Form 80 for a Partner Visa

Asking for Form 80 is a routine character-assessment step for partner visa applicants. It does not mean the Department doubts your relationship. This page was checked on 23 September 2026 against the current Form 80 PDF (design date 03/21, 19 pages, 54 questions) and the Home Affairs subclass 820 and 309 pages.

Do you need Form 80 for a partner visa?

In most cases, you need Form 80 for a partner visa. Under "Character documents", the Home Affairs subclass 820 and 309 pages tell the applicant to "complete and attach to your application Form 80". The form itself is for applicants aged 16 or over "as requested by the office processing the application", so the Department can also ask for it later. The subclass 801 page does not list it.

What is Form 80, and how does the Department use it in a partner visa application?

Form 80 is the Department's detailed personal history form. For a partner visa applicant it supports the character test in s 501 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), the identity checks and the Schedule 4 public interest criteria, alongside the certificates on the partner visa police check page.

What does Form 80 ask a partner visa applicant?

The form runs from Part A to Part T. The partner-relevant parts are:

Personal details and every name the partner visa applicant has used

• Parts A to C: name, date of birth, citizenships, every passport (including expired and lost ones) and every other name, including names before or after marriage.

Every address of the partner visa applicant for the last 10 years

• Part D, question 17: every address inside and outside Australia, including temporary accommodation.

The partner visa applicant's employment and study, with no gaps

• Part F: all employment and unemployment, including unpaid work and gaps between jobs.
• Part G: all tertiary education and qualifications.

International travel and every country the partner visa applicant visited

• Part E, question 18: every trip outside Australia in the last 10 years, including visits home.

Military service by the partner visa applicant

• Parts L and M: military service, and any work for an intelligence or security agency.

Character questions for the partner visa applicant

• Part K, question 36, and Parts N to P: charges, convictions, family violence orders, overstays, visa refusals, removals and debts to the Australian Government.

The partner visa applicant's family members and relatives

• Part Q: partner, children, parents, siblings and contacts in Australia.

The partner visa applicant's declaration

• Part S: you declare the information "complete, correct and up-to-date in every detail" and sign. Part T holds extra space and explanations.

How does a partner visa applicant complete Form 80 without gaps?

1. Work backwards from CURRENT, using month and year for every entry.
2. Account for every month, including time between jobs, study, travel and time living with your partner's family.
3. Estimate rather than leave blank, and say at Part T that it is an estimate.
4. Use Part T for overflow rather than squeezing entries into a box.
5. Cross-check addresses, names and relationship dates against what you and your sponsor gave in ImmiAccount.

An example, for illustration. An applicant now living in Brisbane lived in Manila from January 2016 to May 2020, then in Dubai for work from June 2020 to August 2023, then moved to Brisbane in September 2023. They list three addresses running from September 2016 (10 years before signing) to CURRENT with no missing month. The same dates then tell them which police certificates they need.

What happens if your partner visa Form 80 has a gap or a mistake?

• A gap. Explain it at Part T. An unexplained gap may bring a request for more information under s 56 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth).
• A mistake found after you lodge. Section 105 of the Act requires you to correct it as soon as practicable. Use "Notification of incorrect answer(s)" under Update details in ImmiAccount, or Form 1023.
• A false or misleading answer. Public interest criterion 4020 in Schedule 4, which the subclass 820 criteria apply, allows refusal where false or misleading information is given.

How does Form 80 relate to your partner visa police certificates?

Your 10-year address history decides which police certificates you need. Home Affairs asks for one from every country, Australia included, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, as the partner visa police check page explains.

What is Form 1221, and does a partner visa applicant need it too?

Form 1221, "Additional personal particulars information" (design date 03/21), is a supplementary form for applicants aged 16 or over. The Home Affairs partner visa pages do not list it, so complete it only if the Department asks. It is listed with the other partner visa forms.

Does Form 80 delay a partner visa?

Only if it is late, incomplete or raises questions. If the Department has to ask for it or for an explanation, the application waits for your answer and the checks that follow. How long partner visas take overall is on the partner visa processing time page.

How do you lodge Form 80 for a partner visa?

1. Download the current PDF from immi.homeaffairs.gov.au and type into it in Adobe Acrobat Reader, or print it and write in English in block letters.
2. Sign and date Part S, scan it in colour as one file, and attach it in ImmiAccount to the applicant it belongs to.

Does the partner visa sponsor complete Form 80?

The Home Affairs "For Sponsors" instructions do not list Form 80. The sponsor gives police certificates and consents to disclosure of relevant convictions instead.

Questions about Form 80 and a partner visa

How long does Form 80 take to complete for a partner visa?

It depends on how many addresses, jobs and trips you have; gather passports and employment dates first.

Do you need Form 80 for the partner visa second stage?

The subclass 801 page does not list it, but it may ask for a new police certificate. Complete Form 80 again only if the Department asks.

Do children in the partner visa application need one?

The form is for applicants aged 16 or over, and Home Affairs asks for character documents for dependants aged 16 or 17.

Does an old conviction have to be disclosed on a partner visa Form 80?

Question 36 asks about any conviction "including any conviction which is now removed from official records". Whether and how it affects your application is a question for a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner under ss 276 and 280 of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth).

Can a partner visa applicant save Form 80 and finish it later?

Yes. It is a fillable PDF, so you can save it in Adobe Acrobat Reader and return to it.

Getting a partner visa Form 80 right

Form 80 is where small inconsistencies surface: a date that doesn't match the relationship history, a missing name, a forgotten trip. A registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner reconciles it with the rest of the partner visa file before it is lodged. That makes an application they prepare more likely to succeed, though no one can promise a grant.

Partner visa forms and the character requirement

• The partner visa police check page covers police certificates and the character requirement Form 80 supports.
• The partner visa processing time page shows how long applications take once the file is complete.
• The partner visa forms page lists every other form in the application.

Questions people ask

Do I need Form 80 for a partner visa?

In most cases, yes. The Home Affairs subclass 820 and 309 pages list Form 80 under character documents and tell the applicant to complete it and attach it to the application. The form itself is for applicants aged 16 or over, and the Department can also ask for it at any point while the application is open.

How many years does Form 80 cover for a partner visa applicant?

Ten years for addresses and for international travel, with no gaps in the address history. The employment question is not limited to 10 years; it asks for all employment and unemployment, with any gap explained. Education asks for all tertiary study and qualifications.

Does the partner visa sponsor fill in Form 80?

The Home Affairs sponsor instructions for partner visas do not list Form 80. Sponsors give Australian and overseas police certificates and written consent to disclose relevant convictions instead. The Department can still ask anyone involved for more information.

What if I leave a gap in Form 80?

The form says that if there are gaps in the address or employment history you must explain them at Part T, Additional information. An unexplained gap may prompt a request for more information under s 56 of the Migration Act 1958, which slows the application.

Sources

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

1. Home Affairs, Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
2. Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801), character documents immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
3. Home Affairs, Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answer(s) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
4. Migration Act 1958 (Cth), ss 56, 105 and 501 www.legislation.gov.au