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 2 from Thursday 14 May.
The Government has advised, through the COVID-19 website, that Alert Level 2 permits marriages with a maximum of 10 people attending with contact tracing and physical distancing measures still in place.
Please continue to take 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 2, from 14 May
The Government has provided the following advice:
Gathering at your home
You can have friends and family over to your home, but gatherings are limited to:
- up to 10 people, or the people who usually live in your house.
- for up 2 hours.
Play it safe — keep surfaces clean, wash your hands, and keep the numbers low so you can practice safe distancing.
Gathering outside your home
You can attend gatherings in controlled settings outside of your home. Gatherings include:
- weddings
- funerals and tangihanga
- family events
- religious services
- public meetings.
Gatherings must:
- have no more than 10 people
- not be longer than 2 hours
- keep high hygiene standards
- record attendees to ensure contact tracing can be conducted if necessary.
You can’t participate in any gatherings if you have COVID-19 symptoms or if you need to be in isolation for any reason.
For more information refer to:
Cannot use Zoom/Skype to marry a couple
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.
Everyone must be physically present, in-person, at the geographical place when the couple say their vows to each other.
The marriage licence application and return of the signed papers can be done online.
Public counters open during level 2
Our public counters will reopen during COVID-19 Alert level 2 for limited hours and by appointment-only. If customers need to come and see us, they can make an appointment only if they are currently well. Payment in cash will not be accepted.
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/
