You have to arrange a marriage licence at least 3 working days before you want to get married. Its valid for three months so we recommend doing this two months out if you live internationally. You can order your Marriage licence online at: https://www.govt.nz/browse/family-and-whanau/getting-married/get-a-marriage-licence/.
If you're being married by a celebrant, you'll need their name and the location and approximate date of the wedding when you apply. You are legally required to state 2 locations, for wet and fine weather. If you live internationally the process is exactly the same - you submit your application online and you can choose to have the licence emailed directly to your celebrant. During this application process you will also be asked if you require a certificate to be sent to you after the ceremony - this is highly advised, especially if you are not from New Zealand, as this will serve as official proof that your marriage is registered in New Zealand. You can apply for the certificate after the ceremony if you prefer, and either way this will be sent to you a few weeks after the wedding has taken place.
Once your celebrant receives your Particulars of Marriage documents, they will print these and bring them along on the day.
Before you sign the paperwork, always check that your names and all information is spelt correctly.
The fee for a marriage licence is $150 and the fee for a certificate is $33, both of which are paid directly online upon application.
If you have any questions about the process we suggest getting in touch with one of our recommended celebrants. These are guidelines are standard processes and we strongly recommend double checking the process with your countries offices as every country has a slightly different process.