The Partner Visa allows spouses and de facto partners of Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens to live in Australia. It’s a pathway to permanent residency and, eventually, Australian citizenship. Here’s what you need to know about the requirements, the cost and the process.
Table of Contents
What is a Partner Visa?
A Partner Visa lets you live and work in Australia if you’re in a genuine relationship with an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen.
The application is a two-stage process — but you only lodge one application, and you only pay once.
| You are in Australia | You are outside Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary visa | Subclass 820 | Subclass 309 |
| Permanent visa | Subclass 801 | Subclass 100 |
You first apply for the temporary visa (820 or 309). Then, two years after the date you lodged your application (not from the date it was granted), your file is assessed for permanent residency (801 or 100).
⚠️ Important: the 820 and 309 are temporary visas. Being granted one does not give you permanent residency. PR only comes at stage two.
💡 The shortcut: you may be granted permanent residency straight away, skipping the temporary stage, if your relationship has lasted more than 3 years at the time of application, or if you have a child together.
Cost of the Partner Visa (2026)
⚠️ Fees rose sharply on 1 July 2026. The Partner Visa went from $9,365 to $11,710 for the main applicant (+25%).
- Partner Visa onshore (820/801): $11,710
- Partner Visa offshore (309/100): $11,710
- Prospective Marriage Visa (300): $11,710
- Additional applicants: $5,860 (18 and over) / $2,935 (under 18)
This single fee covers both stages — you don’t pay again when your file moves to permanent residency.
But it only covers the visa application itself. On top of it, budget for:
- The medical examination (roughly $400–700 per adult)
- Police clearance certificates from every country you’ve lived in
- Certified translations of any document not in English
- A migration agent, if you use one
- A surcharge if you pay by credit card or PayPal
The fee is not refundable — even if your visa is refused. At $11,710, an avoidable refusal is a very expensive mistake. You do keep the right to appeal.
👉 Realistically, budget well over $13,000 all in. The Department provides a Visa Pricing Estimator that calculates the exact amount for your situation. Use it before you lodge.
Processing times
Partner Visa applications take a long time. As of 2026, expect roughly 17 to 24 months for the temporary visa. Complex cases take longer.
The permanent stage is assessed two years after you lodged your original application.
⚠️ Processing times shift constantly — check the current figures on the Department of Home Affairs website before planning anything around them.
Eligibility to apply for a Partner visa
Your relationship
The relationship can be a marriage or a de facto partnership, including same-sex relationships.
- Spouse: legally married to an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.
- De facto partner: in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before applying — unless there are compelling and compassionate circumstances.
In both cases, the relationship must be genuine and ongoing. You must live together, or not live apart on a permanent basis.
Sponsorship
Your Australian partner must sponsor you, and be approved as a sponsor. They commit to supporting you — including accommodation and financial assistance — for the first two years of your stay.
💡 Your sponsor needs their own ImmiAccount. In practice, both applications are usually lodged at the same time, but your visa application won’t be decided until the sponsorship is approved.
Health and character
You’ll need a medical examination with an approved panel physician, and police clearance certificates from every country you’ve lived in for 12 months or more over the last 10 years. Your sponsor will also need a police check.
What a Partner visa allows you to do
What the 820 or 309 visa allows you to do
It is the first step in the Partner visa application. A subclass 820 or 309 allows you to :
- Live in Australia until a decision is made concerning your permanent visa
- Work in Australia
- Study in Australia (without receiving government funds)
- Apply for Medicare
- Travel in and out Australia as many times as you wish
On the visa subclass 309, you can also get free English classes (up to 510 hours!).
As soon as your partner visa has been approved (subclass 820 or 309), you get permission to stay in Australia permanently (Permanent Residency).
What the 801 or 100 visa allows you to do
This is the second step in the process. Two years after applying for a 820 or 309, you can apply for a 801 or 100 visa. This will allow you to :
- Work and study in Australia
- Apply for citizenship
- Receive social payments from the government (Centrelink, Child Support,…)
- Travel freely for five years from the date the visa is granted.
⚠️ A widely misunderstood point: permanent residency does not expire. What expires after five years is your travel facility. After that, you’re still a permanent resident — but if you leave Australia, you’ll need a Resident Return Visa (RRV) to get back in.
How to apply
Be realistic: gathering the documents alone takes several months, before you can even lodge.
The documents you’ll need
The heart of the application is proving your relationship is genuine. Broadly, you’ll need:
- Application forms covering both you and your sponsor: identity, family, lifestyle, income — and the story of how you met.
