Married at First Sight (MAFS) is perhaps one of the most talked about reality television shows in Australia, with a whopping 1 million viewers tuning in each night to watch complete strangers navigate the highs and lows of newly married life.
The premise of the show is simple: nine couples are matched by relationship experts and meet at the altar for the first time, where they are then “married”. The couples then go onto commence their lives living together in an apartment where they are thrown into challenges aimed to develop (and test) their relationships.
Each year when MAFS returns to our television screens, family lawyers are inundated with questions, some of the most common being:
- Are the couples really married?
- Can you really be married at first sight in Australia?
- Do the couples need to apply for a Divorce if the relationship does not work out?
Unfortunately, for the true MAFS believers out there: the couples are not legally married.
The Marriage Act 1961 and Marriage Regulations 2017 set the rules for getting married in Australia. Essentially, to legally marry in Australia you must:
- Not be married;
- Not be marrying an immediate family member;
- Be at least 18 years of age;
- Understand what marriage means and freely agree to marry;
- Use specific words during the ceremony; and
- Most relevantly to MAFS, couples must give notice of the intended marriage at least one month and no more than 18 months before their wedding.
So where does that leave the MAFS couples?
The couples take part in a commitment ceremony at the beginning of the season, and, if all their romantic stars align, they are given the choice to formailse the relationship at the end of the season. If the couples choose to go their separate ways, there is no need for the couples to apply for a Divorce. In any event, to apply for a Divorce, couples must have been separated for at least 12 months.
If you require advice in relation to marriage, divorce or perhaps advice in relation to arranging a Binding Financial Agreement prior to marriage, please do not hesitate to get in contact with someone from our Family Law Team.
#MAFS #marriedatfirstsight
