Partner visas (apply overseas) preparation checklist

In general terms, confirm the relationship is with an eligible sponsor and that the offshore (309/100) pathway is the relevant one rather than an onshore subclass. Eligibility turns on individual facts — a registered practitioner can advise on your circumstances. Check the official page for current rules.

Typically the application is sponsored by an eligible partner. Gather the sponsor's status documents and details so the sponsorship component can be prepared alongside the visa application.

Certified copies of the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details and signature are generally gathered first. Pages from any earlier passports used for travel to Australia are typically included as well.

A birth certificate showing both parents' names is the record generally used. Where one is not available, other official records of birth or age — such as a baptismal certificate, certificate of identity or family book — are typically gathered instead.

Applicants from countries that issue a national identity card generally provide a certified copy of both sides. Indian applicants typically include their Aadhaar card, with other official identity records (such as a PAN card) as a fallback.

Married couples generally provide their marriage certificate or an official marriage registration document. Engaged and de facto couples gather other records that show the history of the relationship instead.

Records showing how you run a home together — a joint lease or mortgage, utility accounts, jointly addressed mail, records of shared care of children, or statements describing how household responsibilities are divided.

Documents showing how money is shared or combined — joint bank accounts held over a period of time, shared bills or loans, jointly owned assets, and insurance or tax records naming both partners are typical examples.

Records showing commitment to a shared life — wills or superannuation nominations naming each other, records of staying in contact during time apart (calls, messages, emails), and written statements about your plans as a couple.

Items showing the relationship is known to others — joint invitations, travel bookings or itineraries in both names, memberships held together, and records of shared friends, events and activities.

A selection of photographs of you together across the span of the relationship — with family, friends and at significant events — is generally included alongside other joint records.

Written statements from people who know your relationship, completed on the Department's Form 888. Two or more are generally provided, typically from Australian citizens or permanent residents who can describe the relationship first-hand.

Evidence that your partner is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen — such as passport pages, a citizenship certificate or birth certificate — together with their identity documents for the linked sponsorship application.

A national-level police clearance is generally requested from your country of citizenship and from any country where you have lived for a significant period. The exact certificate type varies by country — Indian applicants, for example, typically obtain a national overseas police clearance.

Any document not in English is generally accompanied by a translation prepared by a qualified translator, together with details of the translator's credentials.

Around the permanent-stage assessment, couples typically gather updated relationship evidence covering the period since the application was lodged, along with fresh police clearances if the Department asks for them.

In general terms the combined 309/100 application is completed and submitted by the applicant through their own ImmiAccount, with the VAC paid at lodgement. Deep-link to ImmiAccount to lodge — do not rely on any third party submitting on your behalf.

After lodging, the Department may request further information or health/character updates. Later, the permanent subclass 100 stage is typically assessed once an ongoing relationship is established. Keep records current and check ImmiAccount for any requests.

In general terms, confirm that your permanent (subclass 100) stage flows from an earlier combined offshore partner lodgement and that the same relationship and sponsor continue. Check the official page for how the two-step process applies; a registered practitioner can advise on your circumstances.

Typically the same sponsor who supported the original application continues to support the permanent stage. Keep a record that the sponsorship arrangement remains current.

Generally, ensure identity and travel documents are current and consistent with earlier material. Check the official page for accepted identity evidence.

A common theme is to keep assembling evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing across the whole waiting period — covering financial, household, social, and commitment aspects in general terms — rather than relying only on what was lodged earlier.

Typically, character requirements continue to apply. Keep police clearance certificates and related material up to date if and when the department asks for them. Check the official page for current expectations.

In general terms, health examinations may be requested as part of the assessment. Follow any departmental request and use the providers it specifies.

Typically the department contacts applicants through their existing online account when it is ready to consider the permanent stage. Provide updated information through that official channel rather than starting a new application. A registered practitioner can advise on your circumstances.

After providing updated material, keep your contact and circumstance details current through the official online account, and respond promptly to any further departmental requests. Check the official page for how to update details.