Partner Visa Relationship Statement
Write the partner visa relationship statement in 4 parts that follow the four statutory factors, date every event you describe, and have both the applicant and the sponsor write one.
A relationship statement is not a Home Affairs form and has no prescribed wording. The Department reads it against the four matters in regulation 1.09A of the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) (de facto partners) and regulation 1.15A (spouses), not against a template.
| Part | What it covers | Paragraphs | Factor it serves | Dates it must pin down |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. How you met | Where, when and through whom; what happened next | 1 to 2 | Nature of the commitment (duration) | First meeting, first date |
| 2. How the relationship developed | Becoming a couple, meeting families, deciding to commit | 2 to 4 | Social aspects; nature of the commitment | When you became exclusive, met each family, got engaged or married |
| 3. How you live now | Money, home and social life, one factor at a time | 3 to 6 | Financial aspects; nature of the household; social aspects | Each shared address, joint accounts opened, significant events |
| 4. Plans and time apart | Any period apart and how you kept in contact; what you plan next | 1 to 3 | Nature of the commitment | Start and end of each separation |
What is a partner visa relationship statement?
It is your own dated account of the relationship, and it ties the rest of the file together by giving each bank statement, lease and photo a date and a reason. Home Affairs asks partner visa applicants to "tell us in writing" how, when and where they first met, how the relationship developed, when they moved in together, got engaged or married, what they do together, time spent apart, significant events and plans for the future. Prospective marriage applicants are asked for the same history and their plans as spouses.
Who writes a relationship statement: the applicant, the sponsor, or both?
Both, separately. Home Affairs asks for the applicant's written history at the first stage. A sponsor's statement written independently gives a second account: when the two agree on dates without sharing sentences, they corroborate each other, and when only one partner writes, there is nothing to check it against. At the second stage the sponsor's account is compulsory, as a Commonwealth statutory declaration.
What to include in a relationship statement
- How you met and when. The date, the place, who introduced you, and what happened in the weeks after.
- The financial aspects of your relationship. When you opened or merged accounts, how you split rent and bills, money one of you gave the other and why, and any joint loan or asset.
- The nature of your household. Every address you have shared with dates, who does what at home, and how you decided to move in together.
- The social aspects of your relationship. When each family was told, events you attend as a couple, trips, and who knows you as a couple.
- The nature of your commitment. The decision to marry or commit, wills and nominations, any period apart and how you stayed in contact, and what you plan next.
How long should a relationship statement be?
No Home Affairs guidance sets a length, so any figure you see elsewhere is a preference, not a rule. Write enough to date every claim and no more; for many couples that is a few pages. Length is not evidence.
5 worked relationship statement examples
The examples below are illustrations written for this page. They are not real applications and not departmental wording. Copying them would defeat their purpose, because the Department is reading for your own events.
How you met
- Weak: "We met a few years ago through friends and instantly connected."
- Strong: "I met [partner] on 14 March 2022 at a friend's birthday dinner in Parramatta. [Friend] had invited us both. We swapped numbers that night and went to the Royal Easter Show together on 9 April."
- Why it works: a date, a place and a named introducer, each of which another document or a Form 888 witness can confirm.
A financial paragraph
- Weak: "We share everything and have no secrets about money."
- Strong: "In August 2023 we opened a joint everyday account. Both our salaries have been paid into it since October 2023, and rent, power and groceries come out of it. I pay the car loan from my own account, and [partner] covers our phone and internet plan."
- Why it works: it names the account, the month and the purpose, and it explains the parts that stay separate.
A household paragraph
- Weak: "We have lived together for a long time and share the chores."
- Strong: "We moved into [suburb] together on 1 June 2023, on a 12-month lease in both names, and renewed it in June 2024. I cook on weeknights and do the shopping. [Partner] does the laundry and manages the bills."
- Why it works: dates that match the lease, and a division of housework that answers regulation 1.09A(3)(b)(iii).
A commitment paragraph that explains a period apart
- Weak: "We were apart for a while but it didn't change anything."
- Strong: "From 3 February to 28 July 2024 I was in [country] caring for my father after his surgery. We spoke by video most evenings, and [partner] visited from 12 to 26 April. We kept paying the rent from the joint account, and I returned to our home on 28 July."
- Why it works: it gives the reason, the exact period, the contact and a visit, and it shows the household never ended. Separations need this detail more than any other paragraph.
A sponsor's paragraph
- Weak: (the applicant's paragraph repeated with the names swapped)
- Strong: "When [applicant] went home in February 2024, I took over the bills and kept our place. I booked my April trip on 20 February, and her father's surgery was why I met her extended family for the first time."
- Why it works: the same events told from the sponsor's side, with details only the sponsor would know.
What weakens a relationship statement?
- Two statements that are word for word the same.
- Claims with no dates ("for a long time", "recently").
- Feelings with no events behind them.
