Partner visa document checklist (820/801, 309, 300)
Short answer
Home Affairs lists the documents for each partner visa on its visa pages. This checklist puts them in one place: identity, your relationship in writing, Form 888 witness statements, the four areas of evidence, health and character, sponsor documents and translations.
Pick your visa and tick items off. Ticks stay in your browser, and you can print the list or save it as a PDF.
Checked against the Home Affairs 820, 309, 300 and 801 visa pages on 26/10/2026General information, not migration advice
What documents does a partner visa need?
The list below follows the “Gather and prepare your documents” and “After you apply” steps on each visa page. Items marked if it applies are only for some couples, such as de facto partners, people with children, or anyone who has lived in Australia for 12 months or more.
Which visa are you preparing?
0 of 29 ticked for the Partner visa 820 (onshore, stage 1). Saved in this browser only.
Checklist: Partner visa 820 (onshore, stage 1)
What should your written relationship history cover?
For the 820 and 309 visas, Home Affairs asks you to tell it in writing how, when and where you first met, how the relationship developed, when you moved in together, got engaged or married, what you do together, time you spent apart, significant events, and your plans for the future.
For the Prospective Marriage visa it asks for written statements on the history of your relationship, such as how it developed, when you got engaged and your future plans as spouses. These statements are yours, written in your own words; they are separate from the Form 888 statements your witnesses make.
Our relationship statement tool takes each of you through these topics with prompt questions, then lays your own words out as a PDF to sign.
Where do Form 888 witness statements fit?
Under social matters. Home Affairs' partner and prospective marriage visa pages say: “You must provide statements from 2 witnesses”. Each witness is 18 or older and knows you, your partner and your relationship. If a witness is an Australian citizen or permanent resident, the visa pages ask for evidence of it, such as a passport or birth certificate: see Form 888 ID evidence.
Our Form 888 tool sends each witness a private link, they answer in their own words, and your browser fills in the official form for each of them.
What changes for stage 2 (801)?
Two years after you applied, Home Affairs considers the permanent visa, and says not to send the stage 2 documents before then. Select “801 stage 2” in the checklist above for the list.
The main difference is the relationship statement: at stage 2 Home Affairs asks for a Commonwealth statutory declaration completed by your sponsor, covering topics such as whether your relationship is genuine and continuing, whether you live together, your finances, household, social life, commitment and plans for the future. A statutory declaration has to be witnessed; it is a different document from Form 888.
Do documents need certifying or translating?
Certifying: no. The visa pages say you do not need to have any documents certified. Scan or photograph every document in colour, clearly enough to read, and save multi-page documents as one file.
Translating: yes, for anything not in English. Provide the original and the English translation. Translators in Australia must be NAATI accredited; translators outside Australia add their full name, contact details and qualifications in English.
Questions
Is this partner visa checklist official?
No. It gathers the documents Home Affairs lists on its 820, 309, 300 and 801 visa pages into one list, with the date we checked them. Always follow the current Home Affairs page for your visa.
Which partner visas does the checklist cover?
Partner visa 820 (onshore, stage 1), Partner visa 309 (offshore, stage 1), the Prospective Marriage visa 300, and the permanent stage of the onshore visa, 801. The offshore permanent stage, 100, isn't covered separately.
How many Form 888s do we need?
Home Affairs' partner and prospective marriage visa pages say: “You must provide statements from 2 witnesses”. The form tells the person making it: “You may be asked to submit up to 3 separate statements during the processing of the visa application.”
Do partner visa documents need to be certified?
No. The 820, 309, 300 and 801 pages say: “You do not need to have any documents certified.” Documents that aren't in English need an English translation, provided with the original. Translators in Australia must be NAATI accredited.
What changes at stage 2 (801)?
Home Affairs says you are eligible for consideration of the permanent visa two years after you applied, and not to send the documents before then. It asks for your most recent passport, a Commonwealth statutory declaration completed by your sponsor about your relationship, updated relationship evidence including 2 Form 888s, and an Australian police certificate if you didn't attach one with your 820 application.
Can you tell us if our documents are enough?
No. We don't assess anyone's evidence or give migration advice. For advice on your situation, talk to a registered migration agent or lawyer.