Certificate of Faithful Performance

What this is, and when you use it

When one of the couple, or a witness, can't follow the ceremony in English, the authorised celebrant may use an interpreter. Two things then have to be signed, and this single form covers both:

A statutory declaration (top of the form) — signed before the ceremony. The interpreter declares that they have been asked to interpret at the marriage, and that they understand and can converse in English and in the other language spoken by the couple, the celebrant and the two witnesses.
The Certificate of Faithful Performance (bottom of the form) — signed immediately after the marriage is solemnised. The interpreter certifies that they faithfully interpreted from English into the other language, and back again, at the ceremony. The celebrant signs it too.

The statutory declaration is made under section 9 of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959, so the interpreter must sign it in front of an authorised witness — the second page of the generated PDF is the official list of who qualifies. A marriage celebrant registered under the Marriage Act 1961 is on that list, so the celebrant can usually witness it.

Fill this page in ahead of the day, print the PDF, and bring it with the marriage paperwork. The signed original stays with the celebrant's records for the ceremony.

Step 1. Find the ceremony

Enter the couple's email address and their ceremony date, and we'll fill in the ceremony details below for you. Both are needed — the date is what stops anyone looking up someone else's ceremony from an email address alone. You can skip this and type everything in by hand instead.

Couple's email address

Ceremony date

Party 1's preferred name File name only

Party 2's preferred name File name only

Step 2. The interpreter

The person who will be interpreting at the ceremony — this is the person who signs the declaration and the certificate.

Interpreter's full name

Interpreter's address

Interpreter's occupation

Language Translating from English into this language (and back again)

Interpreter's phone number

Step 3. The ceremony

The couple's full legal names go on this form — exactly as they appear on the Notice of Intended Marriage, not their everyday names.

Full legal name of party 1

Full legal name of party 2

Date of the ceremony

Time of the ceremony Used for the file name

Where the ceremony is held

Step 4. Making the declaration

Where and when the interpreter signs the statutory declaration — this happens before the marriage is solemnised, in front of an authorised witness. The celebrant is an authorised witness, so it's normally them. Leave their details blank if they'll be written in by hand on the day.

Declared at (place) Where the ceremony is held — the suburb or town is enough

Declared on (date)

Celebrant's full name The authorised witness who watches the interpreter sign

Celebrant's address

Celebrant's phone number

Certificate dated The certificate is completed immediately after the marriage is solemnised, so this is normally the ceremony date

Step 5. Sign the declaration

Check every detail below, then use the draw tool to sign — with a mouse, a trackpad, or a finger/stylus on a touchscreen. There are three signature lines: box 3 (the interpreter) and box 8 (the celebrant, under “Observed by me”) on the statutory declaration, and the two lines at the foot of the certificate. All of them can also be left blank and signed by hand on the printed copy.

Your Certificate of Faithful Performance is ready

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⬇ Download the PDF

Print it and bring it to the ceremony. Remember: the statutory declaration (page 1, top) is signed before the marriage in front of an authorised witness, and the certificate (page 1, bottom) is signed by the interpreter and the celebrant immediately after the marriage is solemnised.