- A chronology that contradicts the documents: a move-in date that does not match the lease, or a trip with no booking.
- Events described that no document or witness supports.
A mismatch between the statement and the file is one of the things that leads the Department to doubt a relationship, as explained on the contrived relationship page.
Does the relationship statement have to be a statutory declaration?
Not at the first stage, where Home Affairs asks you to tell it in writing. Many couples still make their statements as a Commonwealth statutory declaration, which makes a false statement an offence under section 11 of the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 (Cth). At the second stage (subclass 801 or 100) the sponsor must use one. Which declarations a file needs is covered on the partner visa statutory declaration page.
Does it need to be signed, dated or witnessed?
Sign and date it. A plain signed statement needs no witness. Made as a Commonwealth statutory declaration, it must be on the approved form and either witnessed by an authorised person (in person or by video link) or completed digitally through myGov, as the partner visa statutory declaration page explains.
What do you write at the second stage?
Write a new statement covering the period since you applied; do not resubmit the first one. Second-stage documents for the subclass 801 or 100 go in once two years have passed since the first application. Cover where you have lived, changes in money and the household, time apart and events since then.
Writing the statement when your circumstances are unusual
You have lived apart
Illustration: "We have lived in different cities since January 2025 because my employer transferred me to Perth for 18 months. We alternate weekends, fly on the first Friday of each month, and plan to live together in Brisbane from July 2026." Give the reason, the arrangement and the end date.
Your relationship has run less than 12 months
De facto couples usually need 12 months together before applying. The statement should then explain the registration or the compelling circumstances you rely on, as set out in the 12-month de facto rule.
You have children together
Illustration: "Our son was born on 2 May 2024 at Westmead Hospital. I do school drop-off, [partner] does pick-up, and we share his medical appointments." Joint care of children is part of regulation 1.09A(3)(b)(i).
English is not your first language
Write in the language you think in, then have it translated. Home Affairs requires an English translation of every document not in English: by a NAATI-accredited translator in Australia, or overseas by a translator who adds their details and qualifications.
You are applying for a prospective marriage visa
Illustration: "We became engaged in Hanoi on 10 February 2026 and have booked a celebrant in Adelaide for 14 November 2026." The statement covers when you met in person, the engagement, the wedding plans and your plans to live together as spouses, not a shared household.
Questions about the partner visa relationship statement
Can you use a template you found online?
For headings and order only. Borrowed sentences read as borrowed.
Should both statements tell the same story?
Yes on facts, no on wording: the dates should match, the sentences should not.
Does the Department read every page?
Assume it does, and that every claim is checked against your documents.
Can you update the statement after lodging?
Yes. Add a short dated update in ImmiAccount rather than replacing the original.
Relationship evidence and the other written declarations
- The partner visa relationship evidence page: the four factors your statement should follow, and the documents that back each one.
- The partner visa statutory declaration page: which declarations a partner visa file needs.
- The Form 888 for a partner visa page: the supporting statements from friends and family.
- The contrived relationship page: what makes the Department doubt a relationship.
A contradiction in your statement can outweigh a stack of good records. An application prepared by a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner is more likely to succeed. They can check each date against the documents, make sure both statements cover all four factors, and deal with a separation or a short relationship in the way the regulations require. No adviser can promise a grant.
Questions people ask
What should a partner visa relationship statement include?
Home Affairs asks applicants to set out in writing how, when and where they first met, how the relationship developed, when they moved in together, got engaged or married, what they do together, time spent apart, significant events and plans for the future. Organising those events under the four relationship factors in the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) and dating each one makes the statement easy to check against your documents.
Does the sponsor need to write a relationship statement too?
At the first stage Home Affairs asks the applicant for a written relationship history, and a separate statement from the sponsor in their own words adds a second, independent account. At the second stage (subclass 801 or 100) the sponsor must attach a Commonwealth statutory declaration about the relationship.
How long should a partner visa relationship statement be?
No Home Affairs guidance sets a length. A statement is long enough when every claim is dated and every paragraph carries a fact, which for many couples is a few pages. Length is not evidence, and padding makes the dated facts harder to find.
Does a partner visa relationship statement have to be a statutory declaration?
Not at the first stage, where Home Affairs asks you to tell it in writing about your relationship. Many couples still put their statements into a Commonwealth statutory declaration, which makes a false statement a criminal offence. At the second stage the sponsor's statement must be a Commonwealth statutory declaration.
Can you use a relationship statement template found online?
You can use a template for headings and order, but not for wording. Two statements with the same sentences, or a statement that reads like someone else's, weaken the application. The statement is only useful as evidence if it describes your own dated events in your own words.
Sources
Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.
- Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclass 820), relationship history immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Home Affairs, Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300), written statements immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclass 801), sponsor's statutory declaration immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth), regs 1.09A and 1.15A www.legislation.gov.au