This is the official paperwork which proves Australia is already changing with same-sex marriage legalised by Parliament.
Couples who plan to wed have long been required to fill out a form, called a Notice of Intended Marriage, 30 days before their nuptials.
And a new version of the document, published by the Attorney-General’s Department on Friday morning, includes some significant changes.
NEW FORM: These are some of the changes on the new Notice of Intent to Marry form
Prominent same-sex marriage advocate, North Sydney Liberal MP Trent Zimmerman, celebrates the law reform with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
Where the words ‘bridegroom’ and ‘bride’ once took pride of place on the document sit the titles ‘party 1’ and ‘party 2’.
The parties can now describe themselves as a ‘groom’, ‘bride’ – or a new title, ‘partner’, a fact sheet said.
Males can describe themselves as ‘grooms’ and females ‘brides’, but ‘partner’ can be ‘used by a male, female, intersex, non-binary gender or transgender party’.
Another significant change is that parties can now select their sex as male, female or ‘X’.
‘X’ is an option for ‘any person who does not exclusively identify as either male or female, such as a person who is intersex, indeterminate or unspecified.’
OLD FORM: The document used the titles ‘bridegroom’ and ‘bride’, did not ask for the bride and groom’s sex and did not allow wedding parties to choose a descriptor like ‘partner’
NEW FORM: ‘Bridegroom’ and ‘bride’ have been switched out for ‘party 1’ and ‘party 2’, wedding parties can describe themselves as ‘groom’, ‘bride’ or ‘partner’ and a new gender option, X, is available to people of ‘indeterminate/intersex/unspecified’ gender
The third change to the form allows foreign same-sex marriages to be recognised under the law.
The fact sheet said: ‘Some people may also need to record a different conjugal status on the (form) than if they had married before 9 December 2017, due to their foreign same-sex marriage, or foreign same-sex divorce, now being recognised.’
A same-sex marriage bill passed the House of Representatives on Thursday evening and was given royal assent to become law of the land on Friday morning.
The new form can be submitted from Saturday, meaning same-sex couples can wed from January 9.
The previous form remains valid for male-female marriages.