Proving a Partner Visa Sponsor Is an Australian Citizen or Permanent Resident
A partner visa sponsor proves their status with an Australian passport, birth or citizenship certificate, or permanent visa grant, and replaces a lost citizenship certificate by applying for evidence of citizenship on Form 119 for A$290 as at 23 September 2026.
A driver's licence or Medicare card does not prove citizenship or permanent residence for a partner visa: Home Affairs says on its subclass 820 page that neither is sufficient evidence of the sponsor's status. Every sponsor is asked for a copy of their passport, their birth certificate and a photo of their face, and the table below shows which document settles the status question for each kind of sponsor.
| The sponsor is… | Document that proves it | Not accepted on its own | Where to get it | Fee (as at 23 September 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| An Australian citizen born in Australia before 20 August 1986 | Australian birth certificate, or Australian passport | Driver's licence, Medicare card | State or territory births, deaths and marriages registry | Registry fee |
| An Australian citizen born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986 | Australian passport or evidence of citizenship, or birth certificate plus evidence of a parent's citizenship or permanent residence at the birth | The birth certificate alone | Passport Office, or Form 119 from Home Affairs | A$290 for Form 119 |
| An Australian citizen by conferral | Citizenship certificate, or Australian passport | Driver's licence, Medicare card | Given after the ceremony. Replace on Form 119 | A$290 for Form 119 |
| An Australian citizen by descent | The citizenship evidence issued on registration by descent, or Australian passport | An overseas birth certificate alone | Home Affairs. Replace on Form 119 | A$290 for Form 119 |
| Holder of an Australian passport (any of the above) | The passport's personal details page | — | Australian Passport Office | Passport fee |
| An Australian permanent resident | The visa grant notice, with the passport it is linked to | A foreign passport alone, which carries no visa label | Home Affairs grant letter, and VEVO | Nil |
| An eligible New Zealand citizen | New Zealand passport, plus evidence of protected Special Category visa status | A New Zealand passport alone | See the New Zealand sponsor page | Nil |
What documents prove a partner visa sponsor is an Australian citizen?
An Australian passport or a citizenship certificate proves it directly, whenever and however the sponsor became a citizen. A birth certificate proves it on its own only for a person born in Australia before 20 August 1986. Home Affairs says anyone born in Australia between 26 January 1949 and 19 August 1986 was a citizen at birth unless a parent was a foreign diplomat or consular officer. For a birth on or after 20 August 1986, s 12 of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth) makes the person a citizen only if a parent was an Australian citizen or permanent resident at the time, or the person was ordinarily resident in Australia for their first 10 years. The other criteria a sponsor must meet are the partner visa sponsor requirements.
What proves a partner visa sponsor is a permanent resident?
The permanent visa grant notice, read with the passport the visa is linked to. Home Affairs says Australian visas are digital and are not labelled in passports, and that VEVO is the way to show a visa and its conditions. Home Affairs also asks a permanent resident sponsor for evidence that they usually live in Australia, such as a home, work, property or family ties here.
What if the partner visa sponsor is a New Zealand citizen?
A New Zealand passport shows citizenship of New Zealand, not the protected status a sponsor needs, so it is not enough on its own. The limbs of that status and how to show them are on the page about a partner visa with a New Zealand citizen sponsor.
How does a partner visa sponsor replace a lost citizenship certificate?
By applying for evidence of Australian citizenship on Form 119 under s 37 of the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth).
A lost certificate: replace it with Form 119
- Apply online in ImmiAccount (Form 119, Application for evidence of Australian citizenship).
- Pay A$290 as at 23 September 2026, as listed in Form 1298i. Home Affairs says citizenship fees usually increase on 1 July each year.
- Give three identity documents that together show your birth name, date of birth, gender and current address, and complete Form 1195 Identity Declaration with a signed photograph.
- If you still have the old certificate, provide it. Home Affairs asks you to surrender it unless other people are named on it.
- Check the Department's citizenship processing times before planning the sponsorship around the new document.
