📋 Quick Overview
- 💰 Application fee: Check the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator for your circumstances.
- 💼 Visa Type: Partner Visa (Subclass 820/801) — Onshore
- ⏱️ Processing time: Check the current guide on the Home Affairs 820 visa page; individual applications vary.
Already in Australia with your partner? This partner visa checklist helps you organise the records for an onshore application. The documents needed depend on your relationship, visa history and family circumstances.
At VisaTasker, we have maintained a 100% success rate on partner visas. Use this checklist to start organising your evidence.
⚠️ Eligibility
- ✅Must be in Australia when lodging
- ✅Genuine married or de facto relationship; the usual 12-month de facto requirement has exceptions.
- ✅Sponsor is Australian citizen/PR/eligible NZ citizen
- ✅Check the separate applicant and sponsor eligibility requirements, including age, character and any required health examinations.
📋 The Four Pillars of Relationship Evidence
1. Financial — Joint finances, shared expenses, financial interdependence
2. Household — Cohabitation, shared domestic responsibilities
3. Social — Family, friends, community acknowledge relationship
4. Commitment — Long-term plans, emotional support
📄 Applicant Documents
- ✅Current valid passport, birth certificate, national ID
- ✅Marriage certificate, or evidence of your de facto relationship and any registration or exception relevant to the usual 12-month requirement.
- ✅Complete the online Stage 1 partner visa application in ImmiAccount and retain a copy.
- ✅Police certificates for the required residence history, including an AFP check where applicable; follow the current Home Affairs instructions.
- ✅Health examination (HAP ID from ImmiAccount)
📄 Sponsor Documents
- ✅Evidence that the sponsor is an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
- ✅Complete the online partner sponsorship form using the applicant’s TRN or application ID.
- ✅AFP check and overseas police clearances
- ✅Details and supporting records of prior sponsorships and relationships, where relevant.
If you do not hold a substantive visa, additional documents may be required at lodgement for a valid application. Form 888 does not replace any separate statutory declarations required for your circumstances. Check this before lodging.
📋 Relationship Evidence
The following are examples, not a requirement to hold every listed document. Organise relevant records across your relationship history and explain any gaps or periods apart.
Financial
- ✅Joint bank accounts, shared bills, joint loans/mortgages
- ✅Insurance beneficiary evidence, financial support during separation
Household
- ✅Joint lease/mortgage, utility bills in both names
- ✅Shared mail, evidence of domestic responsibilities
Social
- ✅Statements from two adults who know you, your partner and your relationship, using Form 888, with the identity evidence requested by the form. Form 888 is not a statutory declaration.
- ✅Labelled photos, social media screenshots, community involvement
Commitment
- ✅Communication records, evidence of visits, future plans
- ✅Written accounts of your relationship history and future plans; statutory declarations where specifically required.
📄 Dependent Children
- ✅Birth certificates, passports, custody documents
- ✅Consent or court documents where required, plus the health and character evidence relevant to each child. Health requirements are not restricted to children aged 16 or over.
💰 Costs and Processing
Use the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator for current charges, including family members. Budget separately for documents and checks. The permanent stage is generally considered two years after the original combined application; some applicants may qualify earlier. This is separate from processing time.
For help reviewing your visa history and organising the application, see our 820/801 partner visa service.
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Disclaimer: This blog post provides general information only and does not constitute migration advice. Visa requirements are subject to change. Always verify the latest requirements on the Department of Home Affairs website or consult a MARA-registered migration agent.
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Reviewed by VisaTasker Migration Services
MARA Registered Migration Agent · MARN 2318017
This article is written and reviewed by VisaTasker Migration Services, a MARA-registered migration agency based in Australia. As registered agents, we are bound by the Migration Agents Code of Conduct and required to provide accurate, up-to-date advice based on Australian migration legislation. Information is reviewed against the latest Department of Home Affairs policy.
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