Partner Visa Cost: Government Charges for the 820/801, 309/100 and 300

Each extra applicant aged 18 or over adds $5,860 and each child under 18 adds $2,935, all paid when you apply, with no second instalment.

The charge is not refunded if the visa is refused, so the total you budget also includes health checks, police certificates, translations and, if you engage one, a lawyer’s fee.

These government charges are set by Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 1; Home Affairs’ subclass 820 page confirms the refusal-and-refund rule.

Total-cost calculator

Use this worksheet to estimate your budget. All figures are AUD. Provider costs and any applicable GST on professional fees need to be added separately.

The calculator lets you select the application pathway, count additional adults and children, and identify whether the Pacific or Timor-Leste concession may apply. The rates and conditions below remain the source for its estimate.

Passport help: the 13 countries are Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, under regulation 1.03 of Migration Regulations 1994.

Rates from 1 July 2026 — Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 1

The lower 300-holder rates have eligibility conditions; former-holder rates are not available merely because someone previously held a 300 visa.

Government-charge calculation

The estimated government charge is the main applicant charge plus each additional adult and child charge:

Main applicant charge + (extra adults × adult charge) + (children × child charge).

For a standard 300 application, include: “After the wedding: + $1,955 for the 820/801 (current holder rate)”. The corresponding concession base is $1,600 under Schedule 1.

Optional additions

Tasmania’s amount is approximate because exact dollar rounding has not been confirmed. Registration fees for South Australia and the ACT are not shown here.

See lawyer fees below. Add your actual quotes to the government total; the worksheet does not produce an all-inclusive price.

Government charges from 1 July 2026, Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 1. Not refunded on refusal.

How much does a partner visa cost?

$11,710 from 1 July 2026 is the standard main-applicant charge for the 820/801, 309/100 or 300 under Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 1. One charge covers both temporary and permanent stages of the 820/801 or 309/100—not a fresh base charge at each stage.

The sponsorship application itself costs $0, according to the sponsor tab of Home Affairs’ subclass 820 page.

See partner visa Australia for the pathways.

How much does a spouse visa cost in Australia in 2026?

$11,710 from 1 July 2026 is also the standard spouse-visa base. Married and de facto couples use the same partner visa pathways; Schedule 1 does not impose a separate marriage-based price.

How much does it cost to sponsor my spouse to Australia?

$0 for sponsorship, as confirmed by Home Affairs’ subclass 820 sponsor page. The visa charge is separate. Under regulation 1.20(2)(c), the sponsor undertakes to assist financially and with accommodation for two years after the temporary visa grant or first entry, as applicable.

The onshore charge (820/801)

$11,710 from 1 July 2026 is the usual base. Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 1 item 1124B(2)(a), sets these rates:

The former-holder category includes conditions concerning entry on the 300 and marriage to the sponsor, or the specified relationship-ended pathways. Check the category before budgeting at the lower rate.

The 820 itself has a nil charge under item 1214C(2); the whole amount is paid on the combined application, through the 801 application.

The offshore charge (309/100)

$11,710 / $5,860 / $2,935 from 1 July 2026 are the main, extra-adult and child rates under Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 1 item 1129(2)(a)(iii). Payment sits on the 100 (Class BC) application lodged with the 309; the 309 charge is nil under item 1220A(2).

The Prospective Marriage (300) charge

$11,710 / $5,860 / $2,935 from 1 July 2026 apply under Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 1 item 1215(2)(a)(ii). After the wedding, a qualifying current 300 holder pays a further $1,955 base for the 820/801.

That makes $13,665 in base government charges for the standard 300-to-820/801 route: $11,710 + $1,955, excluding extra applicants and other expenses.

If you marry the nominated partner before the 300 decision, regulation 2.08E treats the application as a 309/100 application when the Department receives notice; the 300 payment counts as the 100 charge.

See the prospective marriage visa pathway.

Extra applicants and children

$5,860 for each extra applicant aged 18 or over and $2,935 for each child under 18, from 1 July 2026, apply to the standard combined partner or 300 application under Schedule 1.

For a couple applying onshore with one child under 18, where one partner sponsors and the other applies, the government total is $11,710 + $2,935 = $14,645; the sponsor is not an extra visa applicant.

The Pacific and Timor-Leste concession

$9,600 / $4,805 / $2,405 from 1 July 2026 are the main, extra-adult and child charges for the 820/801, 309/100 and 300 concession. Schedule 1 sets $1,600 / $805 / $400 for qualifying current 300 holders and $2,030 / $1,015 / $510 for qualifying former holders.

