Prospective Marriage Visa for Applicants
Stay
Between 9 and 15 months from date of grant of visa.
Cost
From AUD8,850.00
Processing times
For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.
To convey a realistic processing time for on-hand and new applications, processing time data does not include applications previously impacted by Ministerial Direction 80. Applicants impacted by this now superseded Ministerial Direction have been individually contacted and their applications are now being processed.
With this visa you can
- stay in Australia for between 9 and 15 months from date of grant of visa
- work and study in Australia.
See all conditions
Check your eligibility
You must
- be 18 years old or older
- have a sponsor who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
- intend to marry your prospective spouse before the visa period ends
- be outside of Australia when you apply for this visa, along with any family that apply with you
- be outside of Australia when we decide your temporary visa
- be in Australia when we decide your temporary visa if you meet additional criteria - see 'Visa outcome' at Step 5 in the 'Step by step' tab.
Help with your visa
If you are getting help with your visa, before you pay someone, read information on Who can help with your visa application.
With this visa you can
- travel to and stay in Australia for between 9 and 15 months from the visa grant date
- work in Australia
- study in Australia
- travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid.
Settle in Australia
If you and your spouse want to settle in Australia, apply for a Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801):
- after you are married, and
- before your Prospective Marriage visa ends.
How long you can stay
This is a temporary visa. You can stay in Australia for the period specified on the visa grant letter. This is between 9 and 15 months from the visa grant date.
Include family members
You can include members of the family unit in your application either:
- when you lodge your visa application, or
- add a dependent child after you lodge your application but before we decide on your temporary visa.
Family members who apply with you must:
- meet our health requirement
- meet our character requirement
- be outside Australia.
Family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet our health and character requirement.
Newborn children
For information on what to do if your child is born after you apply see You had a baby.
Cost
The visa costs AUD8,850.00 for the main applicant.
There is also a fee for each family member who applies for the visa with you. We cannot process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. You might also have to pay other costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
To work out how much your visa will cost, use the Visa pricing estimator. The estimator does not take into account the costs for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
You will also pay a fee for your subclass 820/801 Partner visa. You pay less for this visa if you marry your prospective spouse and apply for the Partner visa before your Prospective Marriage visa ends.
Apply for this visa
You and any family members or dependent child applying with you must be outside of Australia when you apply for this visa.
Your obligations
You and your family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.
See what conditions might be attached to this visa on our visa conditions page.
If you are outside Australia at the time of visa grant you must enter Australia before the first entry arrival date (initial arrival date) specified in your grant letter.
Your marriage
You must enter Australia on the Prospective Marriage visa before the date specified on your grant letter.
You must have married your prospective spouse before your Prospective Marriage visa expires.
You can get married in Australia or any other country. Your marriage must be valid under Australian law.
Adequate health insurance
We recommend you take out health insurance to cover any unforeseen medical treatment you might need in Australia. You are personally liable for all your healthcare costs while you are in Australia. Insurance can help limit your financial liability.
See what we consider adequate health insurance.
Learn more about health insurance for overseas visitors.
Reciprocal healthcare agreements
Some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. Find out more from Services Australia about reciprocal health care agreements.
Travel
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want.
If you are outside Australia at the time of visa grant you must enter Australia before the first entry arrival date (initial arrival date) specified in your grant letter.
Visa label
We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.
Frequently Asked Questions
A list of common questions and answers about this visa is available at Partner Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).
To be eligible for this visa you must:
- not had a visa cancelled or an application refused
- be outside Australia when you apply
- have a sponsor
- be the right age
- meet relationship requirements
- meet our health requirement
- meet our character requirement
- have no debt to the Australian Government
- best interest of the child.
Not had a visa cancelled or an application refused
We will consider your immigration history when we make a decision on your application, which means you might not be eligible for this visa if you have had a visa cancelled or refused.
In some circumstances you may still apply for a permanent visa if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused.
If applying for a visa from outside Australia see Can I go to Australia.
If you want immigration assistance, see Who can help with your visa application.
Be outside Australia when you apply
You must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa. Family who apply with you must also be outside Australia.
Have a sponsor
You and anyone who applies for the visa with you must have a sponsor when you lodge your application and when you are on this visa.
Your sponsor is your prospective spouse.
We must approve your sponsor.
