Preparing a Partner visa application involves more than collecting a few identity documents. You also need evidence that helps show the nature of your relationship, along with documents relevant to your own circumstances.
This Partner Visa checklist covers the main documents and relationship evidence that applicants may need for the Subclass 820/801 onshore pathway and Subclass 309/100 offshore pathway. It is relevant to both married and de facto couples.
The exact documents you need can vary. Your ImmiAccount will show documents relevant to your application, and the Department of Home Affairs may ask for additional information during processing. You can also check the Department's current Partner visa information.
Partner Visa Document Checklist at a Glance
Use this as a preparation checklist rather than a fixed list that applies to every applicant.
Home Affairs advises family visa applicants to check the document requirements for their specific visa and ImmiAccount. Non-English documents also need to be translated into English in line with the Department's requirements. Check Home Affairs guidance for family visa applications
Relationship Evidence for a Partner Visa
Relationship evidence helps the Department assess the nature of your relationship. For Partner visa purposes, evidence commonly falls across four areas: your finances, household, social life and commitment to each other.
You don't need to produce every possible type of evidence. The documents should reflect how your relationship actually works rather than trying to create a checklist of identical evidence for every couple.
Financial Aspects of the Relationship
Financial evidence can help show how you and your partner manage money and financial commitments together.
Depending on your circumstances, this may include:
- Joint bank account statements
- A joint mortgage or residential lease
- Household bills in both names
- Joint loans or major purchases
- Insurance policies
- Evidence of shared expenses or financial responsibilities.
Not every couple combines their finances in the same way. If you maintain separate accounts, other documents may help explain how you share expenses or support each other financially.
Nature of the Household
Household evidence looks at how you live and manage day-to-day responsibilities together.
Examples can include:
- A joint lease or mortgage
- Bills or correspondence sent to the same address
- Documents showing your living arrangements
- Information about how household responsibilities are shared
- Documents showing joint responsibility for children, where relevant.
Couples who have spent periods living apart may have different evidence. Not having always lived at the same address does not, by itself, tell the full story of the relationship.
Social Aspects of the Relationship
Social evidence can help show that other people and organisations recognise you as a couple.
Depending on your relationship, this could include:
- invitations addressed to you jointly
- evidence of activities attended together
- travel records
- photographs with family and friends
- memberships or registrations showing your relationship
- evidence that government, public or commercial organisations know about your relationship
- statements from people who know you as a couple.
Home Affairs' current Partner visa instructions require statements from two witnesses who are at least 18 and know the couple and their relationship. These supporting statements can generally be provided using Form 888 – Supporting statement in relation to a Partner or Prospective Marriage visa application.
There is an important exception for some Subclass 820 applicants. If you do not hold a substantive visa and are eligible to apply for the Subclass 820 visa, different lodgement requirements apply. Home Affairs states that the application must include at least two statutory declarations made within the previous six weeks by Australian citizens, Australian permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens confirming that you and your sponsor are in a married or de facto relationship. Form 888 does not satisfy this specific statutory declaration requirement.
Home Affairs also states that if the required information for this situation is not included when the application is lodged, the application may be deemed invalid. Applicants in this position should check the current Subclass 820 requirements carefully before lodging. You can access Form 888 through Knowbal's Resource Hub or view the official Home Affairs Form 888.
Nature of the Commitment
Commitment evidence looks at the longer-term nature of the relationship and how your lives are connected.
Relevant evidence may include:
- your relationship history
- evidence that you know each other's personal and family circumstances
- communication during periods spent apart
- shared plans for the future
- evidence of combined personal affairs
- wills or other documents showing longer-term commitments, where relevant.
A relationship statement can also provide context that isn't obvious from bank statements, bills or other documents. If you're preparing one, see our guide to writing a Partner visa relationship statement rather than trying to cover the full statement process within this checklist.
Documents for Married and De Facto Partner Visa Applicants
Most of the relationship evidence discussed above can apply to both married and de facto couples. The main difference is the documentation used to establish the type of relationship.
Married Couples
Married applicants should provide evidence of the marriage, such as a marriage certificate or other documentation showing that the marriage is valid in Australia.
If either partner has been married before, documents relating to previous relationships may also be relevant. These can include divorce certificates, death certificates or separation documents, depending on the circumstances.
Being married does not remove the need to provide relationship evidence. Home Affairs can still consider the financial, household, social and commitment aspects of the relationship.
De Facto Couples
De facto applicants need evidence relevant to establishing their de facto relationship. This may include documents showing living arrangements, shared finances, relationship registration where applicable, and other evidence showing the nature and duration of the relationship.
