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How old can you get married in Australia?

Author

Emily Sparks

Published Jan 16, 2026

Restrictions. Marriage of any persons under the age of 18 years of age without an order of a judge or magistrate is invalid. Under no circumstances can two persons under 18 years marry each other.

Can a 16 year old get married in Australia?

To get married in Australia, you must: not be married. not be marrying a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister. be at least 18 years old, unless a court has approved a marriage where 1 person is 16-18 years old.

Can you get married at 13 in Australia?

The marriageable age for marriage in Australia is 18 years, which is the age of majority in Australia in all states, but in "unusual and exceptional circumstances" a person aged 16 or 17 can marry with parental consent and authorisation by a Magistrates Court. The application to the court must be filed by a parent.

Can you get married at 12 in Australia?

You can get married once you are 18 years of age. If you are between the age of 16 and 18, you can only get married by obtaining permission from the Court. A Court will allow you to marry only if your circumstances are considered 'exceptional and unusual'.

Is it illegal to marry your sibling in Australia?

Under Australian law it's illegal for a man to marry his grandmother, mother, sister or half-sister, daughter or granddaughter. A woman also can't marry her grandfather, father, brother or half-brother, son or grandson.

44 related questions found

Can an uncle marry his niece?

Avunculate marriage refers to a marriage between an uncle and a niece or between an aunt and a nephew (third degree relations). In some societies avunculate marriage is prohibited as a form of incest, while in others it is legal, even common.

Can an uncle marry his niece in Australia?

The Australian Marriage Act 1961 prohibits marriages with minors, more than one person at once, a parent, grandparent, child, grandchild, brother or sister and a person of the same sex. It does not exclude nieces or nephews from marrying aunties or uncles.

Can u get married at 16 if your pregnant?

However, minors (under the age of 18) must obtain both parental consent and a court order before they may legally tie the knot. Although couples seldom get married before they reach the age of majority, it is made available primarily to allow pregnant minors to marry.

What is the youngest person to marry?

Joan of France, Duchess of Berry (age 12), was betrothed in a wedding contract at age 8-days-old, she was officially married at the age of twelve in 1476, to her cousin Louis, Duke of Orléans (aged 14).

Can you marry at 16?

If you're under 18

You need permission from your parents or guardians to get married or form a civil partnership in England or Wales.

Can I marry my step brother?

Since stepsiblings are not blood relatives, they are legally free to marry each other. There are no state laws that prohibit marriage between stepsiblings since they are not at risk of having children with genetic defects due to being close blood relatives.

Can half siblings marry?

A marriage will be considered invalid if: ... the people getting married are related (including step siblings, step parents, half-siblings, adopted siblings, adoptive parents, or any blood relatives).

What country has the youngest marriage age?

Out of all of the countries in the world, Chad has the youngest average age of first marriage at 19.2 years. Two African countries, Niger and Mozambique, come in the second and the third positions with 19.4 and 19.6 years respectively.

What age can u get engaged?

1 attorney answer

Engagement isn't a legal status. People who are engaged do not have any special benefits under the law. Therefore, the law does not address the age for this informal unenforceable agreement to marry.

Can a 12 year old get married in the US?

This is a fact! While 18 is the minimum marriage age in most states, there are exceptions in every state that allow children younger than 18 to marry, typically with parental consent or judicial approval.

What country can you marry at 12?

In Tanzania, Muslim and Hindu girls can marry at 12 as long as the marriage is not consummated until the girl reaches the age of 15.

Who was the youngest bride?

Nujood Ali was just an eight-year-old child when her father arranged for her get married. She was one of 16 children.

What is the oldest married couple?

Eugene Gladu (USA, b. 1919) and Dolores Gladu (USA, b. 1922) have been husband and wife longer than any other couple alive today. Married on 25 May 1940 in Woonsocket, Rhode Island, the couple were awarded their Guinness World Records titles in July 2021 after 81 years 57 days of marriage.

Can I marry at 18?

The government has decided to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years, bringing it at par with that of men. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday had cleared a proposal to bring in uniformity in the marriageable age of men and women, sources said on Thursday.

Can a girl get married at 17?

Only permitted with court approval and/or pregnancy means girls may be married at age 17 only with approval that is likely to be more protective (such as court or social welfare center approval), or in the case of pregnancy or after the birth of a child.

Can you marry at 20?

There is no best age to get married that applies to everyone. You're never too old for it, and while it's very possible to get married before you're ready, it's often not necessarily because you're too young to marry.

Can adopted siblings marry?

Adopted children may not marry their adoptive parents (or any former adoptive parents) but they are allowed to marry the rest of their adoptive family, including their adoptive brother or sister.

Can you marry 1st cousin?

In the United States, second cousins are legally allowed to marry in every state. However, marriage between first cousins is legal in only about half of the American states. All in all, marrying your cousin or half-sibling will largely depend on the laws where you live and personal and/or cultural beliefs.

When did cousins stop marrying?

The first actual laws against first-cousin marriage appeared during the Civil War era, with Kansas banning the practice in 1858, followed by Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington, New Hampshire, Ohio and Wyoming in the 1860s.

Can I marry my sister daughter in India?

DEAR, As per law, you cannot marry with your cousin sister as it is prohibited by Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. Moreover, an adopted child have same obligations/liabilities as natural born son.