Be the right age
You and your sponsor must be 18 years or older when you apply for this visa.
Meet relationship requirements
In most cases, your prospective spouse must be an:
- Australian citizen
- Australian permanent resident
- eligible New Zealand citizen
Your relationship can be with someone of the same or different sex.
Meet our health requirement
You, any members of the family unit or dependent children who apply for the visa with you, must meet our health requirement. Family members who do not accompany you to Australia might also need to meet our health requirement.
Meet our character requirement
You, any members of the family unit or dependent children who apply for the visa with you, must meet our character requirement. Family members who do not accompany you to Australia might also need to meet our character requirement.
Have no debt to the Australian Government
If you or any family members owe the Australian government money, you or they must have paid it back or arranged to pay it back. This may include family members who do not accompany you to Australia.
Best interests of the child
We might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Step 1
Before you apply
There are things you need to know and might need to do before you apply.
Get help with your application
You can appoint anyone to receive correspondence relating to your visa application.
To appoint someone to receive your correspondence, use Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF).
Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.
If you need help with your application, you can appoint someone to give you immigration assistance. A person who gives you immigration assistance can:
- discuss your application with us
- give us information
- send and receive correspondence about your application.
We treat any correspondence they send as if it came from you.
If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance they must be:
- a registered migration agent
- a legal practitioner, or
- an exempt person.
To nominate someone to provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (225KB PDF) .
Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.
For more information, see who can help you with your application.
Step 2
Gather and prepare your documents
Provide accurate information. As a visa applicant, you must prove your identity and provide true information with your application.
For more information, see Providing accurate information.
You should provide all required information with your application, or as soon as possible after lodging your application. Applications with all required information, including health exams and police checks, can be processed faster.
If more than 18 months has passed since you completed health exams, or more than 15 months has passed since your National Police certificate (NPC) was issued by the Australian Federal Police (AFP), new checks will be required to progress your application.
Identity documents
Provide a birth certificate showing the names of both parents.
If you can’t provide this, provide one of the following:
- identification pages of a family book showing the names of both parents
- identification pages of an identification document issued by the government
- identification pages of a court-issued document that proves your identity
- identification pages of a family census register.
Also provide:
- the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details and passport issue and expiry dates
- a national identity card, if you have one
- proof of change of name, if applicable, such as:
- a marriage or divorce certificate
- change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
- documents that show other names you have been known by.
Character documents
To show that you meet our character requirements you need to provide:
- an overseas police certificate from every country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16
- military service records or discharge papers if you served in the armed forces of any country
For immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.
To get an overseas police certificate, see Offices and locations.
Complete and attach to your application Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment (596KB PDF).
Australian police certificate
Provide an Australian police certificate if you have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since you turned 16.
We only accept complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police. We do not accept standard disclosure certificates or national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police.
To get an Australian police certificate see National Police Checks.
Evidence of relationships
You need to attach to your application evidence of:
- your relationship with your prospective spouse
- any former relationships and
- any dependants you have.
Your relationship with your prospective spouse
You must provide statements from 2 witnesses who:
- are 18 years or older
- know you and your prospective spouse
- know about your relationship.
Statements from witnesses can be done by completing Form 888 – Supporting statement in relation to a Partner or Prospective Marriage visa application (241KB PDF).
If the witness is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, provide evidence of this such as a passport or birth certificate.
Also provide other evidence of your relationship such as:
- evidence that you and your prospective spouse have met face-to-face as adults since turning 18 and know each other personally
- evidence (such as a letter from the person who will officiate at the wedding) that you will marry your prospective spouse within 9 months of being granted the visa
- evidence that you and your prospective spouse genuinely intend to live as spouses
- written statements showing the history of your relationship, such as:
- how, when and where you first met
- how your relationship developed
- when you got engaged
- what you do together
- significant events in the relationship
- your future plans as spouses.
Former relationships
If you have previously been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated, provide divorce documents, death certificates, separation documents or statutory declarations.
Dependants under 18
For every dependant under 18 years old who is applying with you, provide:
- identity documents
- evidence of your relationship with your dependant, like a birth or marriage certificate
- character documents, if the dependant is 16 or 17 years of age
- adoption papers or parental court orders, if applicable
- evidence of enrolment at school, college or university, if applicable
- evidence of sole custody, if applicable.