- Identity documents for both of you: passport, birth certificate (certified translation required if not in English), passport photos, marriage or divorce certificate where relevant.
- Health examinations and police certificates (see above). Be prepared: the forms are long, and you’ll be asked for every address you’ve had and every country you’ve travelled to in the past ten years.
- Statutory declarations from friends or family who know you both and can vouch for the relationship.
- Official proof the relationship exists: your marriage certificate (valid in Australia), or the certificate from registering your de facto relationship.
- Proof the relationship is genuine — the heaviest and most subjective part. You’ll write out your relationship history, and supply evidence: joint lease or bank accounts, bills in both names, how you split the household, your social life as a couple, your travels, your future plans.
- Documents for dependent children, if any.
💡 The advice that actually matters: every kind of evidence counts — from a bank statement to a photo of your pet. But don’t bulk out your file with fifty holiday photos and thirty restaurant receipts. A varied, well-organised file beats a big one every time.
📄 Certified NAATI translations
Any document that isn’t in English must be translated by a certified translator. Our NAATI-certified translators handle birth certificates, police checks and other official documents — quickly and to the standard the Department requires.
Lodging your application
You apply online through your ImmiAccount.
Once lodged, you’ll get an acknowledgement and — if you’re onshore — a Bridging Visa A (BVA), which lets you stay and work while you wait. A BVA does not let you leave the country. To travel, you need a Bridging Visa B.
⚠️ As of 1 July 2026, the Bridging Visa B (020) costs $575 (up from $190).
Then comes the wait — often many months with no news. The Department may ask for extra documents along the way, so check your ImmiAccount and your emails regularly and respond quickly.
Your obligations
Changes in circumstances: both you and your sponsor must notify the Department of any change — address, relationship status, and so on.
If the relationship breaks down before the permanent visa is granted, your application may be affected. But important exceptions exist (see below).
Do You Need a Migration Agent?
You can apply on your own, or with a registered migration agent.
An agent is worth considering if:
- Your relationship is recent or complicated
- You’ve had a previous visa refusal
- You have a complex travel or work history
- You simply feel out of your depth with the paperwork
But choose carefully. Some agents will do little more than email you the government checklist and leave you to it — that’s not what you’re paying for. A good agent guides you on how to build and present your case.
⚠️ Always check your agent is MARA-registered (mara.gov.au). It’s free to check, and it’s your best protection.
Our Tips
⚠️ A note on family violence
This deserves to be said plainly, because the Partner Visa creates a legal dependency on your sponsor — and some people exploit that, threatening to “cancel your visa” as a means of control.
Australian law protects you. Under the family violence provisions, if you experience family violence — which includes emotional, psychological and financial abuse, and coercive control — you may still be able to be granted permanent residency even if the relationship ends.
You are not trapped by your visa. If this is your situation:
- 1800RESPECT — 1800 737 732 (24/7, free, confidential)
- In an emergency, call 000
- Speak to a MARA-registered agent or a community legal centre about your options
Frequently asked questions
The partner visa in Australia is a visa that allows a spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible visa holder in Australia to live, work, and study in Australia.
The eligibility requirements to obtain a partner visa in Australia mainly include evidence of a genuine and durable marital or de facto relationship, meeting the minimum age requirements, and satisfying health and character criteria.
The processing times for partner visa applications in Australia vary, but generally, it will take several months, or even years.
Yes, once you have obtained a partner visa in Australia, you are authorized to work and study in Australia.
The “temporary partner visa” is initially granted for a specified period and allows the spouse or de facto partner to reside in Australia temporarily. Once certain conditions are met, the application can be updated to a “permanent partner visa,” which offers permanent residency in Australia.
Yes, partners outside Australia can apply for the Subclass 309/100 Partner Visa, which follows a similar process but is designed for applicants outside Australia.
Useful Resources
- Partner Visa 820 (Temporary)
- Partner Visa 801 (Permanent)
- Partner Visa 309 (Provisional) & 100 (Migrant)
- MARA-registered agent search
ℹ️ The information in this article is provided for general guidance only and has been researched in good faith. It does not constitute legal or migration advice. We are not migration agents and cannot advise on individual cases. Fees, processing times and requirements are set by the Australian Government and change regularly. Always check the official website, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au, before lodging an application — or speak to a registered migration agent (MARA).
Last updated: 13 July 2026
