820 Partner Visa Explained: Cost, Evidence and Processing Times

How Australia's onshore partner visa actually works: the temporary 820 and permanent 801 in one application, who's eligible, the four evidence categories, the $11,710 charge (and the $1,955 exception), and current processing times. Figures as at September 2026.

Read the full guide, with official sources →

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Chapters

  1. 0:00 One application.
  2. 0:15 820 first,
  3. 0:26 Apply in Australia.
  4. 0:39 Outside Australia?
  5. 0:49 Substantive visa.
  6. 1:00 Two ways around
  7. 1:11 Sponsors have limits
  8. 1:22 Four categories
  9. 1:41 $11,710
  10. 1:58 Prospective marriage visa holders:
  11. 2:10 Agent fees:
  12. 2:26 8 to 32 months,
  13. 2:41 A Bridging Visa A
  14. 2:55 Long relationship, or a child together?
  15. 3:10 Where to read more

Transcript

Applying for Australia's onshore partner visa? It's actually two visas in one application — the temporary subclass 820, then the permanent subclass 801.

The subclass 820 is the temporary stage. It's always lodged together with the permanent subclass 801 — one form, one fee, two outcomes.

To apply for the 820, you need to be in Australia — along with any family applying with you. Home Affairs says you can actually be in or outside Australia when the 820 itself is decided.

Outside Australia when you apply instead? That's the offshore pathway: the subclass 309, then the subclass 100.

You also need to hold a substantive visa — not a bridging visa — to apply. In a de facto relationship, it usually needs to have run for 12 months first.

That 12-month rule doesn't apply if you hold a registered relationship certificate from an Australian state or territory, or if you can show compelling and compassionate circumstances.

Sponsors have limits too. Home Affairs can refuse a sponsorship that would be a third partner or prospective marriage sponsorship, or one within 5 years of an earlier one.

The Department checks your relationship across four categories: financial, social, household, and commitment.

For the social category, that's Form 888 statutory declarations. The form itself says you may be asked to submit up to 3 separate statements during processing.

The combined charge is $11,710 for the main applicant, $5,860 for each secondary applicant 18 or over, and $2,935 per child under 18 — current from 1 July 2026.

One exception cuts that sharply. Already hold a prospective marriage visa, and apply for the 820/801 while you still have it, and the charge drops to $1,955.

If you use a migration agent, there's no official fee schedule. The agent must set their fee out in a written agreement before taking payment, apart from an initial consult. On Migratio, consult quotes have a median of $220.

How long does it take? For applications decided to 30 June 2026, the fastest 25% took 8 months. The middle took 18 months. The slowest 10% took 32 months.

If your current visa expires before the 820 is decided, a Bridging Visa A keeps you lawful. Want to travel overseas while you wait? Get a Bridging Visa B first — without it, you can't come back.

At the two-year mark, Home Affairs asks for updated evidence before deciding the permanent 801. Relationships of three or more years — or two years with a child — can sometimes see the 801 granted immediately, skipping the wait.

The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.

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