Parental responsibility documents
You must get consent for any applicant under 18 years of age to migrate to Australia from anyone who:
- has a legal right to decide where the child lives and
- is not coming to Australia with the child
They must complete:
- Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years (240KB PDF) or
- a statutory declaration giving their consent for the child to visit Australia on this visa.
Include:
- an identity document that shows the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration, such as a passport or driver’s licence
- adoption papers or other court documents, if applicable.
Alternatively, you can show us:
- an Australian court order that allows your child to migrate to Australia, or
- that the laws of your home country allow them to migrate.
Dependants over 18
To include your child who is over 18 in your visa application, they must be:
- over 18 years of age but not yet turned 23, and dependent on you or your partner or
- over 23 years of age and unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations and dependent on you or your partner.
Provide:
- identity documents
- documents about their other relationships, if applicable
- character documents.
You must also provide evidence the child is dependent on you. This includes:
- evidence of your relationship with the dependent such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
- evidence of financial dependence such as bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts
- a completed Form 47a Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over (241KB PDF).
If the child is aged 23 or is likely to turn 23 while your application is being processed, you must also provide a report from a qualified medical practitioner that states they are dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions.
Prepare your documents
Translate
Have all non-English documents translated into English.
Provide original and translated documents in your application.
Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.
Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited. But on each translation, they must include their:
- full name
- address and telephone number
- qualifications and experience in the language they are translating.
These details must be in English.
Scan or photograph
Scan or photograph all documents (English and non-English) in colour.
The scans and photos must be clear enough to read.
If a document is more than one page, save it all as one file.
You do not need to have any documents certified.
Step 3
Apply for the visa
You must apply:
- online
- outside Australia.
How to apply
- Login to ImmiAccount. If you do not have an ImmiAccount login, you will be asked to create a new account.
- Select ‘New application’
- Select ‘Family’
- Select ‘Stage 1 – Partner or Prospective Marriage Visa’
- Complete your application
- Pay the visa application charge.
- Submit your application and give your transaction reference number (TRN) to your sponsor. Your sponsor will need the TRN to apply for sponsorship.
- Attach supporting documents to your completed application.
We cannot process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge.
To find information for how to apply as a sponsor, click on the “Personalise this page..” toggle above to view this information.
The partner visa application form will ask you for your own phone number and email address. It is important to provide your own contact details in case we need to contact you directly about your application.
Keep a copy of your completed application.
You can attach up to 100 documents for each person on your application.
The attachment limit cannot be increased.
If you reach the attachment limit for an applicant, you can attach more documents to other clients on the application.
Step 4
After you apply
We will let you know when we have received your application.
Organise health examinations
You need to have health examinations. To allow your application to be processed more quickly, we suggest you arrange health examinations as soon as you can after you apply.
To organise your health examinations, see What health examinations you need.
For more information on health requirements and examinations, see Health
Status updates
If your application is within standard processing times do not contact the Department. We cannot provide any further updates on your application's progress. You can see if we have asked for more information in ImmiAccount.
To see standard processing times for this visa see Global processing times.
Travel
Do not arrange to travel to Australia until we let you know, in writing, that we have granted you the subclass 300 visa.
Biometrics
We might ask for biometrics. We will tell you if you need to provide biometrics.
Attach more information
If you did not attach all documents when you applied, attach them in ImmiAccount as soon as you can.
We will ask you to provide more information if needed.
For more information on attaching documents in ImmiAccount see Applying online or paper.
Add family members
You can add a dependent child to your application before we decide on your visa.
Complete and attach to your application in ImmiAccount Form 1436 - Adding an additional applicant after lodgement (481KB PDF).
After you have attached the form, let us know by using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form.
You cannot add any other family members after you have already applied.
Newborn children
If you have a baby after you have applied for this visa, you will need to let us know. For more information, see You had a baby.
Tell us if things change
Tell us if things change after you apply but before we have made a decision.
Things you need to let us know about include:
- changes to your contact details, address or passport
- the birth of a child
- any other changes relevant to your application
- a request to withdraw your application.
For more information, see Change in your situation.
After you have attached the form to ImmiAccount, let us know by using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form.
If your relationship ends
Tell us if your relationship changes or ends by using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form.
