How to Apply for a Partner Visa in Australia

The applicant and the sponsor each lodge their own application, and ImmiAccount links them: the applicant's visa application comes first, and the sponsor's sponsorship is made with the reference number it produces. Every step below was checked against the Home Affairs subclass 820 and 309 pages (last updated 10 August 2026) and the Partner Visa FAQs (last updated 16 September 2026). This page explains the process; it is not immigration assistance as defined in s 276 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth).

The 8 steps to apply for a partner visa

1. Choose the visa. In Australia on the day of lodgement it is subclass 820 and 801; outside Australia it is 309 and 100. You may lodge it yourself, and nothing in the process requires a registered migration agent.
2. Check the sponsor. The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen aged 18 or over, and the partner visa sponsor requirements limit how often a person can sponsor.
3. Gather the documents as colour scans with English translations; Home Affairs says certified copies are not needed. The partner visa document checklist lists them.
4. Create an ImmiAccount with an email address.
5. Complete the online application under New application, Family, "Stage 1 – Partner or Prospective Marriage Visa", which replaced the paper Form 47SP.
6. Pay and submit. Nothing is processed until the charge is paid. Note the Transaction Reference Number (TRN).
7. The sponsor lodges "Sponsorship for a Partner to Migrate to Australia" with the TRN, from their own ImmiAccount or the applicant's.
8. Finish the file: attach the rest, arrange health examinations, give biometrics if asked and answer any request.

What do you need before you start?

• The applicant's passport and a birth certificate naming both parents.
• The sponsor's passport, birth certificate and a photo of their face, plus evidence of living in Australia if they are not a citizen.
• Evidence of the relationship under the four headings the Department uses: finances, household, social matters and commitment.
• Two statements from people aged 18 or over who know you as a couple, usually on Form 888.
• Police certificates from every country where the applicant spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16 (valid for 12 months from issue).
• The TRN from step 6, for the sponsor.

How do you set up ImmiAccount for a partner visa?

The applicant creates the account and lodges from it, and the sponsor lodges from the same account or their own, so the two applications meet there; the set-up and linking steps are linked in the final section.

Who lodges first — the applicant or the sponsor?

The applicant lodges first. Home Affairs tells the applicant to submit, pay and pass the TRN to the sponsor, and tells the sponsor to apply after that, from in or outside Australia. The sponsor should not wait: the applicant must have a sponsor when the application is made and while it is decided, as the partner visa sponsor requirements explain.

What does it cost to lodge, and when do you pay?

You pay once, at lodgement, for both stages. As at 23 September 2026 Home Affairs shows the subclass 820 and 801 charge as from A$11,710 for most applicants and from A$1,955 for Prospective Marriage visa holders, with a lower charge since 1 July 2026 for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens. Each family member adds a charge; health checks, police certificates and biometrics are extra; nothing is refunded on refusal. Use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for your own figure; the partner visa cost page on this site sets out the full breakdown.

What is a decision-ready partner visa application?

A decision-ready application has every document and correct answer in it on the day you lodge, so an officer can decide it without asking for more. The Department's "Check twice, submit once" guidance (last updated 22 January 2025) lists the habits: attach all documents, translate non-English ones, match your name to your passport, get police certificates first, give biometrics quickly and answer requests promptly.

Some websites say a partner visa "decision-ready" requirement started in April 2026. As at 23 September 2026 this guide found no such requirement in any Home Affairs page, form or instrument, so treat it as unconfirmed. The practical rule is the same either way: lodge complete, and have the sponsor lodge straight after the TRN is issued.

What happens after you lodge?

1. Day one. The Department acknowledges the application in ImmiAccount.
2. Onshore. If you held a substantive visa when you applied, a Bridging visa A starts when that visa ends.
3. Next weeks. ImmiAccount shows the health examinations you need, and any biometrics request arrives.
4. While you wait. The Department may ask for more information under s 56 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), and asks you to update relationship evidence regularly.
5. Two years after applying. You become eligible for assessment of subclass 801 or 100.

Timings are on the partner visa processing time page; the wait itself is covered on this site's waiting page.

Can you apply from a tourist or student visa?

Yes, if you are in Australia and your visa has no no-further-stay condition such as condition 8503, or a waiver was approved before you lodge. Without a substantive visa you must show compelling reasons for the grant, unless you held a Prospective Marriage visa. A person refused or cancelled in Australia may be barred by s 48 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth). This site's condition 8503 and Schedule 3 waiver pages hold the detail.

How do you withdraw a partner visa application?

The applicant withdraws the visa application by written notice under s 49 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth):

1. In ImmiAccount select Update details, then "withdrawal of a visa application" (or attach Form 1446).
2. Withdraw both subclasses, with a signed statement from each applicant aged 18 or over.
3. Do not simply remove the application from your list; that does not withdraw it.

