Jeff Montgomery,
General Manager and Registrar-General;
Services and Access
Message from the
Registrar-General
Tēnā koe – hello.
New Zealand will be at Alert Level 3 from Tuesday 28 April.
The Government has advised, through the COVID-19 website, that Alert Level 3 permits marriages with a maximum of 10 people attending, with physical distancing measures still in place. Any gatherings must remain small to lower the risk of community transmission and what we achieved from Alert Level 4 isn't undone.
My previous advice still holds, in that celebrants need to carefully consider any request to conduct a marriage and whether it is the right thing to do at this time, taking into account the Government’s statements and the Ministry of Health’s guidance.
Kia pai tō rā (Have a good
day)
Jeff
Marriages during Alert Level 3, from 28 April
The Government has provided the following advice:
Gatherings present a very high risk of transmitting COVID-19, and acceptable gatherings are very limited. Up to 10 people can gather for:
- Wedding ceremonies (not receptions).
- Funerals and tangihanga
Gatherings of up to 10 people at a time for wedding services, funerals and tangihanga.
Wedding receptions and other celebrations are not allowed.
Consumption of food/drink not permitted.
Additional conditions on gatherings:
- Physical distancing and infection prevention and control requirements must be met.
- All gatherings must record attendees to ensure contact tracing can be conducted if necessary.
- No participants allowed who have COVID-19 symptoms or who need to be in isolation/quarantine for any reason.
Example to help explain these measures
For those holding a wedding ceremony, the limit means there can only be the couple, the celebrant, a couple of witnesses and family. Most people will still need to attend through video conferencing. Those who do attend must keep themselves and others safe. Keep a list of those who attend, stay at least 2 meters apart and wash hands regularly.
For more information refer to:
Advice about ‘virtual’ weddings
Under the Marriage Act, a marriage can’t occur virtually (i.e. you cannot use video conferencing software like Zoom, Skype etc.) and the couple, celebrant and witnesses must be physically present in the same place.
The marriage licence application and return of the signed papers can be done online.
Marriage licence refunds
Marriage licences are valid until the date of expiry, that being 3 months from the date of issue. If couples want to postpone their wedding as a result of the pandemic, there are options:
- Delay having the marriage, but not later than when the marriage licence expires. This in the hope that the situation has improved within 3 months.
- If the couple plan to get married after their licence expires, they can apply for a refund now. If approved, the refund will include the licence fee and the marriage certificate, if ordered. When the couple are ready to get married they can apply for a new licence at https://marriages.services.govt.nz.
Couples can request a refund by emailing bdm.nz@dia.govt.nz with the subject heading "Request for marriage licence refund".
In the body of the email include:
- Reason for refund e.g. unable to enter the country.
- Both partners’ full names and contact details (e.g., email, phone number etc.)
Refunds currently take about 4 weeks to process.
Public counters remain closed
Our public counters will remain closed during COVID-19 Alert levels 3 and 4.
During this time, couples can apply for a marriage licence online at https://marriages.services.govt.nz/
Please make sure your couples are allowing up to a week for the licence to be issued.
If a couple subsequently need a marriage certificate, or any other type of BDM certificate, they can order that online at https://certificates.services.govt.nz/
