The Partner Visa (309 temporary / 100 permanent) is the offshore equivalent of the 820/801 — it's for applicants who are outside Australia at the time of lodgement. The document categories are almost identical to the onshore pathway, but the offshore context adds real practical differences: certified translations are far more often required, foreign police clearances can take weeks to arrive, and your relationship evidence needs to account for periods spent apart. This guide covers every document category, in the order most offshore applicants find easiest to work through.
As of 1 July 2026, the visa application charge is from AUD 11,710.00, with a lower concessional cost available to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for a figure specific to your situation — it doesn't include other costs like translations, police checks, or health examinations.
309 vs 100, and how this differs from the onshore 820/801
Subclass 309 is the temporary offshore partner visa; Subclass 100 is the permanent stage, generally decided around 2 years after you apply for the combined temporary and permanent visas, once the Department is satisfied the relationship remains genuine — you lodge one combined application covering both stages, the same as the onshore 820/801. The document categories are the same in both pathways; the difference is where you're living when you apply. If you're already in Australia when you lodge, you'd apply for the 820/801 instead — see our separate guide for that pathway.
Identity documents
Both you (the applicant) and your sponsor (the Australian partner) need full identity documents. If dependent children are included in the application, their identity documents are required too. Originals should be certified by a notary, Justice of the Peace, or equivalent authority in your country where the Department requests certified copies.
- Passport bio-data page — all relevant pages if earlier visas or entry stamps are in them
- Two passport-style photographs
- Birth certificate or national identity document
- Change of name documents, if applicable
- Divorce decree or death certificate, if you or your sponsor were previously married
- Dependent children's passports, if children are included on the application
- Dependent children's birth certificates, if children are included on the application
Certified translations
Any document not in English needs an accompanying NAATI-accredited translation, submitted alongside the original-language document, not instead of it. This applies to birth certificates, marriage certificates, police clearances, bank statements, and any other supporting evidence in a foreign language.
The translation must come from a NAATI-accredited translator. A family member's translation isn't accepted, even if they work professionally as a translator elsewhere — accreditation is what the Department checks for, not competence.
Proving the relationship itself
- Marriage certificate — if you're married
- Evidence of a 12-month de facto relationship — if you're not married
- A relationship history statement — a written account from both partners covering how you met, key milestones, and your life together
- Two Form 888 statutory declarations from people who know you as a couple, attesting to the relationship's genuineness
Relationship evidence — the four aspects
Beyond proving the relationship exists, the Department assesses it across financial, social, household, and commitment aspects — the same four categories as the onshore 820 pathway. The key offshore difference is that you may be living apart for periods during the application, so your evidence needs to show ongoing commitment across distance, not just day-to-day cohabitation.
Financial aspects
- Joint bank account statements, or evidence of financial support sent between partners
- Shared financial commitments — insurance, subscriptions, joint loans
- Joint ownership of major assets, if applicable
Social aspects
- Photos together across time and location — not just from one visit
- Statutory declarations from friends and family in both countries
- Joint travel evidence — boarding passes, itineraries, hotel bookings showing visits between you
Nature of your household
- Joint lease, mortgage, or rental agreement, if you've lived together at any point
- Utility bills or correspondence in both names
- A statement on how you divide household duties during periods living together
Nature of your commitment
- A statement on your commitment to each other and future plans
- A record of communication history during periods apart — messages, call logs, visit records
Sponsor documents
- Proof of identity for the sponsor
- Evidence of Australian citizenship (passport or citizenship certificate) or permanent residency (visa grant letter or VEVO)
- Form 40SP — Sponsorship application
- An Australian Federal Police check for the sponsor — required regardless of whether they've lived overseas
Character documents
- Police clearance certificate from your country of citizenship
- Overseas police clearance certificate(s) from any other country you've lived in for 12 months or more (cumulatively) in the last 10 years
- Form 80 — Personal Particulars for character assessment
- Form 1221 — Additional Personal Particulars Information
Police clearances from some countries can take 4–12 weeks to arrive. Request them as early as possible in your application timeline — a slow clearance is one of the most common causes of an offshore partner visa stalling after lodgement.
Health documents
All offshore partner visa applicants need a health examination through a Department-approved panel physician, arranged via eMedical once your application is lodged. Don't upload the results yourself — they're transmitted directly by the physician to the Department.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Submitting a translation that isn't NAATI-accredited
- Leaving police clearance requests until late in the process, when some countries take months to issue them
- Only providing evidence from periods living together, with nothing covering time spent apart
- Missing the sponsor's own Form 40SP or AFP check
- Uploading files over the 5 MB ImmiAccount limit without compressing them first
Frequently asked questions
Can I travel to Australia while my 309/100 is being processed?
Generally you should remain outside Australia until the temporary 309 stage is granted, since the visa is specifically designed for offshore applicants at time of decision. Speak with a registered migration agent if you have a specific travel need during processing.
How is the 309/100 different from the Prospective Marriage Visa (300)?
The Subclass 300 is for couples who intend to marry after the applicant arrives in Australia and haven't yet married at the time of lodgement. The 309/100 is for couples who are already married or in a de facto relationship before lodging. See our separate guide to the Prospective Marriage Visa 300 if that better matches your situation.
VisaPacks builds a personalised 309/100 checklist covering every category above, lets you upload documents against each item as you gather them, and exports a correctly named, ready-to-lodge bundle once complete.