What documents do you need for a partner visa (820/801) in Australia?

Applying for a partner visa is one of the more document-intensive processes in the Australian immigration system. Between proving your identity, your sponsor's eligibility, the genuineness of your relationship, and meeting health and character requirements, the list of documents adds up quickly. And if any of those documents are not in English, you will also need NAATI certified translations before you can submit your application.

This guide covers every category of document required for a subclass 820 and 801 partner visa, what format those documents need to be in, and which ones require a certified translation.

Understanding the partner visa (subclass 820 and 801)

The partner visa operates in two stages. The subclass 820 is the temporary stage, which allows you to live and work in Australia while your case is being processed. The subclass 801 is the permanent stage, generally granted around two years after the 820 is lodged. In some cases the wait is shorter: if you were already in a de facto relationship for three or more years at the time of applying, or if your situation involves family violence, you may be considered for the permanent visa earlier.

You apply for both stages at the same time, but they are assessed separately. The documents you provide upfront support the 820 application. When the time comes to assess the 801, the Department of Home Affairs may request additional or updated evidence.

All documents submitted to Home Affairs must be either in English or accompanied by a NAATI certified translation. Machine translations and informal translations are not accepted, regardless of quality.

Who needs to provide documents?

Both the applicant (the person applying for the visa) and the sponsor (the Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen they are partnered with) must submit documents. Some evidence is provided jointly, particularly anything that relates to proving the relationship itself.

1. Identity documents

Applicant

You need to provide a valid passport or travel document. Even expired passports can be useful if they contain relevant entry stamps or previous Australian visas. A birth certificate is also typically required to confirm your identity and date of birth.

If your name has changed through marriage or formal deed poll, supporting documents showing that change need to be included. This might be a marriage certificate, a legal name change certificate, or both.

Any identity document that is not in English requires a NAATI certified translation. This includes passports issued in languages other than English, birth certificates, and marriage certificates.

Sponsor

The sponsor needs to provide proof of their Australian citizenship or permanent residency. A current Australian passport is the simplest option. If the sponsor is a permanent resident rather than a citizen, a copy of their visa grant letter or ImmiCard is typically sufficient.

2. Relationship evidence

This is the most substantial part of the application. The Department of Home Affairs assesses your relationship across four categories, and you are expected to provide evidence in all four. The stronger and more varied your evidence, the less likely you are to receive a request for further information (RFI) that delays your case.

Financial aspects of the relationship

This covers evidence of shared financial commitments or mutual financial support. Common documents include:

• Joint bank account statements (ideally showing regular, ongoing activity)
• A mortgage or lease agreement with both names listed
• Joint insurance policies (car, home, health, or life)
• Evidence that you are named beneficiaries on each other's superannuation or life insurance
• Shared loan agreements or utility accounts

If you do not have joint finances yet, include a written explanation of why, alongside individual financial documents that show you support each other. Bank transfer records, shared bills paid from separate accounts, or statutory declarations can help fill the gap.

Nature of the household

Immigration wants to see that you live together, or if you do not, that there is a genuine reason for it. Documents for this category typically include:

• A lease or rental agreement listing both names
• Utility bills addressed to both of you at the same address
• Correspondence from government agencies, your bank, or your employer addressed to both of you at the same address
• A statutory declaration from someone who has visited your home and can describe your living arrangement

If you live apart due to work, study, or family circumstances, you will need a written statement explaining the arrangement, along with supporting evidence that the relationship continues despite the distance. Evidence might include messaging records, flight bookings showing regular visits, or statements from people who know you both.