A sponsor who never had one
A person born in Australia on or after 20 August 1986 to a citizen or permanent resident parent was never issued a certificate, and can also apply on Form 119:
- Apply online in ImmiAccount, as above.
- Give evidence of one parent's status at your birth. Home Affairs lists an Australian passport issued after 1 July 2005, a citizenship certificate or an Australian birth certificate for a citizen parent, or a passport showing a permanent visa for a permanent resident parent.
- If you became a citizen on your 10th birthday, give both parents' status at your birth and evidence of 10 years' residence, such as school reports or immunisation records.
A citizen by descent was issued evidence on registration. If it is lost, the same Form 119 steps replace it.
Can the sponsor use an Australian passport instead?
Yes. Home Affairs names a passport as evidence of the sponsor's status, and a sponsor who holds an Australian passport usually needs no certificate at all. Home Affairs does not say whether an expired Australian passport is accepted for this purpose.
Do the partner visa sponsor's documents need to be certified?
No. Home Affairs tells partner visa sponsors: "You do not need to have any documents certified." Scan or photograph every document in colour, clearly enough to read, and save a multi-page document as one file. Documents not in English need an English translation, made by a NAATI-accredited translator if it is done in Australia.
Where do the sponsor's documents go in the partner visa application?
- The sponsor lodges the sponsorship online in ImmiAccount, as Sponsorship for a Partner to Migrate to Australia, using the applicant's Transaction Reference Number.
- Attach the status document there, with the passport copy, birth certificate and photo.
- Add anything missing later. Home Affairs asks sponsors to attach documents in ImmiAccount as soon as they can, and to use the Partner Processing Enquiry Form if they cannot upload them.
The full partner visa document list
The sponsor's status document is one row of the partner visa document checklist, which covers the applicant's identity, the relationship evidence and the forms. Back to the partner visa sponsor requirements for who may sponsor.
A missing or wrong status document can leave the sponsorship unapproved, and the visa cannot be granted without it. An application prepared by a registered migration agent or an Australian legal practitioner is more likely to succeed, because they spot a post-1986 birth certificate that proves nothing on its own, or a New Zealand sponsor without protected status, before lodgement. No adviser can promise a grant.
Questions people ask
What documents prove a partner visa sponsor is an Australian citizen?
An Australian passport, an Australian citizenship certificate, or an Australian birth certificate for a person born in Australia before 20 August 1986. Home Affairs asks every partner visa sponsor for a copy of their passport, their birth certificate and a photo of their face, and says a driver's licence or Medicare card is not sufficient evidence.
Is a birth certificate enough to prove Australian citizenship for a partner visa sponsor?
Only for a person born in Australia before 20 August 1986, who was generally a citizen at birth. A person born in Australia on or after that date is a citizen only if a parent was a citizen or permanent resident at the birth, or they lived in Australia for their first 10 years, so the birth certificate needs to be read with other evidence or replaced by a passport or citizenship certificate.
How much does it cost to replace a lost Australian citizenship certificate?
As at 23 September 2026, an application for evidence of Australian citizenship on Form 119 costs A$290, according to the Department of Home Affairs fee list, Form 1298i. It is lodged online in ImmiAccount, and fees usually rise on 1 July each year.
Do a partner visa sponsor's documents need to be certified?
No, for an online application. Home Affairs tells partner visa sponsors they do not need to have any documents certified. Scan or photograph each document in colour, clearly enough to read, and attach non-English documents with an English translation.
Sources
Primary sources this page was checked against on 23 September 2026.
- Department of Home Affairs, Partner visa (subclass 820), For Sponsors tab immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Get a citizenship certificate (evidence of Australian citizenship), last updated 24 July 2026 immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Form 1298i Citizenship application fees (design date 07/26) immi.homeaffairs.gov.au
- Australian Citizenship Act 2007 (Cth), ss 12 and 37 www.legislation.gov.au
- Department of Home Affairs, Citizenship processing times immi.homeaffairs.gov.au