Form 888: Can It Be Signed Electronically, and What Changed in 2026

The August 2026 rename: 'Supporting statement', not 'Statement by a Supporting Witness'

The version of Form 888 in force as at this guide (design date 08/26, the most recent redesign) is titled 'Supporting statement in relation to a Partner or Prospective Marriage visa application' — Home Affairs dropped the word 'Witness' from the title entirely, and the person filling it in is now described in the form's own wording simply as the person making the statement, not a witness. This lines up with the substance of the July 2023 change: since the form stopped being a statutory declaration, calling the completer a 'witness' was always a slightly misleading holdover, and the 2026 rename removes it.

The form still does the same job: it lets someone who knows the couple put their observations of the relationship on the record for Home Affairs to weigh alongside the rest of the relationship evidence. If you see an older guide, or an old saved copy of the form, still calling it 'Statement by a Supporting Witness', that's the pre-August-2026 title — check you have the current PDF before you start.

Is Form 888 a statutory declaration? Can it be signed electronically?

No — Form 888 stopped being a Commonwealth statutory declaration on 24 July 2023, and the current (August 2026) version confirms this: there is no Justice of the Peace, police officer, pharmacist, lawyer or other authorised witness anywhere on the form, and no space for one to sign or certify. The only signature block is the statement-maker's own, alongside a declaration acknowledging the false-statement offence under s234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958.

Because no authorised witness needs to sight the signature in person, there's nothing on the form or in its instructions that requires a wet-ink signature witnessed face to face. The form's own guidance ('open this form using Adobe Acrobat Reader... either type in the fields provided or print this form and complete it using a pen') is the same instruction used across Home Affairs' fillable PDFs, and the completed form is attached to the visa application in ImmiAccount the same way as any other supporting document — which in practice means it can be typed and signed digitally (for example, using Acrobat's own signature tools) rather than printed, hand-signed and scanned, provided the resulting document genuinely reflects the statement-maker's own account and signature. This is a separate question from the 1 January 2024 amendments to the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 (Cth), which widened electronic execution for actual Commonwealth statutory declarations elsewhere in a migration file — those changes don't apply to Form 888, because Form 888 isn't a statutory declaration to begin with.

Who completes it, and the new identity-evidence requirement

The current form requires the person completing it to know the visa applicant and their partner or fiancé(e) and the history of their relationship, and to be at least 18 years of age. That's the full eligibility test printed on the form itself — it doesn't specify Australian citizenship or permanent residency as a formal requirement of who may complete it, though a statement from someone who is themselves an Australian citizen or permanent resident is likely to carry more weight given the form asks Home Affairs to assess the couple's social ties in Australia.

What's new in the 2026 version: the person completing the form 'must provide documentary evidence of their current name, age and, where applicable, Australian citizenship or Australian permanent residency (for example, a copy of their birth certificate, Australian passport or passport containing a permanent visa).' Earlier versions of the form didn't ask for this. In practice this means attaching an ID document alongside the completed statement, not just filling in the form and signing it.

A statement-maker cannot be the applicant or the sponsor themselves, and shouldn't be someone with a financial or other interest in the outcome that would call their objectivity into question. Family members can complete the form — nothing on it excludes them, and in practice they're often useful because they've observed the relationship over the longest period.

How many does Home Affairs actually expect?

The form itself says: 'You may be asked to submit up to 3 separate statements during the processing of the visa application.' That's a materially different framing from the widely repeated '2 is the standard number' — the form doesn't set a fixed expectation at all, it flags that a case officer may request as many as 3 if needed, and you may also be contacted for further comment or an interview about what you've written.

In practice, most partner-visa applications still submit statements from two or three people who know the couple independently as part of the initial evidence bundle, because that's a reasonable spread of social evidence — but there's no rule against submitting fewer up front and responding if Home Affairs specifically asks for more (up to the 3 the form names). What matters more than hitting a number is variety and independence: a parent plus a friend or colleague who's known the couple in a different context generally carries more weight than two statements from the same social circle saying the same thing.

