Partner Visa Health Check
Every partner visa applicant must pass a health check: a medical examination at a Department-approved clinic that adds a chest x-ray from age 11 and an HIV test from age 15.
You meet the health requirement under Public Interest Criterion 4007 in Schedule 4 of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), which cl 820.223 and cl 309.225 apply to partner visa applicants. Because the partner visa uses PIC 4007, a health waiver can be considered if you do not meet part of it. This page was checked against the Department of Home Affairs' health pages on 23 September 2026.
Do you need a health check for a partner visa?
Yes. You, and every family member who applies with you, must meet the health requirement, including children. Family members who are not migrating may also have to meet it unless the Minister finds that unreasonable. The sponsor is not the applicant: the Department's partner visa pages ask the sponsor for police certificates and sponsorship forms, not for health examinations.
What examinations do you need?
The Department's table for permanent and provisional visas applies to a partner visa.
| Examination | Who has to do it | What it screens for | How long the result is valid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medical examination | Every applicant, at every age | General health and medical history | 12 months from the date you complete your examinations |
| Tuberculosis screening test (skin test or blood test) | Children aged 2 to 10 from a country the Department rates higher risk for tuberculosis | Tuberculosis infection | 12 months |
| Chest x-ray | Applicants aged 11 and over | Tuberculosis | 12 months |
| HIV test | Applicants aged 15 and over | HIV | 12 months |
| Serum creatinine/eGFR | Applicants aged 15 and over | Kidney function | 12 months |
| Hepatitis B test | Applicants aged 15 and over born in a higher-risk country, and pregnant applicants who plan to give birth in Australia | Hepatitis B | 12 months |
| Any further test | Anyone, if a condition is found | Whatever the doctor or the Department asks about | Set by the request |
Is the medical included in the partner visa cost?
No. You pay the clinic for the examination; the Department's charge, from A$11,710 for most applicants as at 23 September 2026, does not include it. The total is on the partner visa cost page, and who sets the examination fee is explained on the visa medical page linked at the end of this one.
How long does a partner visa health clearance last?
12 months from the date you complete your examinations, according to the Department. The Department says partner applications can have long processing times, and it may ask you to repeat the examinations if the results expire first. If a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth asks you to sign a health undertaking, that undertaking is valid for 6 months. When and how to book is on the visa medical page linked at the end of this one.
Who does the partner visa examination?
Only a provider the Department has approved. Outside Australia that is a panel physician on the Department's list of offices and panel physicians outside Australia.
What fails the partner visa health requirement?
Under PIC 4007(1), you do not meet the requirement if you:
- have tuberculosis
- have a disease or condition that is, or may result in you being, a threat to public health in Australia or a danger to the Australian community
- have a disease or condition that would be likely to need health care or community services that would result in a significant cost to the Australian community, or prejudice the access of Australian citizens and permanent residents to those services.
The Department sets the significant cost threshold at A$86,000, last updated on 1 July 2024 and still current on its page updated 21 September 2026. For a provisional or permanent visa, costs are generally estimated over 5 years (3 years from age 75), or over up to 10 years for a permanent condition with a predictable course. The services the Department treats as in short supply are organ transplants and dialysis. A Medical Officer of the Commonwealth makes the assessment, based on what a hypothetical person with the same condition would need, and cannot take private insurance or your own money into account.
Can the partner visa health requirement be waived?
Yes, in part. The partner visa is one of the visas for which PIC 4007(2) allows a waiver. The Minister may waive the significant-cost and access limbs if you satisfy every other criterion for the visa and the Minister is satisfied the grant would be unlikely to result in undue cost to the Australian community or undue prejudice to Australians' access to health care or community services. A waiver cannot be exercised for tuberculosis or for a condition that threatens public health. You do not apply for one: the Department says your case officer contacts you if a waiver is available, asks for more information and considers each case individually.
Questions about the partner visa health requirement
Does the sponsor need a medical for a partner visa?
No. The health requirement applies to the applicant and their family members, and the Department's sponsor requirements do not include health examinations.
Do children need a partner visa medical?
Yes. Every child included in the application has a medical examination, with further tests by age as in the table above.
Health, character and what the checks cost
- Character is the other half of this stage: the partner visa police check page covers police certificates and the s 501 test.
- How to book and attend the examination, what it costs and when the results arrive are on the visa medical for a partner visa page.
- For the full list of conditions an applicant and sponsor must meet, see partner visa requirements.
A health finding can end an application that meets every other criterion, and whether a waiver can be put depends on facts only you and your doctor hold. A registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner knows how the Department assesses these cases, so an application they prepare is more likely to succeed. Nobody can promise a grant.
Questions people ask
Do you need a health check for a partner visa?
Yes. You and any family members who apply with you must meet the health requirement, and the Department asks partner visa applicants to have health examinations. Family members who are not migrating may also need to meet it. The Department's partner visa pages do not ask the sponsor for health examinations.
What medical tests are done for a partner visa?
For a permanent or provisional visa such as a partner visa, everyone has a medical examination. From age 11 a chest x-ray is added, and from age 15 an HIV test and a serum creatinine/eGFR test. A hepatitis B test is added if you were born in a higher-risk country, and children aged 2 to 10 from a higher-risk country have a tuberculosis screening test.
Can a partner visa be refused for health reasons?
Yes. Public Interest Criterion 4007 is not met if you have tuberculosis, a condition that threatens public health, or a condition likely to cost more than the significant cost threshold of A$86,000 or to limit access to services in short supply. For the cost and access limbs, the partner visa allows a health waiver.
How long is a partner visa medical valid?
The Department says the results of your health assessment are valid for 12 months from the date you complete your examinations. If they expire before your visa is decided, it may ask you to do them again. A health undertaking, if you are asked to sign one, is valid for 6 months.
Do you redo the medical for the permanent stage of a partner visa?
Only if the Department asks. Results are valid for 12 months, and the Department says it may ask you to repeat the examinations if they expire before it decides your visa.
Sources
Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), Sch 4 Public Interest Criterion 4007; Sch 2 cl 820.223 and cl 309.225 www.legislation.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, What health examinations you need, last updated 21 September 2026 immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Significant healthcare and community service costs, last updated 21 September 2026 immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Health waiver immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Partner visa frequently asked questions, last updated 16 September 2026 immi.homeaffairs.gov.au