Australia Partner Visa 2026: Costs, Evidence and Processing

Being apart from your partner is hard enough without an immigration process that feels designed to confuse you. Australia's partner visas cost thousands of dollars, and a weak application can cost you months.

This guide explains which partner visa fits your situation, what Home Affairs wants to see, what you'll pay and how long it can take. Everything here was checked against official pages in September 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm the details before you apply.

The three partner visa options

Australia has three main visas for the partner of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen. Which one you use depends on where you are when you apply and whether you're already married or in a de facto relationship.

The 820/801 and 309/100 are each a single application covering two stages. You pay once and apply for both at the same time, but Home Affairs assesses the permanent stage later.

Onshore: subclass 820 and 801

You must be in Australia when you apply, along with any family members applying with you. Home Affairs can decide the temporary visa while you're in or outside Australia.

Be careful if your current visa has a "no further stay" condition such as 8503. You can't apply unless Home Affairs first approves a waiver. Holders of a subclass 491 or 494 regional visa must have held that visa for at least 3 years before they can apply for an 820. Our guide to the 491 and 494 regional visas explains that restriction.

Offshore: subclass 309 and 100

You must be outside Australia when you apply. If you're outside Australia when the 309 is granted, you must enter by the "first entry" date shown on your grant letter.

Prospective Marriage: subclass 300

This visa is for couples who are engaged but not yet married. Home Affairs says you must:

• be 18 or older
• have met your prospective spouse in person as adults, and know each other personally
• intend to marry before the visa ends
• be outside Australia when you apply

The visa lets you stay for 9 to 15 months from the grant date, and you can work and study during that time. You must enter Australia by the date on your grant letter and marry before the visa expires. You can marry in any country, as long as the marriage is valid under Australian law.

After the wedding, you apply for the 820/801 from inside Australia, at a much lower charge than a standard application.

Who qualifies

For every partner visa, you must be in a genuine relationship with an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and that person must sponsor you. You also need to meet health and character requirements and sign the Australian Values Statement.

Married partners

You need a marriage that's valid in Australia. Home Affairs reminds applicants that forced marriage is a crime in Australia, and that both people must freely and fully consent.

De facto partners

De facto applicants must be 18 or older. Usually you must have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months immediately before you apply. Home Affairs notes that time spent dating or in an online relationship might not count.

The 12-month rule doesn't apply if:

• you've registered your relationship with an Australian state or territory registry
• you can show compelling and compassionate circumstances
• your partner holds, or is applying for, a permanent humanitarian visa and certain conditions are met

Sponsor requirements

Your sponsor is usually your partner, and Home Affairs must approve them. The sponsor can be in or outside Australia when they apply to sponsor you.

A few rules catch people out:

• You can't change sponsors. The person who sponsors you at the start must remain your sponsor.
• Sponsors take on obligations. They must support you and any family members in your application, financially and with accommodation. This lasts until 2 years after the temporary visa is granted, or 2 years after you arrive if you were outside Australia at grant.
• Past sponsorships matter. Home Affairs may refuse the application if this is the sponsor's third partner sponsorship, if they sponsored another partner in the last 5 years, or if they were sponsored as a partner in the last 5 years. Exceptions include having a dependent child together, the death of a previous partner, or a long-standing relationship.
• Criminal records are checked. Sponsors provide police certificates. Home Affairs may refuse a sponsor with a significant criminal record for relevant offences, and there are extra limits for convictions involving children.

A sponsor can withdraw their sponsorship at any time before the permanent visa is decided. If the relationship ends, or your partner dies, you may still be eligible in some circumstances. Home Affairs also has family violence provisions, so you don't have to stay in an unsafe relationship to protect your visa.

Relationship evidence: what to gather

Evidence is the heart of a partner visa application. Home Affairs looks at four areas, so aim to cover all of them.

You also need:

• A written relationship history covering how you met, how the relationship developed, when you moved in together or married, time apart and your plans
• Two witness statements from people aged 18 or over who know you both, using Form 888
• Identity documents, including passports and birth certificates
• Police certificates from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16
• Health examinations, arranged the way Home Affairs explains on its health examinations page

ImmiAccount lets you attach up to 100 documents for each person on the application. Documents in other languages need English translations, and translators inside Australia must be accredited by NAATI (the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters).

Costs and money

Partner visas are a major expense, so budget before you lodge. These are the visa application charges listed on the Home Affairs current visa pricing table in September 2026.

