Become a marriage celebrant

You have to be appointed by the Registrar-General as a celebrant to solemnise marriages or civil unions in New Zealand.

Celebrants can be:

• independent, or
• affiliated with an approved church or organisation.

Registrar of Marriages and Civil Unions and some ministers of religious organisations can also marry people.

You:

• can be either a marriage celebrant, a civil union celebrant, or both
• can only legally marry people in New Zealand.

Before you apply

You need to prepare for an online test that you take during your application. You’ll also need:

• a verified RealMe identity — you get this verified at a PostShop
• scanned images or photos of documents that support your application
• a credit or debit card to pay for your application online.

Get a verified RealMe identity

Prepare your supporting documents

Your supporting documents need to show that:

• you’re of good character
• you’ll conscientiously perform the duties of a celebrant, and
• making you a celebrant is in the interest of your community or the general public.

You’ll need:

1. at least 4 signed letters of support from people in your community — each letter needs to explain why you would be a good celebrant and include the information in the support letter checklist
   
   Independent celebrant support letter checklist (PDF 37KB)
2. 2 referees to complete the Good character form
3. a copy of your criminal conviction history.

Good character form (PDF 25KB)

Getting a copy of your criminal record

You also need to be a New Zealand citizen. If you're not, you need to show that there are exceptional reasons why you should become a celebrant.

Prepare for the online test

The online application includes a test. Everything you need to know is in the marriage information on this site and in a training course.

Getting married

Becoming a celebrant — training course

Marriage and Civil Union Celebrants: A Guide to the role of celebrants in New Zealand (PDF 260KB)

Marriage and Civil Union Celebrants: A Guide to the role of celebrants in New Zealand (txt 23KB)

Apply online and pay

You need to apply online using your RealMe verified account details.

1. Get your supporting documents together and print them out.
2. Scan or take a photo of each document and save them to the computer, phone or device you’re using to apply.
3. Complete the online test and application form.
4. Attach the scan or photo copies of your documents to your online application and pay using a credit or debit card.

You'll need a verified RealMe account to apply online.

RealMe — verify your identity

If you can't apply online, email celebrants@dia.govt.nz and tell BDM why.

What you need to know before you apply

The application form includes a test. Everything you need to know is in the marriage information on this site and in a training course.

Getting married

Becoming a celebrant — training course

Marriage and Civil Union Celebrants: A Guide to the role of celebrants in New Zealand (PDF 260KB)

Marriage and Civil Union Celebrants: A Guide to the role of celebrants in New Zealand (txt 23KB)

To become a celebrant, you need to show that:

• you’re of good character
• you’ll conscientiously perform the duties of a celebrant.

To show this, when you apply you need:

1. 2 referees to complete the Good character form, and
2. a copy of your criminal conviction history.

Good character form (PDF 25KB)

Getting a copy of your criminal record

How to apply

If you want to be a celebrant within the following churches, you need to contact your church's head office.

• Anglican
• Baptist
• Greek Orthodox Church
• Hebrew Congregations
• Lutheran Church of New Zealand
• Methodist
• Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa NZ
• Roman Catholic
• Salvation Army

If you want to be a celebrant within another church or organisation, you'll need to apply online using your verified RealMe account.

1. Get all your accompanying documents together and print them out.
2. Scan or take a photo of each document.
3. Complete the online application form to be an organisation celebrant.
4. Attach the scan or photocopies of your documents to your online application.

Apply online to be an organisation celebrant

You'll need a verified RealMe account to apply online.

RealMe — verify your identity

If you can't apply online, email celebrants@dia.govt.nz and tell BDM why.

The Registrar-General might:

• contact your references or the people who provided your letters of support and ask them some questions about you
• ask you to go to an interview with your local Registrar of Marriages and Civil Unions.

This process can take up to 3 months.

If your application is approved, your name will be added to the list of celebrants and you can legally marry people. You have to renew your status as a celebrant at the end of each year.

If you need help or advice

Freephone: 0800 22 52 52 (NZ only)

Email: bdm.nz@dia.govt.nz

Celebrant school

The Celebrant School offers professional part-time training in Auckland and Christchurch. You don’t have to attend The Celebrant School to become a celebrant.

Celebrant School

The Celebrants Training College

The Celebrants Training College offers comprehensive celebrant training in NZ and Australia. You can study online or face-to-face.

The Celebrants Training College