The sponsor withdraws the sponsorship through the Partner Processing Enquiry Form, choosing "I am withdrawing my Sponsorship" and attaching a signed statement and photo identification. Home Affairs says a sponsor can withdraw at any time before the permanent visa is decided.

The consequences:

• Charge. The charge is not refunded just because the application is withdrawn (s 49(4)). Form 1424 lists the limited cases where a refund is possible.
• Bridging visa. A bridging visa granted on or after 19 November 2016 with the withdrawn application ends 35 calendar days after you tell the Department.
• Section 48. A withdrawal before a refusal is not treated as a refusal for s 48 (s 49(3)).

Who can lawfully help you with a partner visa application?

Immigration assistance is defined in s 276 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) and restricted by s 280 to registered migration agents, Australian legal practitioners and a few exempt people, such as your sponsor or a close family member, so a friend may help with clerical work but not advise; the choice is weighed on the page about a migration agent for a partner visa.

What are the most common partner visa application mistakes?

1. No sponsorship lodged. The applicant must have a sponsor, and without a substantive visa the sponsorship must be in at lodgement (Home Affairs, subclass 820 page).
2. Untranslated documents. Every non-English document needs an English translation (the translations page).
3. Form 888 instead of statutory declarations. Applicants without a substantive visa need Commonwealth statutory declarations (the partner visa document checklist).
4. Lodging under condition 8503. The waiver must be approved first (the condition 8503 page).
5. Leaving out names, past relationships or convictions. Public interest criterion 4020 in Schedule 4 of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) covers false or misleading information (the character page).
6. Removing the application to withdraw it. Removal only hides it (Home Affairs, Applying online in ImmiAccount).
7. Emailing documents. Home Affairs asks for them in ImmiAccount.

Questions about applying for a partner visa

Can you apply for a partner visa twice?

Yes, but a new application means a new charge. If you are in Australia without a substantive visa after a refusal or cancellation, s 48 may stop a new application.

Can you add a child after lodging?

Yes, before the temporary visa is decided, with Form 1436 and then the Partner Processing Enquiry Form. For subclass 820 the child must be in Australia; for 309, outside it.

What happens if you make a mistake on the form?

Use "Notification of incorrect answer(s)" under Update details (the online Form 1023). Section 105 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) requires the correction as soon as practicable.

Do you have to be in Australia on the day of the decision?

Not for subclass 820: Home Affairs says you can be in or outside Australia when the temporary visa is decided.

Getting the application right

A partner visa is refused if one criterion is missed, and the charge is not refunded. A registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner checks each criterion against the evidence before lodgement, knows which documents the Department needs for your subclass, and answers requests within the deadline. That makes an application they prepare more likely to succeed, although no one can promise a grant.

Partner visa forms, documents and who can sponsor you

• The partner visa forms page lists every form in the application and who completes each one.
• The page on ImmiAccount for a partner visa covers creating the account, linking the sponsorship and attaching evidence.
• The page on biometrics for a partner visa explains when you are asked for fingerprints and a photo, and where to give them.
• The partner visa document checklist lists every document and where it goes in ImmiAccount.
• The partner visa sponsor requirements set out who can sponsor and what the sponsor provides.
• The Australian partner visa guide compares the subclasses and where to start.

Questions people ask

Who lodges first for a partner visa, the applicant or the sponsor?

The applicant lodges first. Home Affairs tells the applicant to submit and pay for the partner visa application in ImmiAccount, note the Transaction Reference Number, and give it to the sponsor. The sponsor then lodges the sponsorship using that number, from their own ImmiAccount or the applicant's.

Can I apply for a partner visa myself?

Yes. Nothing in the Migration Act 1958 requires a partner visa applicant to use a registered migration agent or lawyer, and many couples lodge through ImmiAccount themselves. The restriction in sections 276 and 280 applies to the person who gives immigration assistance, not to you lodging your own application.

How do I withdraw a partner visa application?

Open the application in ImmiAccount, select Update details, then withdrawal of a visa application. If that link is missing, complete Form 1446 and attach it. Everyone in the application aged 18 or over must sign, both subclasses must be withdrawn, and the charge is not refunded just because you withdraw.

Can I apply for a partner visa on paper?

Only if the Department invites you to. Home Affairs says partner visa applications must be lodged online through ImmiAccount, and a paper application made without an invitation is invalid and will not be processed.

Does the partner visa fee cover both stages?

Yes. The charge paid at lodgement covers the temporary and the permanent stage, for example subclasses 820 and 801. As at 23 September 2026 Home Affairs shows it as from A$11,710 for most applicants, with a separate charge for each family member included. Check the Visa Pricing Estimator for your own figure.

Sources

Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.

1. Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801), step by step immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
2. Home Affairs, Partner Visa Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
3. Home Affairs, Applying online in ImmiAccount immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
4. Home Affairs, Withdraw a visa application immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
5. Home Affairs, Visa Pricing Estimator immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
6. Migration Act 1958 (Cth), Federal Register of Legislation www.legislation.gov.au