Partner Visa Checklist: Documents for Applicant and Sponsor

Sources checked: 3 October 2026.

Legal help: An Australian migration lawyer with Australian Migration Lawyers can check your documents against the checklist before you lodge or reply. A partner visa with Australian Migration Lawyers usually costs $14,000 plus GST, separate from the Home Affairs visa application charge.

Requirements differ by subclass, family members and individual Department requests. This checklist is an organising aid, not confirmation that your application is ready. Print or save this page using your browser for a print-friendly copy.

What documents does a partner visa need?

Separate the visa application form, sponsorship form and supporting evidence. The initial combined 820/801 or 309/100 application is distinct from the later permanent-stage evidence update described on Home Affairs’ Partner visa pages. For the broader sequence, see the partner visa application.

Use Home Affairs’ subclass 820 or subclass 309 document list alongside this table. Subclass 300 readers should instead use the Department’s Prospective Marriage visa document list; its requirements are not identical.

Home Affairs’ subclass 820 sponsor instructions describe online sponsorship using the applicant’s TRN/Application ID after the visa application. The Migration Regulations 1994 require sponsorship approval to be in force at the relevant decision—not separate sponsor approval before ordinary partner-visa lodgement.

The table allocates responsibilities using Home Affairs’ visa pages, Partner visa FAQ, Character requirements page, Forms 80 and 888, the Migration Regulations 1994 and application-arrangements instrument IMMI 18/103, as amended by LIN 24/077. Status labels are organising labels, not Department interface labels. Coverage reflects sources checked on 3 October 2026; further requests may follow.

Applicant documents	Sponsor documents
Passport and identity. Applicant supplies passport information and checks further records against their subclass list. When: initial preparation. Status: prepare for application.	Identity and immigration status. Sponsor checks records supporting citizenship, permanent residence or eligible New Zealand citizenship against the sponsor list. When: sponsorship preparation. Status: prepare for application.
Relationship evidence. Applicant assembles financial, household, social and commitment material with both partners’ contributions. When: initial application and later update. Status: prepare for application; permanent-stage update.	Relationship evidence. Sponsor supplies relevant records and explanations aligned with the applicant’s material; identical files need not automatically be uploaded twice. When: initial preparation and updates. Status: prepare for application; permanent-stage update.
Marriage or de facto evidence. Applicant supplies material supporting the relationship basis, including marriage or registration evidence where applicable. When: initial preparation. Status: conditional.	Marriage or de facto evidence. Sponsor contributes relevant relationship records. Registration is not a substitute for the remaining relationship evidence. When: initial preparation. Status: conditional.
Witness statements. Applicant obtains statements from 2 witnesses aged 18 or over who know the relationship; Form 888 is available. When: initial application and permanent-stage update. Status: prepare for application; permanent-stage update.	Witness material. Sponsor helps identify witnesses, who supply their own statements and identity evidence. When: initial preparation and updates. Status: prepare for application; permanent-stage update.
Online visa application. Applicant completes the online answers; IMMI 18/103 names the form 47SP (Internet). When: lodgement. Status: prepare for application.	Online sponsorship. Sponsor completes “Sponsorship for a Partner to Migrate to Australia” using the applicant’s TRN/Application ID. When: after visa lodgement. Status: prepare for application.
Police certificates. Applicant and relevant family members apply the subclass-specific age and residence rules; Australia requires an AFP certificate. When: character-document preparation. Status: conditional.	Sponsor police certificates. Sponsor supplies Australian and overseas checks under sponsor instructions or a request. When: sponsorship preparation or requested stage. Status: conditional; follow a Department request.
Form 80. Applicant aged 16 or over completes and attaches it as directed by the initial-stage visa page. When: initial application. Status: prepare for application.	Form 80. Not established as a routine sponsor document. Sponsor checks any individual instruction. When: if specifically requested. Status: follow a Department request.
Health documents and instructions. Applicant and relevant family members follow examination directions; repeat 801 checks if asked. When: directed stage. Status: follow a Department request.	Health documents. The applicant’s health checklist is not a routine sponsor checklist. Sponsor checks any individually addressed instruction. When: only if directed. Status: follow a Department request.
Dependent-child documents. Applicant supplies applicable parental consent or court-order material and character documents from age 16. When: relevant application stage. Status: conditional.	Dependent-child material. Sponsor contributes records relevant to their role, without assuming a universal sponsor consent form. When: relevant application stage. Status: conditional.
Section 48 lodgement documents. Applicant provides the signed sponsorship and 2 qualifying statutory declarations where the legal trigger applies. When: at lodgement. Status: conditional.	Section 48 sponsorship document. Sponsor supplies the signed sponsorship form for that conditional application. When: at lodgement. Status: conditional.
801-stage update. Applicant supplies passport, relevant police certificates, updated relationship evidence, witness statements and family documents. When: permanent-stage submission. Status: permanent-stage update.	801-stage declaration. Sponsor supplies a Commonwealth statutory declaration about the relationship. When: permanent-stage submission. Status: permanent-stage update.
Translations and biometrics. Applicant identifies non-English records for translation and checks individual biometrics instructions. When: document preparation or directed stage. Status: conditional; follow a Department request.	Translations. Sponsor identifies non-English records for translation into English. When: document preparation. Status: conditional.

