Marriage Act 1955

If you need more information about this Act, please contact the administering agency: Ministry of Justice

not the latest version

Search within this Act

Reprint as at 16 December 2017

Marriage Act 1955

Public Act		1955 No 92
Date of assent		27 October 1955
Commencement		see section 1(2)

Note

Changes authorised by subpart 2 of Part 2 of the Legislation Act 2012 have been made in this official reprint.

Note 4 at the end of this reprint provides a list of the amendments incorporated.

This Act is administered by the Ministry of Justice.

	Title
1	Short Title and commencement
	Part 1 Preliminary
2	Interpretation
3	Application of Act
4	Registrar-General and Deputy Registrar-General
5	Appointment of Registrars and Deputy Registrars [Repealed]
6	Fact of deputies acting conclusive evidence of authority to do so [Repealed]
	Part 2 Marriage celebrants
7	List of marriage celebrants
8	Marriage celebrants of specified religious bodies
9	Approval of organisations
10	Marriage celebrants from approved organisations
11	Other persons may be marriage celebrants
12	Renewal of list
13	Removal of names from list
14	Evidence of list or correction to list
14A	This Part not to limit sections 32 and 32A
	Part 3 Restrictions on marriage
15	Marriage of persons within prohibited degrees of relationship void
16	Validation of certain marriages already solemnised
17	Marriage of persons under 16 years of age
18	Consent to marriage of minors
19	Application to Family Court Judge where consent refused
20	General provisions relating to consents
21	Marriages without licence or marriage celebrant void
22	Marriages not to be void because of defects in procedure
	Part 4 Formalities preliminary to marriage
23	Notice of marriage
24	Issue of marriage licence and information return
25	Caveats may be lodged
26	Discharge of caveat
27	Vexatious caveat
28	Registrar to issue licence unless satisfied marriage unlawful
29	Licence authorises but not obliges marriage celebrant to solemnise marriage
	Part 5 Solemnisation of marriage
30	When marriage may be solemnised
31	Place and form of marriage before marriage celebrant
32	Marriage of Quakers
32A	Marriage in accordance with rules and procedures of exempt religious bodies
32B	Application to become exempt religious body
32C	Declaration of religious body as exempt religious body
32D	Change in beliefs or objects of exempt religious bodies
32E	List of exempt religious bodies
33	Marriages before Registrar
33A	Registrar-General may solemnise marriage
34	Proxy marriages
	Part 6 Registration of marriages
35	Marriage registers
36	Particulars of marriage to be entered in register book [Repealed]
37	Penalty for failing to register marriage [Repealed]
37A	Marriage celebrant to comply with directions of the Registrar-General with respect to registration [Repealed]
38	Registrar-General to keep register [Repealed]
	Part 7 Marriages out of New Zealand
39	Foreign marriages of British subjects
40	Marriages abroad of Commonwealth citizens and citizens of Ireland
41	Certificate of no impediment to person intending foreign marriage
42	Notice of intended marriage outside New Zealand
43	New Zealand representative may attend marriage abroad of New Zealand citizen and give certificate
44	Validity of service marriages
45	Record of service marriages solemnised outside New Zealand [Repealed]
46	Special register of service marriages [Repealed]
	Part 8 General
47	Correction of errors in register books or records [Repealed]
48	Search of records of Registrar [Repealed]
49	Search of records of Registrar-General [Repealed]
49A	Disclosure of information to Department of Social Welfare [Repealed]
49B	Registrar-General may authorise access to information [Repealed]
49C	Limitations on access [Repealed]
49D	Health or demographic research or collection of statistics [Repealed]
50	Shortened form of marriage certificates [Repealed]
50A	Searches of Registrar-General’s indexes [Repealed]
51	Certified copies to be evidence [Repealed]
52	Officers may take statutory declarations [Repealed]
53	Records to be made of dissolution of marriages [Repealed]
54	Convictions for bigamy to be recorded [Repealed]
55	Records of dissolution of marriage or bigamy to be made in record book [Repealed]
55A	Recording of changes of name in marriage record book [Repealed]
56	Offence to deny or impugn validity of lawful marriage [Repealed]
57	Offence to alter register book without authority
58	Offence to solemnise marriage contrary to provisions of this Act
59	Offence to solemnise marriage falsely pretending to be marriage celebrant
60	Offences in connection with false statements and improper solemnisation of marriages
61	Offences generally [Repealed]
62	Magistrate to have summary jurisdiction [Repealed]
63	Limitation on prosecutions
64	Regulations
64AA	Registrar-General may specify manner of application and verification of information
64A	Rules of procedure
65	Regulations may prescribe fees [Repealed]
66	Disposition of fines and fees
67	Repeals and savings
	Schedule 1 Religious bodies
	Schedule 2 Prohibited degrees of marriage
	Schedule 3 Enactments repealed
	Schedule 4 Enactments ceasing to have effect in New Zealand
	Reprint notes

An Act to consolidate and amend the law relating to marriage

New Zealand Legislation

List of access keys

Quick search

My recent searches

Marriage Act 1955

Marriage Act 1955

Note

Contents