Partner visa Australia cost: complete 2026 fee breakdown

Government application charge (the core fee)

The visa application charge (VAC) for the partner visa is set in Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations 1994 and published by the Department of Home Affairs. For applications lodged from 1 July 2026, the charge is:

- Main applicant: AUD 11,710
- Each additional applicant aged 18 or over: AUD 5,860
- Each additional applicant under 18: AUD 2,935

This is a single payment. It covers the full two-stage assessment — the temporary partner visa (subclass 820 for onshore applicants; subclass 309 for offshore applicants) and the subsequent permanent partner visa (subclass 801 or 100). Schedule 1 sets the second instalment at nil, so there is no separate charge when the Department assesses your permanent stage.

Two exceptions lower the charge. An applicant who marries their prospective spouse and applies for the 820/801 while still holding a Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) pays AUD 1,955 instead of AUD 11,710. And from 1 July 2026, Home Affairs applies a lower charge to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens.

If you pay by card, Home Affairs adds a surcharge: 1.40% for Visa, Mastercard and American Express, 1.01% for PayPal and 1.90% for UnionPay, as published on its surcharges page (September 2026). At 1.40%, that is about $164 on the main applicant charge. The charge that applies is the one in force on the date you lodge, not the date you started preparing. If you are close to 1 July, check the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator before paying.

The figures on this page are current as at 1 July 2026. Always confirm against the Home Affairs fee schedule on the day you lodge.

Dependant and secondary applicant fees

Every person included in your partner visa application — a dependent child, or any other secondary applicant — attracts their own visa application charge. Your Australian partner is the sponsor, not an applicant, so they do not pay a charge.

If the main applicant includes one secondary applicant aged 18 or over (for example, a dependent adult child), the combined VAC is $11,710 + $5,860 = $17,570. Add a child under 18 and it becomes $20,505.

Home Affairs does not refund the charge because an application is refused or withdrawn. Regulation 2.12F of the Migration Regulations allows a refund only in narrow circumstances, such as an application made because of a Home Affairs mistake, or the applicant dying before a decision.

Medical examination costs

Every applicant on a partner visa — main applicant and any dependants — must meet the health requirement, which usually means health examinations with a panel physician approved by Home Affairs. The examinations you need depend on your age, circumstances and where you have lived.

Home Affairs does not publish a price for these examinations: clinics set their own fees, so check the current fee when you book. Additional tests the Department requests cost extra and cannot be predicted in advance. Home Affairs states that health assessment results are valid for 12 months from the date you complete your examinations (6 months if you are asked to sign a health undertaking), and that it may ask you to redo them if they expire before a decision.

Police clearance and translation costs

Home Affairs asks partner visa applicants for an Australian police certificate if they have spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16 — it accepts only a complete-disclosure National Police Certificate from the Australian Federal Police — plus a police certificate from every other country where they spent a total of 12 months or more in that period. Each issuing authority sets its own fee and processing time. Home Affairs treats police certificates as valid for 12 months from the date of issue and may ask for new ones if they expire before a decision.

Documents not in English must be translated into English, and you provide both the original and the translation. Translators in Australia must be accredited by NAATI (the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters). Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited, but each translation must carry their full name, address and telephone number, and their qualifications and experience in the language. Translation fees vary by provider and by document.

Migration agent fees

Engaging a MARA-registered migration agent is optional. Many partner visa applicants use one because relationship evidence is detailed and a refusal is costly.

Agent fees are set by each agent and are separate from the government charge: a quoted professional fee covers the agent's work, and you still pay the government AUD 11,710 directly. Ask for a written fee agreement, and ask whether disbursements (translations, courier costs and the like) are charged on top. If an application is refused, the cost of an ART review or a fresh application comes on top of what has already been spent.

ART appeal fee if refused

If the Department refuses your partner visa, you may have a right to a merits review at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART), which replaced the AAT and IAA on 14 October 2024.

