Marrying an Australian gives you the opportunity to get permanent residency in Australia. Read on to find out more about the benefits of marrying an Australian citizen when it comes to obtaining an Australian visa.
Published 24 November 2025
Written by Con Paxinos (MARN 1460971), owner and director of PAX Migration
Con is a leading expert in the migration industry with 11 years of experience and is the former Vice President and South Australian State President of the Migration Institute of Australia and Chair of the Migration Institute Temporary Visa Program Advisory Panel. Together with his team of experts at PAX Migration, Con has been awarded the Leading Adviser Award (2022), the ThreeBestRated® Award (2020–2025) and the Fellow of the Migration Institute of Australia, an award bestowed on those practitioners who have made significant contributions to the migration profession, recognising their contributions to the Institute, profession and society generally, and their good standing and ethics.
Explore the expert guide to Marrying an Australian Citizen
What to know about getting a visa when marrying an Australian
One of the benefits of marrying an Australian citizen is that you could be eligible for a permanent residency visa in Australia. To get a partner visa when marrying an Australian:
- You’ll need to meet visa requirements
- Your spouse will need to be an Australian citizen or permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, in order to sponsor you for a visa
- You can apply for your visa from onshore or offshore
- Your partner visa application is a two-step process; first you’ll apply for a temporary visa and then will be assessed for a permanent visa after two years
“Among the benefits of marrying an Australian citizen is getting a permanent residency visa to live together in Australia. It can be complicated working out if and how you can apply for a partner visa, which is why working with us at PAX Migration is a smart move to make sure you find the right visa and put forward the strongest possible application. We’ve helped over 400 people get a visa after marrying an Australian.”
Talk to us about your visa options when marrying an Australian
Here’s what you need for a marriage visa beyond marrying an Australian
As well as marrying an Australian citizen, you’ll need to meet certain health, character and relationship requirements to be eligible for a visa.
You’ll also need to demonstrate that your relationship is genuine and continuing by providing evidence of the nature of your commitment and the financial, social and household aspects of your relationship.
In general, you’ll need:
- Nature of commitment: Proof of your intention to be in a committed, long-term and exclusive married relationship
- Financial: Documentation of joint ownership of real estate or other major assets, and joint responsibility for financial liabilities
- Social: Evidence that your relationship is known to third parties, such as friends and family
- Household: Proof of shared household and domestic responsibilities
“An application which is presented with strong supporting evidence that covers all four relationship aspects is much more likely to be a straightforward one with less chances of being refused. Less evidence can mean that your application is given a greater level of scrutiny, so give yourself the best chance at getting a visa by thoroughly documenting your relationship.”
Feeling overwhelmed? We’re here to help.
Our expert team will be at your side at every stage of your partner visa journey, from understanding eligibility requirements and gathering evidence to submitting your application.
Applying for a visa when marrying an Australian citizen
Understanding offshore and onshore applications
There are two categories of visas to choose from when marrying an Australian – which one you apply for will depend on whether you are lodging your visa application from onshore or offshore.
- 309 Provisional Partner Visa (temporary)
- 100 Partner Visa (permanent)
- 300 Prospective Marriage Visa (temporary)
When you apply for a partner visa offshore, you’ll first need to apply for the joint 309/100 partner visa. This visa is a two-step process – the subclass 309 visa allows you temporary residency in Australia with your Australian partner; after two years, your application will be reassessed for a subclass 100 visa that allows you to stay in Australia permanently.
Alternatively, if you’re marrying an Australian citizen or permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen while you’re in Australia, you’ll need to apply for the 300 Prospective Marriage visa. This temporary visa allows you to enter Australia for the purpose of marrying an Australian citizen. You’ll need to lodge a joint 820/801 partner visa application if you plan to live in Australia once you’re married.
If you’d like to enter Australia while your temporary visa is under review, you’ll need to apply for another visa in the meantime, such as a visitor visa.
- 820 Partner Visa (temporary)
- 801 Partner Visa (permanent)
To apply for an onshore partner visa, you need to hold a current substantive visa (that’s any visa other than a bridging, criminal justice or enforcement visa) when you lodge your application, or else you’ll need to meet additional Schedule 3 criteria. Make sure you’re aware of any other conditions that might apply with your most recent visa before you apply.
If you apply for a partner visa from onshore, you’ll first be granted a Bridging Visa, which means you can stay in Australia while you wait for a decision on your subclass 820 Partner Visa. The 820/801 visa is a two-step process – if your application is successful, you’ll first be granted an 820 temporary partner visa, and after two years your application will be reviewed for the 801 permanent residency visa.
“When you marry an Australian citizen it's really important to start with what visa best matches your needs. Decisions will include onshore vs offshore and temporary vs permanent. You'll need to consider timing, costs and evidentiary requirements. That’s why we recommend speaking with a migration agent at PAX Migration to make sure you pick the right visa from the very beginning.”
What to include in your visa application when marrying an Australian citizen
When marrying an Australian and applying for a visa, you’ll need identification documents, like a passport, birth certificate or national ID card, and character documents, like a police clearance.