If you marry
If you get married before we decide on your visa application, you are no longer eligible for this visa. You will need to attach the following to your application:
- evidence that your marriage is valid (registered marriage certificate issued by the relevant legal authority)
- a request to be considered for a Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309)and Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100)
- a statement telling us you want to withdraw your Prospective Marriage visa application.
After you have attached the form, let us know by using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form.
If you do not withdraw your application, it will be refused as you no longer meet the eligibility requirements for the visa.
Stay lawful
If you travel to Australia on a visa while your Prospective Marriage visa is in progress, you are responsible for ensuring that you continue to hold a valid visa for the duration of your stay.
No longer need help with your application
Let us know if you no longer want someone to:
- receive your correspondence - complete Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
- provide immigration advice - complete Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).
Upload your written notification or your forms to ImmiAccount.
For more information see Who can help you with your application.
Mistakes on your application
Let us know as soon as you can.
Complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers (168KB PDF) and attach it to your ImmiAccount.
Step 5
Visa outcome
You may need to be outside Australia for the grant of this visa, depending on when you applied for this visa and when you travelled to Australia.
In Australia
On 27 February 2021, changes to the Migration Regulations 1994 came into effect. These allow us to grant you a visa in Australia if:
- you were in Australia at any time during the COVID-19 concession period
- you applied for your visa before the end of the COVID-19 concession period
- you meet all visa criteria.
The COVID-19 concession period commenced on 1 February 2020 and was an interim arrangement. The Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs determined the concession period ended on 25 November 2023.
If you are in Australia and meet the visa grant requirements, we can grant you this visa if you applied before 26 November 2023 and were in Australia at any time between 1 February 2020 and 25 November 2023.
Outside Australia
If you are outside Australia and meet the visa grant requirements, we can grant you the visa.
We will tell you our decision in writing. Keep a copy of the decision.
If we grant your visa, we will tell you:
- your visa grant number
- the date your visa starts
- your visa conditions.
If we refuse your visa, we will tell you:
- why we refused the visa
- if you have a right to a review of the decision.
We will not refund the application fee if we refuse your application.
What you can do on this visa
This visa lets you:
- stay in Australia for between 9 and 15 months from date of visa grant
- work in Australia
- study in Australia
- travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while your visa is valid.
How long you can stay
You can stay in Australia for between 9 and 15 months from date of visa grant.
What you must do on this visa
If you are outside Australia at the time of visa grant you must enter Australia before the first entry arrival date (initial arrival date) specified in your grant letter.
You and your family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.
You can check your visa details and conditions using VEVO.
If you and your spouse intend to settle in Australia, you should apply for a Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801) after your marriage and before your Prospective Marriage visa expires. You will pay less for the Partner visa if you apply for it before your Prospective Marriage visa ends.
Travel on your visa
You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want whilst your visa is valid.
Prove you have a visa
To prove you have a visa and show your conditions to someone, use VEVO.
Australian visas are digital. We do not put a visa label in your passport. Instead, we link your digital visa record to your passport.
Your visa number is contained in your visa grant letter. Use this number to access your digital visa record in VEVO.
Your digital visa record is also used by:
- airlines to check your visa before you board your flight
- Australian government agencies to check your identity and visa conditions
- employers, banks or other registered organisations to check your visa conditions. You need to give them permission to access your digital visa record.
Working
With this visa you will have full work rights and are protected by Australian workplace law. See your workplace rights and entitlements.
Studying
With this visa you will be able to study in Australia. However you will not receive any government support and any study costs will be at your own expense.
Bring a family member
You can't add family members to your visa application after we grant your Prospective Marriage visa subclass 300.
To find a visa for a family member, explore visa options.
Newborn children
If you have a baby after you have been granted this visa, you will need to let us know. For more information, see You had a baby.
If your relationship ends
Tell us if your relationship changes or ends by using the Partner Processing Enquiry Form.
You might still be eligible for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) if you married your sponsor while you held this visa and then your relationship ends or your partner dies. All information you provide is confidential. For more information, see Your relationship has changed.
You must be in Australia and apply for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801).
If you are experiencing domestic and family violence, we can help you. You may still be eligible for the grant of your permanent visa. For more information, see Domestic and family violence and your visa.
Tell us if things change
You must tell us about:
- changes to your contact details or passport
- the birth of a child
- any other changes relevant to your application.
See what to do if there is a change in your situation.