Identity and relationship documents

Which identity documents should you check?

The Migration Regulations 1994 include a valid-passport criterion unless requiring one would be unreasonable; Home Affairs’ subclass 801 page lists a passport for the permanent stage.

Check the applicant’s passport.
Identify further identity records from the relevant Home Affairs document list.
Reconcile names, dates of birth and passport details as a preparation check.
For a child applicant, check applicable non-migrating-parent consent using Form 1229 or a court order, as described on Home Affairs’ subclass 820 page.

Which relationship documents belong in the checklist?

Relationship documents should address the four considerations in regulations 1.09A and 1.15A of the Migration Regulations 1994:

Financial aspects: for example, shared financial arrangements.
Household: records explaining living arrangements and responsibilities.
Social aspects: material showing recognition of the relationship.
Commitment: records explaining the couple’s shared life and plans.

For the substance of these groups, see evidence for partner visa. Examples are illustrative, not mandatory document quantities.

Include marriage evidence where applicable and registration evidence if relying on that exception. Regulation 2.03A of the Migration Regulations 1994 makes registration an exception to the 12-month rule, not a replacement for other relationship criteria.

Home Affairs’ Partner visa pages ask for statements from 2 witnesses aged 18 or over who know the couple and relationship. Form 888, design date 08/26, requires documentary evidence of the maker’s name and age, plus citizenship or permanent-residence evidence where applicable. It imposes neither universal Australian citizenship nor JP witnessing.

Are extra declarations needed where section 48 applies?

Conditional lodgement requirement: Schedule 1 item 1124B(3)(e) of the Migration Regulations 1994 applies where section 48 of the Migration Act 1958 applies—not to everyone without a substantive visa. The trigger involves no substantive visa and a relevant refusal or cancellation since last entry; the applicant must also not have had a specified partner, spouse or interdependency visa refused since that entry.

Under item 1124B and Home Affairs’ subclass 820 instructions, provide at lodgement:

The sponsorship form signed by the partner.
2 statutory declarations from qualifying Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens, other than the partner, declaring the couple married or de facto.
Declarations made no more than 6 weeks before lodgement.
Evidence of each declarant’s qualifying status; a driver’s licence or Medicare card alone is insufficient.

Home Affairs’ subclass 820 page expressly says Form 888 does not satisfy this requirement.

The sponsor’s documents

The sponsor’s checklist covers online sponsorship, identity and qualifying status, relationship material, police certificates where required, and the 801-stage declaration, according to Home Affairs’ subclass 820 and 801 pages.

Online sponsorship: Home Affairs’ sponsor instructions use “Sponsorship for a Partner to Migrate to Australia” and the applicant’s TRN/Application ID.
Identity and status: the Migration Regulations 1994 require Australian citizenship, permanent residence or eligible New Zealand citizenship. Use the sponsor’s Home Affairs list for the exact documentary combination.

See partner visa sponsor for sponsorship responsibilities.

Relationship material: sponsor-supplied records and explanations.
Police certificates and disclosure consent: keep sponsor checks separate from applicant checks. The Migration Regulations 1994 require consent to disclosure of relevant-offence convictions.
Permanent-stage declaration: Home Affairs’ subclass 801 page requests the sponsor’s Commonwealth statutory declaration about the relationship.

IMMI 18/103 retains 47SP (Internet) as the legal application-form name. It names Form 40SP and Form 40SP (Internet) for the conditional section 48 sponsorship requirement, following LIN 24/077; this does not establish that the current ordinary online sponsorship has that label.

On 3 October 2026, Home Affairs’ 40SP and 47SP PDF endpoints returned 404 and neither appeared in its public PDF forms list. Their legal names have not thereby been abolished.

Character documents: police certificates and Form 80

Which police certificates does the applicant need?

Home Affairs’ partner-visa pages require character documents from age 16 and police certificates for countries where the person spent at least 12 months in total in the last 10 years since turning 16.

Australian certificate where that residence threshold is met.
Overseas certificates where the corresponding country threshold is met.

Home Affairs’ subclass 820 and Character requirements pages specify an AFP National Police Certificate, complete disclosure, Code 33 for Australia. See AFP police check for partner visa.

Home Affairs’ Character requirements page does not accept state or territory police certificates and states a 12-month validity for immigration purposes.

Regulation 1.20KC of the Migration Regulations 1994 permits requests for Australian checks and checks from countries where the sponsor lived at least 12 months since the later of 10 years ago or age 16.