Social aspects of the relationship

This demonstrates that your relationship is known to family, friends, and others in your lives. Documents and materials relevant to this category include:

• Photos of you together at social events, on holidays, and in everyday settings (with captions or context explaining when and where they were taken)
• Invitations addressed to you as a couple
• Evidence that both families know about the relationship (written statements from parents or siblings work well here)
• Records of attending events or making plans together as a couple

Commitment to the relationship

This shows that both parties view the relationship as long-term. Useful documents include:

• Evidence of future plans, such as a property purchase contract or joint travel bookings
• A joint will or a power of attorney naming your partner
• Evidence of combined household or financial decisions made with the future in mind
• Any formal steps taken together in anticipation of a shared life in Australia

Statutory declarations from third parties

You will need written statements from people who know you as a couple. These people must be Australian citizens, permanent residents, or eligible New Zealand citizens. Each declaration must be made before an authorised witness and should describe how the person knows you, how long they have known you as a couple, and what they have observed about the relationship directly.

These declarations carry significant weight in the assessment. Aim for two or three from people who have seen you together in different contexts, rather than a larger number of generic statements.

3. Marriage or de facto evidence

If you are married, you need to provide your official marriage certificate issued by the relevant authority in the country where the marriage took place. Certificates issued in a language other than English require a NAATI certified translation.

If you are in a de facto relationship, no single document proves the relationship on its own. You will need comprehensive evidence across the four categories described above. The evidential threshold for de facto applicants tends to be higher, because there is no official certificate to anchor the application. The more specific and detailed your documentation, the better.

4. Character documents

Both the applicant and any dependent family members included in the application must meet Australian character requirements. For most applicants, this means obtaining a police clearance from every country they have lived in for 12 months or more over the past 10 years, since the age of 16.

Police clearance certificates issued in a language other than English require a NAATI certified translation.

The name of this document varies by country. In France it is the casier judiciaire. In Brazil it is the certidão de antecedentes criminais. In Spain it is the certificado de antecedentes penales. In Italy it is the certificato del casellario giudiziale. Whatever the document is called in your country, it needs to be current (most authorities and immigration agents treat anything older than 12 months as expired) and translated if it is not in English.

If you have spent time in multiple countries, you will need a clearance from each one where you lived for 12 months or more, all translated separately if required.

5. Health requirements

The applicant, and any dependent children included in the application, must meet Australian health requirements. In practice this means completing a medical examination with a panel physician approved by the Department of Home Affairs.

You do not typically submit paper health records directly with your application. The panel physician sends the results electronically to the department. However, if you have a pre-existing medical condition that is likely to come up during the examination, it is worth having relevant medical records on hand. If those records are in another language, have them translated before the appointment.

6. Sponsor eligibility and sponsorship form

The sponsor must confirm their eligibility to sponsor. This involves providing their identity documents (Australian passport or citizenship certificate, or permanent visa evidence) and completing Form 40SP, the sponsorship application form.

The sponsor must also declare that they have not sponsored multiple previous partners (or provide evidence of an approved exemption if they have). This is part of the formal sponsorship assessment that runs alongside the visa application.

7. Evidence that you have met in person

Australian immigration requires evidence that the applicant and sponsor have met face to face. This sounds straightforward, but it is a specific requirement you need to document explicitly. Relevant evidence includes:

• Passport stamps showing entry to the same country at the same time
• Photos taken together with metadata or captions showing the date and location
• Flight or accommodation bookings showing you were in the same place
• Statutory declarations from people who were present when you met or spent time together

8. Documents for dependent children

If you are including dependent children in the application, you will need:

• Their birth certificate
• Their passport
• Evidence of the other parent's consent for the child to live in or travel to Australia (if applicable)
• Any relevant custody orders or court documents

Birth certificates and court orders in languages other than English require a NAATI certified translation.

Which documents require a NAATI certified translation?

Any document that is not in English must be translated by a NAATI accredited translator before it can be submitted to the Department of Home Affairs. Documents that commonly require translation include:

• Birth certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Divorce certificates (if applicable)
• Passports issued in a language other than English
• Police clearance certificates
• Academic or professional qualifications (where submitted as identity or background documents)
• Medical records provided at the panel physician's request
• Court orders or custody agreements

A NAATI certified translation must include the translator's full name, NAATI credentials, signature, and the date the translation was completed. It must accompany the original document or a certified copy of it.

