GUIDELINES FOR MARRIAGE CELEBRANTS SEEKING EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION APPLICATION FEE – 1JULY2014

Purpose

The Marriage Act 1961 and Marriage Regulations 1963 allow a person to apply for an exemption from paying the registration application fee.

This document provides guidance to aspiring marriage celebrants who wish to seek an exemption from the registration application fee of $600.

This exemption is only available for applicants who live in a remote area with no more than one other Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant living in the same postcode. Further information is below.

You cannot commence or submit an application for registration as a marriage celebrant until your application for exemption from the registration application fee has been determined and you have received written confirmation from the department.

Exemption grounds

An exemption is only available on the ground of remoteness.

Remoteness

The purpose of this exemption is to ensure that remote and very remote communities continue to have access to celebrancy services.

You must demonstrate the following:

(a) your principal residential address is in a remote or very remote area; and

(b) there is no more than one Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant with a principal residential address:

(i) in the remote or very remote area; and

(ii) that has the same postcode as your principal residential address.

To establish whether you live in a remote or very remote area, go to and use the locator tool to enter your principal residential address. It will tell you whether or not you live in a remote or very remote area.

To establish how many Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants live in your postcode, go to the Register of Marriage Celebrants on the Find a marriage celebrant page on the Attorney-General’s website at and perform an advanced search based on your postcode.

Remember that Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrants include both civil celebrants and ministers of religion from independent religious organisations. It does not include ministers of religion from recognised denominations or state officers as they are regulated by state and territory registries of births, deaths and marriages. You will therefore need to search both the “Authorised Celebrants Civil Ceremonies” and “Authorised Celebrants Religious Organisations” records under the Search Database drop down menu.

NOTE: You will need to attach supporting evidence to your application to demonstrate that your principal residential address is in a remote or very remote area. The evidence provided should show both your name and principal residential address and be dated within six months of the date of the application. These documents should be provided in the form of certified copies.

Documentary evidence that will be accepted includes:

-electoral enrolments

-rates notice

-lease

-utility bill (phone, electricity, gas etc), or

-bank statement (with the exception of your name and address, the financial information and other personal details contained in the document can be blanked out).

A driver’s licence will not be accepted as evidence of principal residential address as it does not include a date of issue.

Scanned copies of certified documents are sufficient. Please note that if you post documents that are original documents, these will not ordinarily be returned by the Department.

Process for applying for an exemption

  1. Exemption applications forms are available on the department’s website at - go to the Becoming a Marriage Celebrants page. Please complete the form and email it to or post it to 3-5 National Circuit Barton ACT 2600.
  2. Once the application is received, you will be sent an invoice to pay the $30 exemption application processing fee. This recovers the costs of the department assessing the application and making a decision. The fee is non-refundable.
  3. Once your full application, including all supporting documentation and payment of the $30 fee is received, the Registrar of Marriage Celebrants will consider your exemption application.
  4. The Registrar may seek further information from you while assessing your exemption application. The request for further information will provide a timeframe in which you must send the information. If you do not provide the further information by that date, your application will be taken to have been withdrawn. The Registrar will then have 21 days in which to consider your application from the date the additional information is received.

Outcome of an exemption decision

The Registrar will notify you in writing (either by letter or email) of the outcome of your exemption applicationwithin 21 days of receiving a full application.

If you are found eligible for an exemption

You will not be required to pay the registration application fee of $600.

When you submit your application for registration as a marriage celebrant, select the payment option of ‘I have an exemption’.

Your registration application will be processed free of charge.

If you are not found eligible for an exemption

You may proceed with your application for registration as a marriage celebrant, but must pay the $600 registration application fee at the time the application is submitted.

Internal review of an exemption decision

If your exemption application is refused, you may apply for an internal review of that decision.

An application must be in writing and demonstrate why you think the original decision maker incorrectly made the decision. For example, you may like to provide additional evidence to support your claim or suggest that the original decision maker did not consider all of the facts in front of them.

An officer of the Attorney-General’s Department who was not involved in the original decision will consider the original decision and decide whether to:

(a)confirm the original decision; or

(b)substitute a different decision for the original decision, with effect from the time when the original decision was made.

Under Regulation 37JE, you have 14days from the date on which you received notice of the exemption refusal to seek an internal review. You can submit it either by email to or in writing to 3-5 National Circuit, Barton ACT 2600.

You may be asked to provide further information to support your internal review application.

If your internal review application is successful, you may not be required to pay the registration application fee.

If you require assistance with seeking an exemption from the registration application fee please call our dedicated telephone service on 1800 550 343. Staff will be available to answer your calls from 10am to 1pm, and 2pm to 5pm EST each weekday. You can also continue to email us at .

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