For onshore or offshore partner visa applications, you’ll also need to provide relationship evidence. Our checklist below gives you an idea of the type of evidence you’ll need to include.
Evidence of the nature of your commitment
- Can demonstrate a knowledge of each other’s background, family situation and other personal details
- Have combined your personal matters
- Proof that you stay in touch when apart (e.g. text messages, phone calls, letters, emails)
- Documents that show how long you have been in a relationship and how long you have lived together
- You and your partner’s legal wills
- Documents that demonstrate your intention to continue in a long-term relationship e.g. showing how you have combined affairs, evidence of symbols of commitment like an engagement or wedding ring or details of pregnancy (if relevant)
Financial evidence
- Joint mortgage or lease documents
- Joint loan documents for major assets like cars, major appliances or shares
- Joint bank statements, or separate bank statements highlighting relationship expenditure
- Shared household bills
Household evidence
- Written statements that describe your living arrangements and housework distribution
- Shared household bills (in both names) including energy, gas, internet, subscriptions and memberships
- Mail or email addressed to you both, demonstrating shared living arrangements
- Documentation of shared responsibility for children (e.g. custody or guardianship documents, Centrelink benefit payments, court orders)
Social evidence
- At least two Form 888s – statutory declarations from witnesses to your relationship confirming that your relationship is genuine
- Documentation showing that you and your partner have declared your relationship to government bodies, commercial or public institutions, or other authorities
- Evidence of travel together (e.g. itineraries and tickets, accommodation bookings, travel insurance)
- Photographs of you as a couple in social settings with dates
- Proof of mutual or shared friends
- Joint invitations to social events and evidence of social outings together
- Social media profiles
- That you have met your partner in person (after each turning 18) and are known to each other personally
- You have a genuine intention to marry your partner within the visa period
- You plan to live together as spouses once married
- At least two Form 888s (statutory declarations from witnesses supporting that your relationship is genuine)
- Evidence that you and your prospective spouse have met face-to-face as adults and know each other personally
- Proof that you plan to marry your partner within the visa period (e.g. a letter from your wedding officiant)
- Evidence that you and your prospective spouse genuinely plan to live together as spouses and have planned for your future (e.g. purchase of property, travel, having children)
- Evidence that you stay in touch while apart (e.g. text messages, phone calls, letters, emails)
- Written statements by you and your prospective spouse (and evidence) that addresses:
- The duration of your relationship
- The length of time that you have lived together
- Extent of companionship and emotional support that you provide to one another
- That you view your relationship as long-term (e.g. documentation that shows you have combined your personal matters, legal wills)
- Knowledge of each other’s personal circumstances, background and family
“The more evidence you include, the better chance you have of getting granted a visa quickly. A visa approval can take over a year, or longer, if you face delays caused by insufficient evidence. Following these checklists is a good starting point to make sure you’re ready to apply for a partner visa and avoid unnecessary delays.”
Getting a visa after marrying an Australian citizen: Frequently Asked Questions
No – even if you’re marrying an Australian, you first need to apply for permanent residency before you can apply for Australian citizenship.
Yes, you can apply for permanent residency (PR) if you’re marrying an Australian citizen. You’ll need to meet your visa’s eligibility criteria – you can read more about that here.
You can get married while you’re in Australia on a tourist visa, but you’ll need to apply for a separate partner visa if you want to stay in Australia after you’re married.
Partner visa fees begin at $9,365 for the main applicant and $2,345 – $4,685 for additional applicants. However, it’s important to keep in mind additional fees that might apply to your situation like health examinations, police clearances, translating documents where they are not in English, and professional fees for a migration agent.
For onshore applicants, a visa can take 1.5 to 3 years. For offshore applicants, the visa process can take 2 to 4 years. A prospective marriage visa can add an extra 1 to 2 years to getting permanent residency.
“Working with a migration agent is a smart choice for a quicker, smoother visa application process – an agent will make sure your application is right the first time, with all the necessary documentation, and help avoid unnecessary delays.”
Not sure where to start? Let’s talk.
At PAX Migration, we’re experts in all things migration and we’ll be by your side at every stage of your partner visa journey, from understanding eligibility requirements and gathering evidence to submitting your application.
About the author
Con Paxinos is a dedicated immigration expert who has helped over 200 clients with their partner visa applications.
Con holds a Bachelor of Laws and Graduate Certificate in Migration Law, a Bachelor of Commerce and is a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand. A recognised leader in the immigration advice industry, he’s served on the board of the Migration Institute of Australia and advisory panels to educate and improve Australia’s immigration system, including the Migration Institute Temporary Visa Program Advisory Panel (2024), the South Australian Ministerial Advisory Council for the Minister for Innovation and Skills (2020 – 2022) and is a current member of the South Australian State MIA Committee (2023 – 2025). He’s provided testimony to the Commonwealth Joint Standing Committee on Migration on four occasions (2019 – 2023) and presented at dozens of seminars and conferences on visas and migration. Con works closely with state and federal governments as well as senior officials within the Department of Home Affairs and other stakeholders in the Australian immigration ecosystem to advocate for improved policy outcomes.