Who Can Get Married in Queensland?
A plain-English guide to who can legally get married in Queensland, including age, residency, consent, earlier marriages, and overseas couples.
Basic requirements
To get married in Queensland, you generally must:
- be free to marry
- be at least 18 years old, unless a rare under-18 case applies
- understand the nature of marriage
- freely consent to the marriage
- lodge a NOIM at least one calendar month before the ceremony
- have two adult witnesses present
Age requirements
Adults
If you are 18 or older, you can usually marry without additional court approval.
People aged 16 or 17
This is only possible in limited circumstances and requires additional legal steps. It is not the normal rule.
Citizenship and residency
You do not need to be:
- a Queensland resident
- an Australian citizen
- a permanent resident
You can marry in Queensland as:
- an Australian citizen
- a permanent resident
- a visitor or tourist
- a student visa holder
- an overseas resident travelling to Australia
For more on that, read International Couples.
Who cannot marry
Marriage is not permitted if:
- either person is already married
- the people are prohibited relatives
- either person cannot give real consent
- the legal requirements and documents are not satisfied
Earlier marriages
If you were previously married, you usually need:
- divorce papers, or
- the death certificate of your former spouse
Read Divorced? for the document side of this.
Same-sex marriage
Marriage is legal for all couples in Australia. The legal requirements are the same regardless of gender or sexuality.
See Marriage Equality if that context matters to your planning.