The primary applicant’s passport decides eligibility, and accompanying family members receive the same rate category. Regulation 1.03 defines the 13 eligible countries listed in the worksheet.

These concession rates rose by 2.6% CPI only, rather than the general 25% increase, under the Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026.

Other costs: health checks, police certificates and translations

Budget for these seven items as relevant:

1. Health examinations: provider fee not shown. Home Affairs’ 820 page says results are valid for 12 months; the 801 page allows further checks if requested.

2. Police certificates: fees not shown. Home Affairs’ character requirements page accepts only the AFP National Police Check, Code 33, for Australia—not state certificates. Certificates are valid for 12 months. Partner checklists require overseas certificates for countries where applicants aged 16+ spent 12 months or more in total during the last 10 years since turning 16.

3. English translations: cost not shown. Home Affairs’ 820 document checklist requires translations of non-English documents.

4. Bridging visa B: $575 from 1 July 2026, or $195 at the Pacific rate, under Schedule 1 item 1302. Home Affairs’ bridging-visa travel guidance explains that a BVA does not permit return travel.

5. Relationship registration: NSW’s register lists $198; Victoria BDM lists $266; Queensland’s registration page lists $170. Regulation 2.03A(5) provides the registration exception to the 12-month de facto rule. No WA or NT law qualifies under the Acts Interpretation (Registered Relationships) Regulations 2019.

6. Marriage certificate: NSW BDM lists $70, Victoria BDM $59.10, Queensland BDM $58.10 and the ACT’s BDM Registration (Fees) Determination 2026 $53. Additional postage may apply.

7. Sponsorship application: free, according to Home Affairs’ subclass 820 sponsor page.

Check the partner visa police check requirements before ordering certificates.

Charge changes and paying in instalments

$11,710 from 1 July 2026 is the standard base after the latest increase. The “first instalment” is the amount payable when applying; it does not mean a series of scheduled part-payments.

The Home Affairs Legislation Amendment (2026 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2026 and explanatory statement describe a system-wide 25% first-instalment increase for most visas as a 2026–27 Budget measure, rather than ordinary CPI indexation. Partner visas were not exempted.

The Migration Amendment (Visa Application Charges) Regulations 2025 record the $9,095-to-$9,365 change; the 2026 instrument sets the latest rate.

Why is an Australian partner visa so expensive?

$11,710 from 1 July 2026 reflects that Budget increase. For the 820/801 and 309/100, Schedule 1 also places both stages under one charge.

Will the partner visa fee increase in 2026?

It already increased: $11,710 from 1 July 2026, up from $9,365, under the 2026 amendment.

Can I pay a partner visa in instalments?

The whole government charge is payable as the first instalment when you apply. Schedule 1 items 1124B(2)(b), 1129(2)(b) and 1215(2)(b) set the second instalment at nil.

Follow partner visa news for charge changes.

Refunds (none on refusal)

No—refusal does not return the $11,710 standard base paid from 1 July 2026. Home Affairs’ subclass 820 page states: “We will not refund the application fee if we refuse your application.”

A refund is available only where the relevant rules apply. Regulation 2.12F requires a refund on written request for listed cases: an unnecessary application, a Department mistake, or the applicant’s death before decision. It permits a refund where an application made by mistake is withdrawn in writing.

Under Migration Act 1958, section 49(4), withdrawal does not make fees refundable unless the Regulations provide otherwise. Home Affairs’ Get a refund page lists a change of mind as non-refundable.

Do I get a refund if my partner visa is refused?

No. Refusal itself is not a refund ground; the limited regulation 2.12F cases are separate.

Lawyer fees on top of the government charge

A refusal leaves the $11,710 government charge unrefunded. If review is available, the ART fees page lists a further $3,727 from 1 July 2026, before any professional fees. A review is a separate legal engagement, so ask Australian Migration Lawyers for a case-specific quote.

Time also matters: the ART processing times page reports that half of partner reviews finalised from March to August 2026 took 3 years 2 months. That is historical data, not a forecast for your review.

See marriage visa lawyer cost for the legal-fee scope.

Before paying the government charge, ask an Australian migration lawyer to check relationship evidence and any Schedule 3, condition 8503, section 48 or PIC 4020 issue, with a written scope and fee for legal work.