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Giving Biometrics for a Partner Visa

Some partner visa applicants, mostly those applying from outside Australia, are asked to give biometrics (fingerprints and a facial image) at an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre, and the request letter in ImmiAccount says whether it applies to you and by when.

Last checked 4 primary sources About Partnership Visa Australia

A fingerprint scanner pad beside a small desk camera and a potted plant.

You do not book biometrics before you are asked. The request arrives in your ImmiAccount after you lodge, and it tells you whether to attend a collection centre or use the Australian Immi App. This page was checked against the Home Affairs "Biometrics" page (last updated 23 March 2026) and "Australian Immi App" page (last updated 29 April 2026) on 23 September 2026.

Question Answer
Who is usually asked Applicants outside Australia in countries where the Department collects biometrics
Whether subclass 820 applicants in Australia are asked Only if the Department sends a letter or invitation
How you are told A "Requirement to provide personal identifiers (biometrics)" letter in ImmiAccount
Time allowed Stated in the letter; 14 days from lodgement in the Philippines, for example
Where you give them An Australian Biometrics Collection Centre (ABCC), the Australian Immi App if your letter allows it, or an in-person appointment in Australia
What you bring The request letter and the passport linked to your application
Fee A service fee charged by the collection centre, not the Department
Children A parent or guardian must attend with a minor
If you do not give them Your application may be invalid or cannot be granted
Last verified 23 September 2026

Do you need to give biometrics for a partner visa?

Only if the Department asks you. Under s 257A of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), an officer may require a person to provide personal identifiers. Section 5A defines these to include fingerprints and an image of the face. Home Affairs says, "We will tell you if you need to provide biometrics".

Applying offshore (subclass 309 or 300)

VFS Global runs ABCCs for the Department in the countries Home Affairs lists, which included the Philippines, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, South Africa and Colombia, among others, as at March 2026. In some countries the rule is broad. The Australian Embassy in the Philippines says applicants there must give biometrics "for each application lodged, irrespective of their nationality", unless exempt. If you are applying for a partner visa subclass 309, expect the letter soon after lodgement if your country is on the list.

Applying in Australia (subclass 820)

Only if the Department asks. Home Affairs says collection for onshore applications is "by appointment only", after it sends a letter or invitation. If you have not received one, there is nothing to book. If you applied offshore and are now in Australia, you must tell the office where you applied, and you may need to travel to an ABCC abroad.

How do you give biometrics for a partner visa?

Biometrics sit in step 8 of how to apply for a partner visa, after lodgement:

  1. Read the letter. Open the message in ImmiAccount and note the deadline and the Visa Lodgement Number (VLN). Where the letter appears is covered in ImmiAccount for a partner visa.
  2. Choose the method. Use the app if your VLN starts with AUI; otherwise use an ABCC.
  3. Book. Make an ABCC appointment through VFS Global. You may need to travel to another country.
  4. Attend. Bring the letter and the passport linked to your application. Staff photograph your face and scan all 10 fingertips.
  5. Keep the confirmation and check ImmiAccount afterwards.

Can you use the Australian Immi App instead of a centre?

Yes, if two things are true: your letter has a VLN beginning with AUI, and you are in one of the countries Home Affairs lists for the app. The app takes your passport details and a live facial image. Your phone needs a working camera, NFC and location services. If your VLN does not start with AUI, you must attend an ABCC.

How much does giving biometrics for a partner visa cost?

Home Affairs says ABCCs "charge a service fee for biometrics collection", so the amount is set by the centre, not the Department. The Visa Pricing Estimator does not include it. Check the current fee with the collection centre when you book.

How long do biometrics take for a partner visa?

The collection is a single short appointment. Home Affairs does not publish a standard length or say how soon afterwards the result is recorded. What matters is giving them before the deadline in your letter, which in the Philippines is 14 days from lodgement.

Do you need to give biometrics again for a partner visa?

Possibly. Home Affairs says it stores your biometrics and "might take your biometrics again" when you enter Australia or apply for another visa. The Philippines embassy says applicants there give them "each and every time they apply for a visa". For the permanent stage, act only on a request that appears in ImmiAccount.

What happens to a partner visa if you do not give biometrics in time?

The application may be invalid or cannot be granted. Section 46(2A) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth) makes an application invalid where a requirement to provide personal identifiers was made for that purpose and was not met. Section 40(3) also lets compliance be a condition of grant. If you cannot attend because of an injury or a lack of appointments, Home Affairs asks you to upload a written request for more time, with reasons, to ImmiAccount. Do this before the deadline passes.

Questions about partner visa biometrics

Do children give biometrics?

If the letter names them. A parent or guardian must attend with anyone who is a minor under the laws of the country where the biometrics are collected.

Does the sponsor give biometrics?

No. The request goes to visa applicants, and s 257A(3) limits when an Australian citizen can be required to give personal identifiers.

Is biometrics a sign the partner visa is nearly decided?

No. The request is an identity step that usually comes soon after lodgement, and it says nothing about how close a decision is.

Can you travel after giving biometrics?

Yes, but tell the Department if you move between countries. If you applied offshore and then come to Australia before giving biometrics, you must tell the office where you applied.

Getting identity steps right

A missed biometrics deadline can make a partner visa application invalid, and the charge is not refunded. A registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner watches for the request, asks for more time properly when an appointment cannot be had, and keeps the rest of the file ready. That makes an application they prepare more likely to succeed, though no one can promise a grant.

Biometrics and the offshore partner visa

Questions people ask

Do I need to give biometrics for a subclass 820 partner visa?

Only if the Department asks. Home Affairs says it will tell you if you need to provide biometrics, and for applications made in Australia collection is by appointment only, after the Department sends you a letter or invitation. If no letter has arrived, there is nothing to book.

How long do I have to give biometrics for a partner visa?

The deadline is in your request letter. The Australian Embassy in the Philippines, for example, says applicants there must give biometrics within 14 days of online lodgement or tell the processing office if they cannot. If you cannot make the deadline, upload a written request for more time to ImmiAccount before it passes.

Can I use the Australian Immi App instead of going to a centre?

Only if your request letter has a Visa Lodgement Number starting with AUI and you are in one of the countries Home Affairs lists for the app. If your number does not start with AUI, you must attend an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre in person.

Does the partner visa sponsor give biometrics?

No. Biometrics are requested from visa applicants. The sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and s 257A(3) of the Migration Act 1958 limits when a citizen can be required to give personal identifiers.

Sources

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

  1. Home Affairs, Biometrics immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
  2. Home Affairs, Australian Immi App immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
  3. Australian Embassy in the Philippines, Visas and citizenship philippines.embassy.gov.au
  4. Migration Act 1958 (Cth), ss 5A, 40, 46 and 257A www.legislation.gov.au

Have a registered professional check your application

Some documents must be with the application on the day you lodge it, or the application may not be valid. The charge is paid up front and is not refunded if the application is refused.

An application prepared or reviewed by a registered migration agent or an immigration lawyer is more likely to succeed: they read the criteria against your facts, spot the gaps before you pay, and answer the Department’s requests on time. No one can promise a grant.

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