The ART application fee for a migration review is AUD 3,727 from 1 July 2026. It is set by regulation 4.13 of the Migration Regulations and increases each 1 July in line with CPI; the fee is halved if the ART Principal Registrar accepts that paying it would cause financial hardship. Section 347(3) of the Migration Act gives you 28 days from the day you are notified, or 14 days if you were in immigration detention that day. Section 347(5) removes the Tribunal's power to extend either, so missing the date permanently extinguishes your review right. Your refusal notice states your own deadline — that is the date to work to. If the ART decides in your favour, half of the fee is refunded; if it affirms the refusal, the fee is not refunded. Representation at the review is a separate cost, set by whoever represents you.

Scenario cost tables: what you will actually spend

Government charges only, in AUD, at the rates that apply from 1 July 2026. Health examinations, police certificates, translations and any agent fees are extra and vary by provider and country, so they are listed rather than priced. Card surcharges are calculated at 1.40%.

Scenario 1 — Main applicant only (820/801 or 309/100): VAC $11,710 + card surcharge about $164 = about $11,874, plus health examinations, police certificates and translations.

Scenario 2 — Main applicant plus one secondary applicant aged 18 or over: VAC $11,710 + $5,860 = $17,570, + card surcharge about $246 = about $17,816, plus the extras above for each person.

Scenario 3 — Main applicant, one secondary applicant aged 18 or over and one child under 18: VAC $11,710 + $5,860 + $2,935 = $20,505, + card surcharge about $287 = about $20,792, plus the extras and any agent fees.

Scenario 4 — Main applicant refused, then an ART review: about $11,874 from Scenario 1 + ART fee $3,727 = about $15,601, plus representation if you use it. Half the ART fee is refunded if the Tribunal decides in your favour.

The government VAC is not refunded because an application is refused or withdrawn. Confirm charges in the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator, as they change on 1 July.

Do I pay the partner visa fee twice — once for each stage?

No. The government application charge is a single upfront payment that covers both stages. You pay AUD 11,710 (for applications lodged from 1 July 2026) when you lodge, and Schedule 1 sets the second instalment at nil, so there is no second payment when the Department later assesses your permanent partner visa (subclass 801 or 100).

Is the partner visa fee refundable if my application is refused?

Generally no. Home Affairs does not refund the visa application charge because an application is refused or withdrawn; regulation 2.12F allows a refund only in narrow circumstances, such as an application made because of a Home Affairs mistake. The one partial refund built into the pathway is half of the ART application fee if the Tribunal decides in your favour on review.

How much does the partner visa cost for a couple applying together?

Your Australian partner is the sponsor, not an applicant, so a couple pays one main applicant charge: AUD 11,710 for applications lodged from 1 July 2026. Additional applicants, such as the main applicant's dependent children, add AUD 5,860 each if 18 or over and AUD 2,935 each if under 18. Health examinations, police certificates, translations and any agent fees are extra.

When do partner visa fees increase?

Visa application charges are set in Schedule 1 to the Migration Regulations and usually change on 1 July. The fee that applies is the one in effect on the date you lodge — not the date you started preparing. If you are close to 1 July, check the Home Affairs Visa Pricing Estimator before paying.

What does an ART appeal cost if I'm refused?

The ART application fee for a migration review is AUD 3,727 from 1 July 2026 (it increases each 1 July under regulation 4.13A of the Migration Regulations). Apply within 28 days of being notified (14 days if you were in immigration detention); the Tribunal cannot extend that. If the ART decides in your favour, half the fee is refunded. Representation is a separate cost.

Is it worth paying a migration agent given it adds thousands?

It depends on the complexity of your evidence and any visa-history complications. A refusal means the AUD 11,710 government charge is not refunded, and a review or re-lodgement adds further cost. Some couples prepare their own application; others use an agent where there are prior refusals, periods apart or gaps in evidence. Migratio can match you with MARA-registered partner visa specialists to compare.