What a useful statement actually covers

The form's own numbered questions ask: how the statement-maker knows the applicant and the applicant's partner/fiancé(e) and how long they've known each of them; how they know the couple and how often they've been in contact; whether they believe the relationship is genuine and continuing, and their reasons for that belief; and any other matters they wish to add in support of the application. There's also a tick-box confirming whether identity evidence has been attached.

Generic statements ('they seem happy together', 'I've known them for years') are weaker than specific, dated observations a statement-maker can actually stand behind — a wedding they attended, a house move they helped with, a period of illness where they saw the sponsor caring for the applicant. Migratio doesn't draft these statements, and no legitimate source should: Form 888 is meant to be the maker's own account in their own words. A MARA-registered agent can advise on how Form 888 fits alongside the rest of your relationship evidence — see our partner visa evidence guide and evidence checklist — and Migratio matches you with one free.

The false-statement penalty, printed on the form itself

The current form carries this exact warning: 'The Migration Act 1958 (the Act) provides penalties for providing false or misleading statements of 10 years' imprisonment or a fine of AUD$313,000, or both.' That figure is stated on the form itself (design date 08/26) and traces to s234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958, which makes it an offence to give false or misleading information in connection with a visa application. It's a serious, specific number worth knowing before anyone treats the form as a formality — case officers do follow up when a statement doesn't add up against the rest of the file.

Beyond the penalty, the most frequent practical mistakes are: using an outdated version of the form (always download fresh from the Home Affairs form-listing page rather than reusing an old saved copy or a third-party site); leaving it unsigned or undated; forgetting the new identity-evidence attachment; and statements too generic to show genuine, specific knowledge of the relationship.

Where to download it

Form 888 is free and available directly from the Department of Home Affairs form-listing page at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. Don't pay for a copy from a third-party site, and don't use a version saved from an old application — the form changed twice in three years (July 2023 and August 2026), and an outdated version can hold up your file or ask for information Home Affairs no longer requires.

Can Form 888 be signed electronically?

Nothing on the current form requires an authorised witness to sight the signature in person — it stopped being a statutory declaration in July 2023, and the only signature is the statement-maker's own. The form is a standard fillable PDF (type the fields, or print and use a pen) attached through ImmiAccount like any other supporting document, so it can be completed and signed digitally, provided the result genuinely reflects the maker's own account and signature.

What is Form 888 called now?

As at the August 2026 redesign, it's titled 'Supporting statement in relation to a Partner or Prospective Marriage visa application' — Home Affairs dropped 'Statement by a Supporting Witness' from the title. Older guides using the old name are describing the pre-2026 version.

How many Form 888s do I need for a partner visa?

The form itself says you 'may be asked to submit up to 3 separate statements' during processing — it doesn't fix a required number. Most applications submit two or three statements from people who know the couple independently as part of the initial evidence, but there's no legislated minimum.

Does Form 888 need to be certified by a JP?

No, as at 2026. Form 888 stopped being a Commonwealth statutory declaration on 24 July 2023, and the current version has no space for a Justice of the Peace, police officer or other authorised witness to sign or certify anything — only the statement-maker signs.

What happens if I give false information on Form 888?

The current form states the penalty directly: 10 years' imprisonment or a fine of AUD$313,000, or both, under section 234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958. It's printed as a warning on the form itself, not an estimate.

Do I need to attach ID with Form 888 now?

Yes, since the August 2026 redesign. The person completing the form must provide documentary evidence of their current name, age and, where applicable, Australian citizenship or permanent residency — for example a birth certificate, Australian passport, or a passport containing a permanent visa. Earlier versions didn't require this.

Can family members complete Form 888?

Yes — nothing on the form excludes a family member, and in practice parents and siblings are often useful because they've observed the relationship over a long period. The form's stated test is simply that the person knows the applicant and their partner/fiancé(e) and the history of the relationship, and is 18 or over.

Where do I get the current Form 888?

Free, direct from the Department of Home Affairs form-listing page at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au. Always use the current version — the form changed in both July 2023 and August 2026, and an outdated copy can hold up your application or omit a now-required attachment.