Home Affairs won't process your application until the charge is paid. From 1 July 2026, a lower charge applies to eligible citizens of Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste. Use the official Visa Pricing Estimator to confirm your exact total.

On top of the visa charge, budget for:

• health examinations and biometrics
• police certificates from each country that requires one
• certified translations
• travel between countries while you wait
• private health insurance until Medicare cover starts

If you're sending money between countries while you're apart, compare the total cost, including the exchange rate margin, not just the transfer fee.

Processing times and priorities

Home Affairs doesn't publish a fixed timeframe on its partner visa pages. It says processing times vary and applicants may wait longer than expected. For a current indication, use the visa processing time guide on the Home Affairs website, which reflects recently decided applications.

Partner visas are processed under Ministerial Direction 117. Applications are generally handled in the order received, but:

• onshore 820/801 applications get the highest priority
• offshore 309/100 and 300 applications get lower priority and are likely to take longer

You can ask for priority processing if there are compelling and compassionate circumstances, but Home Affairs says most requests can't be approved.

The permanent stage

You become eligible for assessment of the permanent 801 or 100 visa 2 years after you first applied. Don't upload your permanent-stage documents before then. Home Affairs may grant the permanent visa sooner if you were already in a long-term relationship when you applied.

For 2026–27, the government set an indicative planning level of 41,500 Partner visa places. Home Affairs describes partner visas as demand driven, so this isn't a hard cap.

Life on a partner visa: work, study and Medicare

Once you hold a temporary 820 or 309 visa, you can:

• live, work and study in Australia
• travel in and out of Australia as often as you like
• attend free English classes through the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP), if eligible

Medicare

Services Australia says you can enrol in Medicare if you live in Australia and have applied for a combined 820/801 or 309/100 visa. Cover can start from the date you applied, or from the date you arrived to live in Australia if you applied from outside.

You can enrol online through myGov or with a paper form. Until your enrolment is confirmed, keep your own health insurance, because you'd otherwise pay the full cost of treatment.

Settling in

In your first weeks, apply for a Tax File Number (TFN) from the Australian Taxation Office, open a bank account and enrol in Medicare. The permanent 801 or 100 visa makes you a permanent resident with a 5-year travel facility, and it can eventually lead to citizenship.

Step by step: applying for a partner visa

1. Choose your visa. Onshore couples usually apply for the 820/801, offshore couples for the 309/100, and engaged couples may use the 300.
2. Check the relationship rules. Confirm you meet the 12-month de facto requirement or an exception.
3. Check your sponsor's eligibility. Look at past sponsorships and police certificates early.
4. Build your evidence. Collect financial, household, social and commitment documents, plus two Form 888 statements.
5. Get translations and identity documents ready.
6. Lodge online in ImmiAccount under "Family", then pay the charge.
7. Give your sponsor your Transaction Reference Number (TRN) so they can lodge the sponsorship form quickly.
8. Complete health checks and police certificates when appropriate.
9. Keep updating your evidence while you wait.
10. Submit permanent-stage documents once 2 years have passed since you applied.

Scams and red flags

Partner visas attract fraud because the stakes are so high. Walk away from:

• Anyone offering a marriage or de facto relationship for money. A relationship arranged for a visa isn't genuine, and it puts everyone involved at risk.
• "Guaranteed approval" or "fast-track" offers. Only Home Affairs decides, and priority processing is rarely granted.
• Fake evidence services that sell joint leases, bills or witness statements.
• Unregistered helpers who charge for advice. In Australia, only registered migration agents, Australian legal practitioners and certain exempt people can give immigration assistance. Check a migration agent's registration yourself.

Your partner visa checklist

• Confirm which visa fits: 820/801, 309/100 or 300.
• Check the 12-month de facto rule, or register your relationship if you can.
• Confirm your sponsor's eligibility, including past sponsorships.
• Use the Visa Pricing Estimator and set aside money for extra costs.
• Gather evidence across all four relationship areas.
• Arrange two Form 888 witness statements.
• Plan when to get police certificates and health checks.
• Enrol in Medicare once you're eligible.
• Update your evidence regularly while you wait.

If you're weighing other countries too, compare this process with spousal sponsorship in Canada and the German spouse visa. If your partner may later want to work in their own skilled occupation, our Australia skilled migration guide explains the salary thresholds and points-tested visas.