Everything you need to know — without the overwhelm!
You’ve found your dream location. You’ve imagined the mountains, the light, the moment. And then someone mentions “paperwork” and the whole thing feels suddenly complicated.
Here’s the good news: getting legally married in New Zealand as an overseas couple is genuinely straightforward. With the right information and a bit of advance planning, the legal side takes care of itself quietly in the background — and you get to focus on the exciting part.
Here’s everything you need to know.
Are You Eligible to Marry in New Zealand?
Before anything else, a quick eligibility check. To legally marry in New Zealand, you must both:
- Be at least 18 years old (16–17 year olds require Family Court approval)
- Not currently be married or in a civil union with someone else
- Not be closely related by blood, marriage, or adoption
Same-sex marriage has been legal in New Zealand since 2013, and all couples are equally welcome here.
Step 1: Apply for Your New Zealand Marriage License
This is the most important piece of paperwork, and it’s simpler than it sounds.
You’ll need to complete a Notice of Intended Marriage (form BDM 60), which can be submitted online through New Zealand’s Department of Internal Affairs — you don’t need to be in the country to apply.
Key timing to know:
- You can apply up to 3 months before your wedding date
- The licence takes a minimum of 3 working days to be processed once submitted
- The licence is valid for 3 months from the date it’s issued — your wedding must fall within that window
- If your wedding date changes, you’ll need to re-apply
Our recommendation for international couples: apply around 6–8 weeks before your wedding. This gives you a comfortable buffer without the licence expiring before your big day.
What you’ll need when applying:
- Both partners’ full legal names, dates of birth, and passport details
- The name of your registered celebrant
- Two locations — one for fine weather, one for wet weather (yes, this is a legal requirement in New Zealand!)
- Your wedding date
Once issued, your licence can be emailed directly to your celebrant — so you don’t need to bring physical copies with you.
Step 2: Your Celebrant
In New Zealand, only registered marriage celebrants can legally perform a wedding ceremony.
The good news? Your celebrant handles most of the post-ceremony paperwork for you. After the ceremony, they’ll collect your signatures and those of your two witnesses, then submit everything to the Births, Deaths and Marriages register. Job done.
We work with some wonderful local celebrants and can take care of this for you as part of your package.
Step 3: Your Witnesses
You’ll need two witnesses present at your ceremony. They can be friends, family members, or in the case of an elopement just the two of you — we can arrange witnesses for you if needed. They just need to be adults who can sign their names on the day.
Step 4: Getting Your Marriage Certificate
After the ceremony, your celebrant submits the signed paperwork to register your marriage. You can tick a box during your licence application to automatically receive your official marriage certificate — we strongly recommend doing this, especially as an overseas couple. It costs $33 and will be posted to you.
Your certificate is your official proof of marriage, and you’ll need it for any name changes or legal processes back home.
Will Your NZ Marriage Be Recognised Back Home?
In most cases, yes — a New Zealand marriage certificate is internationally recognised. But depending on where you’re from, there may be one extra step.
If you’re unsure if this applies to you, just ask us — we’ve helped couples from all over the world navigate this, and we’ll point you in the right direction.
A Note on Location Permissions
One thing that surprises many couples: you can’t legally marry absolutely anywhere in New Zealand without the right permissions.
Much of the country’s most spectacular scenery — think alpine locations, national parks, and DOC-managed land — requires specific permits for wedding activities. Helicopter landing sites require licensed operators with approved landing permissions.
When you book with us, all of this is handled. We arrange the relevant permissions for our locations, and your celebrant will list the correct locations on your marriage licence. You just show up and enjoy it.
The Short Version
Here’s the simple checklist for overseas couples:
- ✅ Check you’re both eligible to marry in NZ
- ✅ Apply for your marriage licence (BDM 60 form) online — at least 3 working days before, up to 3 months before
- ✅ Provide your celebrant’s name and two ceremony locations when you apply
- ✅ Tick the box to receive your marriage certificate automatically
- ✅ Arrange two witnesses (we can help with this)
- ✅ After the ceremony, your celebrant handles the rest
Feeling clearer? We hope so. The legal side of a New Zealand wedding is one of those things that sounds intimidating until you actually look at it — and then realise it’s really not bad at all.
If you have any questions about the process, or you’re ready to start planning, we’d love to hear from you. We help couples from Australia, the US, the UK, and all over the world get married here every year, and we’ll make sure every detail — legal and otherwise — is taken care of.
