820/801 Partner Visa Document Checklist Australia 2026
The Subclass 820/801 Partner Visa is Australia's most commonly lodged family visa — and one of the most document-intensive. Subclass 820 is the temporary stage, granted while your application is being assessed; Subclass 801 is the permanent stage, granted automatically after a 2-year wait period (or immediately if you have been in a qualifying relationship for at least 3 years). Together they form a single combined application lodged onshore.
Because the Department of Home Affairs is assessing the genuineness and ongoing nature of your relationship, the depth and consistency of your evidence matters more than a simple document count. Joint financial accounts, co-habitation records across multiple years, statements from people who know you as a couple, and photos from different periods and contexts all contribute to a stronger case.
A 820/801 application filed with a thorough, well-organised document bundle is significantly less likely to trigger a request for further information (RFI), which can add months to an already lengthy queue. Use the personalised builder below to get a checklist filtered to your specific situation — sponsoring partner's circumstances, whether children are included, and whether you have previously held a partner visa.
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Common 820/801 document mistakes to avoid
- Thin relationship evidence — bank statements and a shared lease are not enough on their own; case officers look for consistent, corroborated evidence across financial, household, social, and commitment dimensions over multiple years.
- Non-NAATI translations — foreign marriage certificates, birth certificates, and civil registration documents in any language other than English must be accompanied by a certified NAATI-accredited translation. Court-translated or informal translations are not accepted.
- Sponsor not completing their own requirements — the sponsoring partner must separately pass character and health checks; delays here can hold up the entire application.
- Submitting expired identity documents — passports and other identity documents expiring within 6 months of lodgement are commonly flagged, particularly for subsequent entrants.
Identity documents
7 itemsClear colour scan of the photo page of your current passport.
Official identity document showing your full name and date of birth.
Recent 45mm × 35mm colour photos against a plain background.
Marriage certificate, deed poll or other proof if your name has changed.
If either you or your sponsor was previously married, evidence that the previous marriage has legally ended — a divorce order or former spouse's death certificate.
Bio-data pages for each dependent child included in the application.
Official birth certificates for each dependent child included.
Your relationship
4 itemsOfficial certificate issued by Births, Deaths & Marriages.
Proof you have lived together in a genuine relationship for at least 12 months.
How you met, how the relationship developed, and your life together.
Statements from Australian citizens or PRs who know your relationship is genuine.
Financial aspects
3 itemsStatements showing shared finances over time.
Loans, insurance or other liabilities held jointly.
Property, vehicles or other assets owned together.
Nature of your household
4 itemsDocument showing you share a residence.
Electricity, gas, water or internet addressed to both of you.
Correspondence confirming you live together.
How you share chores, bills and responsibilities.
Social aspects
3 itemsImages spanning the length of your relationship, with dates.
Evidence of holidays or trips taken together.
Letters confirming they recognise your relationship.
Nature of your commitment
2 itemsYour shared plans, knowledge of each other and long-term intentions.
Messages or call logs from times you were separated.
Character documents
4 itemsNational police certificate for the visa applicant.
Police checks from each country you have lived in for 12+ months.
Completed Form 80 for Character Assessment. Fill for free →
Completed Form 1221, required for character assessment. Covers travel history, past visa refusals and personal background details.
Sponsor documents
4 itemsYour partner's passport or driver licence.
Proof your sponsor is an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
Completed sponsorship application signed by your partner.
National Police Check from the Australian Federal Police (AFP) for your sponsoring partner, as required under the sponsorship assessment.
Health documents
1 itemMedical examination completed through an approved Panel Physician or by booking a Health Assessment Portal (HAP) appointment. Results are sent directly to the Department of Home Affairs. Book early — appointments can take several weeks.
Ready to lodge your Partner Visa?
Answer a few quick questions to get a checklist tailored to your exact situation — only the documents that apply to you. Upload each file, then export a clean ZIP ready to attach.
Build my personalised checklist →Frequently asked questions
What documents do I need for a Partner Visa (Subclass 820/801) application?
The Partner Visa (Subclass 820/801) typically requires 32 documents across 9 categories: Identity documents, Your relationship, Financial aspects, Nature of your household, Social aspects, Nature of your commitment, Character documents, Sponsor documents, Health documents. Use the personalised builder above to filter this list to your exact circumstances — it removes items that don't apply based on your profile.
How do I prepare my documents for the Partner Visa?
Work through each category in the checklist. Scan or photograph every document as a clear colour PDF at 150–200 DPI. The Department of Home Affairs (ImmiAccount) has a 5 MB per-file limit — compress any oversized file using VisaPacks' built-in tool. Combine multi-page documents (e.g. bank statements, payslips) into a single PDF using Merge. VisaPacks automatically renames your files on export, ready to attach to your ImmiAccount lodgement.
Can I prepare my Partner Visa documents myself without a migration agent?
Yes. Many applicants successfully self-prepare their documents using publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidance. VisaPacks provides a free personalised document checklist and upload tool to help you organise everything correctly. For complex cases — such as those involving previous refusals, health waivers, character issues, or difficult relationship circumstances — consulting a registered migration agent (MARA) may be worthwhile.
What file format should Partner Visa documents be in?
The Department of Home Affairs accepts PDF, JPG, and PNG files up to 5 MB each. Most documents should be submitted as PDF. Passport photos can be JPG. If a scan exceeds 5 MB, use VisaPacks' built-in PDF compressor to reduce file size while maintaining legibility — it uses three quality levels (screen, standard, or high) so you can choose the right trade-off.
Is this checklist official Department of Home Affairs guidance?
No. This checklist is based on publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidance but is maintained by VisaPacks as a convenience tool only — it is not legal advice and does not replace the assessment of a registered migration agent. Always verify current requirements on the Department of Home Affairs website.
What are the most common mistakes when preparing Partner Visa documents?
The most common errors are: exceeding the 5 MB per-file ImmiAccount limit without compressing first; omitting certified NAATI translations for non-English documents; submitting uncertified copies when originals or certified copies are required; including documents expiring within 6 months (particularly passports); and forgetting documents for a spouse or dependent children on the same application. VisaPacks addresses all of these — it includes a built-in PDF compressor, auto-naming to a consistent convention, and per-applicant sections for family members included in the application.
How does VisaPacks compare to the Department of Home Affairs checklist tool?
The Department of Home Affairs website shows a static document list for each visa type. VisaPacks goes further: it personalises the list to your circumstances (employment type, relationship status, whether children are included), lets you upload documents against each item, includes built-in PDF compression and merging to meet the 5 MB limit, auto-renames files to a consistent naming convention, and exports a complete ready-to-lodge ZIP. VisaPacks is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Home Affairs.