The rules around de facto relationships are separate from the document checklist itself. Questions such as the 12-month de facto relationship requirement, registered relationships and periods spent living apart are better covered in our dedicated de facto Partner visa guide.
Partner Visa 801 and 100 Permanent-Stage Document Checklist
The permanent stage is not simply a repeat of the original Partner visa application. Applicants are generally asked to provide updated information showing that the relationship continues.
The permanent-stage assessment is generally linked to the date the original combined Partner visa application was lodged, rather than the date the temporary visa was granted. Different arrangements can apply in some circumstances. Check Home Affairs' permanent Partner visa assessment information
Documents at this stage may include updated:
- Financial evidence
- Household evidence
- Social evidence
- Evidence of ongoing commitment
- Identity documents
- Relationship documents
- A Commonwealth statutory declaration completed by the sponsor
- Character documents where required
- Documents for family members included in the application.
The aim is to show what has happened since the earlier application, rather than simply uploading the same old documents again.
For more information about the permanent pathway itself, see Knowbal's guide to Partner Visa Subclass 801 and 100.
How to Organise Your Partner Visa Evidence
A large number of files does not necessarily make the evidence clearer. A smaller set of relevant documents that covers different periods and aspects of the relationship can often be easier to follow than repeated copies of similar material.
A few practical checks can help:
- Group documents by purpose, such as financial, household, social and commitment evidence
- Use clear file names that identify the document and relevant period
- Keep dates and important details consistent across forms, statements and supporting evidence
- Arrange documents chronologically where that makes the relationship history easier to understand
- Avoid uploading the same document several times unless there is a specific reason
- Explain genuine gaps or unusual circumstances rather than leaving them without context
- Keep your own copies of everything uploaded.
Home Affairs currently allows up to 100 documents per person for Partner visa applications through ImmiAccount. That is a maximum attachment limit, not a target. The Department also advises applicants to clearly identify their documents and follow the document categories shown in the application. Read the Home Affairs document upload guidance.
Final Partner Visa Document Check
Before lodging, check that you have covered the documents relevant to your circumstances rather than relying on a generic checklist alone.
Your final review should include:
- applicant identity documents
- sponsor identity and status documents
- marriage or de facto relationship documents
- financial relationship evidence
- household evidence
- social evidence
- commitment evidence
- relationship or supporting statements where relevant
- previous relationship documents where applicable
- character documents required for your circumstances
- health requirements
- documents for any family members included
- translations for documents that are not in English
- the document requests shown in your ImmiAccount.
Health examinations do not need to be treated as something every applicant must arrange before lodging. Home Affairs' current Partner visa guidance states that health examinations can be completed after application, and applicants may be asked to complete or repeat examinations depending on their circumstances. Check the Department's Partner Visa FAQs.
Before You Lodge Your Partner Visa Application
A useful Partner Visa checklist should help you organise the documents that actually reflect your relationship, not encourage you to upload every possible piece of evidence.
Before lodging, check that your identity and sponsor documents are complete, your relationship evidence covers the main areas Home Affairs considers, and any gaps or unusual circumstances are explained clearly. Also make sure your evidence is current, consistent and easy to follow.
Use your ImmiAccount and current Home Affairs guidance as the final check for your application. If you want help reviewing your documents or working out what evidence is relevant to your circumstances, you can contact Knowbal.
FAQs
Can I upload photos of documents instead of scanned copies?
Yes. Home Affairs accepts clear photos of documents through ImmiAccount, provided all the information on the document can be read. Other supporting files can also be uploaded in accepted formats such as PDF, JPG, PNG and DOCX.
Can I combine several Partner Visa documents into one file?
Documents of the same type can be grouped together where this makes sense. For example, several bank statements relating to the same evidence category can be uploaded together. Keep the file organised and easy to follow, and remember that most uploaded documents can be no larger than 5 MB each.
What happens if I upload the wrong document after lodging my Partner Visa application?
You cannot remove an attachment from ImmiAccount after the application has been lodged. If you uploaded an incorrect document, Home Affairs advises applicants to notify the Department using the Notification of incorrect answers option in ImmiAccount and attach the correct document as soon as possible.
What can I do if I reach the Partner Visa document upload limit?
ImmiAccount currently allows up to 100 documents per person for Partner Visa applications. If the document limit has been reached for all applicants and you still need to provide requested information, Home Affairs provides a Partner Processing Enquiry Form for subclasses 820, 801, 309 and 100.
Can someone else upload Partner Visa documents to my application?
An ImmiAccount application can be shared with another ImmiAccount user while it has an eligible status, such as Received or Initial Assessment. That person can then view the application and attach documents. Applicants should still make sure the information and documents provided are accurate and relevant to their application.
