What you need to know
This is a ‘must have’, it confirms it’s legal for you to marry.
You need to apply for your licence at least 3 working days before you get married. It expires after 3 months, so don’t be too efficient and order it too early.
Only one of you needs to complete the application, however, you will need information about both of you.
Apply online, whether you are in New Zealand or overseas - https://bit.ly/3ncR3oT
If you’re not a fan of doing things online, you can use the paper form instead, available at https://bit.ly/3ncR3oT
Cost
Personalised ceremony – the marriage licence costs $150; plus, you will pay the celebrant their own fee on top of this
Registry ceremony – the marriage licence costs $150; plus, the ceremony has a set fee of $90, which you pay to the celebrant on the day
You can order a marriage certificate to be sent to you at the same time, it costs $33. Most people get their certificates in 1-2 weeks.
You do not need to be a New Zealand citizen, visitors to New Zealand can marry or have a civil union here.
Make sure you have a copy of the licence emailed to your celebrant, it’s one less thing for you to think about on the day.
COVID-19
If you are not able to use your marriage licence within 3 months due to COVID-19, the Registrar-General’s team is offering refunds. You can request a refund by emailing bdm.nz@dia.got.nz with the subject heading "Request for marriage licence refund"
For more information regarding marriage licences please refer to https://bit.ly/3ncR3oT
Information on this page has been taken from www.govt.nz and details and costs are correct as at December 2021