Some bilingual documents, for example certain European passports that include both the national language and English text, may still require a certified translation of the non-English sections. If you are unsure whether a specific document needs translation, check the Department of Home Affairs website or ask your immigration agent.

Common mistakes that slow applications down

Partner visa processing times are already lengthy. These are the document-related mistakes most likely to result in a request for further information or an outright delay.

Submitting non-NAATI translations. Machine translations and unofficial translations are rejected. Only NAATI certified translations are accepted by Home Affairs, and there are no exceptions.

Outdated police clearances. Many applicants order their police check early in the preparation process and do not account for the time it takes to have the document translated and the application lodged. If the certificate is more than 12 months old by the time the department reviews it, you may be asked to obtain a new one.

Thin relationship evidence. This is the most common cause of requests for further information. Do not rely on a handful of photos and a shared lease. Build evidence across all four categories and make sure the documents collectively tell a clear and coherent story about your relationship over time.

Missing documents for dependent children. It is easy to focus on the primary applicant's documents and overlook what is needed for children. Consent from the other parent is a frequent gap, particularly where that parent lives overseas or is not actively involved in the application process.

Wrong document version. Several countries issue both short-form and long-form versions of birth certificates and other official documents. Immigration generally requires the long-form version, which includes parent names and full registration details. If you are unsure which version applies, err on the side of providing the more detailed document.

Gaps in the timeline. If there are periods in your relationship where you lived in different countries or were separated for any length of time, those gaps need to be addressed with evidence and an explanation. Unexplained gaps can raise questions about the continuity or genuineness of the relationship.

How to organise your documents before lodging

Partner visa applications are submitted online through ImmiAccount. Documents are uploaded as PDF files and should be clearly labelled, since case officers review a significant volume of material and clear organisation makes a difference.

A practical approach is to work through each category separately: identity documents first, then relationship evidence, then character, then health. For each document, note whether it needs a translation, whether it needs to be certified, and whether you already have it in hand or still need to order it.

For documents you need to order, start as early as possible. Some countries take several weeks to issue official documents, and NAATI translation adds another 24 to 48 hours on top of that. Running out of time and having to lodge with a document still in transit is a stressful and avoidable situation.

A note on what happens if your relationship changes during processing

Partner visa processing can take 18 months or longer. If your relationship ends after lodgement but before the visa is granted, your situation becomes more complex. In certain circumstances, particularly where family violence is involved, you may still be eligible for the permanent visa. This does not affect the documents you submit initially, but it is relevant context if circumstances change while you wait.

Document checklist summary

Use this as a reference as you prepare your application. Documents marked with an asterisk require a NAATI certified translation if they are not in English.

Applicant identity

• Current passport (and any previous passports with relevant stamps or visas)
• Birth certificate *
• Name change documents, if applicable *

Sponsor identity

• Australian passport or citizenship certificate
• Permanent visa grant letter or ImmiCard, if applicable

Relationship evidence

• Joint bank account statements or financial records
• Lease, mortgage, or rental agreement in both names
• Utility bills or correspondence at a shared address
• Photos with dates and context
• Statutory declarations from people who know you as a couple

Marriage or de facto evidence

• Marriage certificate * (if married)
• Cohabitation evidence and relationship history (if de facto)

Character

• Police clearance from every country where you lived for 12 or more months in the past 10 years *

Health

• Panel physician examination (submitted directly to Home Affairs by the physician)

Sponsor eligibility

• Form 40SP (sponsorship application)
• Sponsor identity document

Dependent children, if applicable

• Birth certificates *
• Passports
• Parental consent documents or custody orders *

Getting your translations ready

If your documents are in French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Polish, or another language, EzyTranslate provides NAATI certified translations accepted by the Department of Home Affairs. Translations are delivered as a PDF to your inbox within 24 to 48 hours.

The partner visa bundle covers birth certificate, marriage certificate, divorce certificate, and police check, at a reduced rate compared to ordering each document individually. If your combination of documents is different, you can also order each one separately from AU$69.