Check the separate sponsor instructions.
Home Affairs’ subclass 820 sponsor instructions specify complete-disclosure AFP and applicable overseas certificates.
Follow any individual request.

Should Form 80 be attached?

Home Affairs’ subclass 820, 309 and 300 pages tell applicants to complete and attach Form 80 with character documents.

Form 80 covers personal particulars and character assessment, including address history.
Check its answers against the online application.
Do not assume it is routine for sponsors or that a fresh copy is always needed at the permanent stage.

Health examinations, biometrics and translations

When should health examinations be arranged?

Home Affairs’ subclass 820 page and Partner visa FAQ state that health results are valid for 12 months. Preparation and the timing of an examination are therefore separate.

Follow the health-examination directions for your application.
Home Affairs’ subclass 801 page asks for further checks if requested; do not assume an automatic repeat examination.

What should the checklist say about biometrics?

This checklist does not confirm which applicants need biometrics or when collection occurs. Check your individual Home Affairs instructions.

Which documents need translations?

Home Affairs’ Partner visa pages require translation into English for non-English material.

Identify each non-English record.
Keep its source document and translation associated in your working index.
Check the relevant instructions for translation and upload specifications; this checklist does not confirm accreditation or certification rules.

Documents for the 801 or 100 stage

What belongs in the 801 second-stage checklist?

Home Affairs’ subclass 801 page says to submit permanent-stage documents two years after the combined application through “Stage 2 – Permanent Partner Visa Assessment” in ImmiAccount, and not before that time. This is an evidence update, not a new ordinary partner-visa application.

Home Affairs’ subclass 801 document list includes:

Passport.
Australian police certificate if none was supplied for the 820.
Overseas certificates for countries where at least 12 months were spent since the 820 grant.
Sponsor’s Commonwealth statutory declaration about the relationship.
Marriage evidence where applicable.
Updated financial, household, social and commitment evidence.
Statements from 2 witnesses, with Form 888 available.
Relevant family-member documents and further health checks if asked.

The Migration Regulations 1994 provide a long-term-relationship exception to the ordinary two-year wait: generally, a relationship of three years at application, or two years with a dependent child of both partners other than a step-child. It does not mean automatic early permanent residence.

What should a subclass 100 applicant check?

Use Home Affairs’ Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100) document list, rather than copying the 801 instructions. That page asks for 2 witness statements and character documents for dependants aged 16 or over.

This checklist does not reproduce the complete subclass 100 inventory or confirm its exact upload workflow. Check that page and your individual instructions for other documents, police updates and submission steps.

Uploading documents in ImmiAccount

Home Affairs’ Partner visa FAQ states that ImmiAccount permits up to 100 attachments per person. This is a limit recorded on 3 October 2026, not a recommended evidence count.

Firstly, identify the application, person and stage. Separate visa, sponsorship and permanent-stage material.
Secondly, use the online application or sponsorship route. Home Affairs’ sponsor instructions use “Sponsorship for a Partner to Migrate to Australia” with the applicant’s TRN/Application ID.
Thirdly, allocate documents to the appropriate person and displayed category. Follow the categories actually shown.
Fourthly, check legibility and consistency. Reconcile dates, names and explanations.
Fifthly, record the document, person and date in a working upload index. This is an organising method, not a government requirement.
Sixthly, keep relationship material current and respond to individual requests.

Home Affairs’ subclass 820 page and Partner visa FAQ advise updating relationship evidence in ImmiAccount. Section 55 of the Migration Act 1958 permits additional relevant information before decision but does not require the Minister to wait for it.

Do not fabricate records or alter what they say. Home Affairs’ Providing accurate information page warns against false or altered documents.

A lawyer’s document check before lodgement

An Australian migration lawyer can check applicable requirements, evidence consistency, missing material and time-sensitive lodgement documents—not predict the visa outcome.

Examples of review work include checking:

Applicant and sponsor records against the subclass and stage.
Names, dates, travel history and relationship chronology.
Relationship material against the four legal considerations.
Witness statements and statutory declarations for the correct document type.
Conditional section 48 lodgement requirements.
Police, health and translation instructions rather than assumptions.

The Migration Regulations 1994 apply PIC 4007 to partner subclasses, with a waiver provision for the specified cost/access limb—not every health issue. A health-document check may identify whether advice about PIC 4007 is needed.

You can prepare records yourself and seek a targeted check of particular requirements or inconsistencies. Agree the review’s scope rather than assuming a complete audit: see do I need a lawyer for spouse visa.

Home Affairs’ Using a legal practitioner page says a lawyer cannot fast-track processing or guarantee a visa.

Ask an Australian migration lawyer to check which documents are required at lodgement, which are conditional and whether the applicant and sponsor records tell a consistent story.

Read about the enquiry form for the site’s current status. Seek an Australian migration lawyer directly to check your documents.

Partner Visa Checklist: Documents for the Application and the Sponsorship