solicitor
- Notary Public.
If you are submitting your application at the Brisbane Registry, a Magistrates Court or a Queensland Government Agent Program (QGAP) office, client service officers are able to sight original proof of identity documents submitted in support of your application. Contact us for further information on certification.
Contacting us about your application
If you need to contact us, please make sure you have:
- copies of any previous correspondence
- any file or reference numbers you have been given
- the date you forwarded your application to us
- how you paid (cheque, money order, credit card or cash).