Partner and dependent child evidence for a subclass 887 application (2026)

Updated 2026-10-08 · General information, not migration advice · Run by the Arrivau team

Married applicants are asked for a marriage certificate; de facto applicants must show either that the relationship is registered with an Australian State or Territory or that they have been in a de facto relationship for at least the 12 months before applying. On top of that, both married and de facto applicants have to show the relationship is genuine and continuing, using things like joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing a shared address. Dependent children bring their own paperwork: birth certificates or a family book naming both parents, adoption papers where they apply, and consent documents where someone with parental responsibility is not migrating with the child. This follows the evidence lists published on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Skilled Regional visa (Subclass 887) page.

What does the partner evidence list actually cover?

The Department asks for evidence of a partner's identity and of their relationship with you. That splits into four practical groups:

identity documents and photos
character documents
marriage certificate, if applicable
documents about other relationships, if applicable

The last item is easy to overlook. If you have previously been married, widowed, divorced or permanently separated, the page asks for proof such as marriage certificates, divorce documents, death certificates, separation documents or statutory declarations. A partner who is not being included in the application also needs explaining: the page asks you to tell the Department the reason, giving the example of a partner who already holds Australian citizenship or is a permanent resident.

These lists describe what the official page asks for in general terms. They are not an assessment of any individual case, and the version of the official page that applies when you lodge should be treated as the authority.

Married applicants: is the certificate enough?

A marriage certificate establishes the marriage, but it does not by itself discharge the relationship requirement. The page separates the two ideas: proof of the marriage, and then evidence that you are in a genuine and continuing relationship. A certificate issued years ago with nothing behind it leaves the second half unanswered.

What tends to carry that second half is documentation of a shared life during the period you are relying on. The official list is explicitly non-exhaustive, which means the categories below are examples rather than a quota:

joint bank account statements
billing accounts in joint names
joint leases or mortgages
documents that show your partner has lived at the same address as you

De facto partners: registration or 12 months of documents?

For a de facto relationship the official page gives you one of two paths — you provide either evidence that the relationship is registered by an Australian State or Territory, or documents proving you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply. It is an alternative, not a stack: registration can remove the need to separately reconstruct 12 months of history.

Where couples rely on the 12-month path, the same genuine-and-continuing evidence applies, but the dating matters more. Documents have to sit inside the period you are claiming, not just exist somewhere in the relationship.

How do joint accounts, leases and bills show a genuine and continuing relationship?

Money held together

Joint bank account statements are the clearest of the listed items because they show shared finances operating over time, not just a shared intention. Billing accounts in joint names work the same way for household outgoings. A single statement is weak; a run of statements covering the period reads as a household.

Address held together

Joint leases or mortgages are the Department's own examples of shared commitment, and they do double duty. A lease naming both of you is also evidence of residence — the residence list on the same page includes leases or rental agreements, utility bills showing your home address, school reports and title deeds. Documents showing your partner lived at your address are listed separately as relationship evidence, so utility bills in one name plus a joint lease can still work together.

Time held together

"Continuing" is the part that thin applications miss. Suppose an applicant uploads a joint account opened three weeks before lodging and nothing else. The documents are real, but they cover a very short window, and the page asks for evidence of the relationship rather than evidence of a recent transaction. Older and more evenly spread documents answer the question better than a burst of paperwork at the end.

What if the relationship started recently or the paperwork is thin?

Registered relationships exist partly for this reason: registration is offered as an alternative to 12 months of documents. Where registration is not available, the practical response is to gather what genuinely exists across categories rather than repeating one category — one financial document, one address document, one document showing the same address over time — and to recognise that the list's "can include but is not limited to" wording leaves room for documents that reflect how your household actually runs.

Do not manufacture documents. The same page warns separately about providing accurate information and about what happens if you cannot prove your identity or do not provide true information.

What do dependent children under 18 need?

A dependant must hold an eligible visa. For every dependant aged 18 or younger applying with you, the page asks for:

copies of birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents of all your dependent children
copies of the adoption papers, if applicable
parental responsibility documents, if applicable

Children under 18 do not have to prove functional English.

When does a child need parental responsibility documents?

Consent is needed from anyone who has a legal right to decide where the child lives and who is not coming to Australia with the child. That person completes either Form 1229 Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years, or a statutory declaration giving consent for the child to migrate on this visa.

Instead of consent, you can show an Australian court order allowing the child to migrate, or that the laws of your home country allow them to migrate. Whichever route is used, include an identity document showing the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration — such as a passport or driver's licence — plus adoption papers or other court documents if applicable.

What changes for dependants over 18?

A child over 18 can only be included if they hold an eligible visa that was granted on the basis that they were a member of your family unit. The documents asked for are:

identity documents
proof of your relationship with the dependant, such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
character documents
marriage certificate, if applicable
documents about other relationships, if applicable

The same page also allows family members who no longer meet the standard definition of a member of the family unit, provided they hold an eligible visa granted on the basis that they were one — its own example being a child who has turned 23 since being granted that visa.

Who else has to meet character, health and English requirements?

Family members included in the application must meet the health and character requirements, and family members not accompanying you may also need to meet them. In practice that means police certificates and forms for partners and adult children, not only for you:

an Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate if the person has spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, with only complete disclosure certificates accepted
overseas police certificates from every country, including the home country, where they spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16
military service records or discharge papers, if applicable
Form 80 – Personal particulars for character assessment, and Form 1221 Additional personal particulars information

Applicants aged 18 and over who have not paid the second instalment for their eligible visa must show functional English, or pay the second instalment when asked. That second instalment charge is AUD 4,890. Dependants under 18 are not required to prove functional English.

What happens if a partner or child is left out, or a baby arrives?

You must include each family member who is eligible to apply at the time you lodge, and family members cannot be added after you submit — the only exception is a newborn child. A child born in or outside Australia since your current visa was granted must be declared before you lodge, and if the child's current visa has not been linked to their passport you will be unable to lodge their application online. If a child is born after you apply but before the decision, the Department must be told as soon as possible.

Changes after lodgement also have to be reported, including changes to your marital or de facto status. Where a partner or dependent child was deliberately not included, the reason belongs in the application itself.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a registered de facto relationship remove the 12-month requirement?

Yes, on the terms set out on the official page. You provide either evidence that the relationship is registered by an Australian State or Territory, or documents proving at least 12 months of de facto relationship before you apply — one or the other, not both.

Is one joint bank account enough to prove a genuine relationship?

A joint account is listed as acceptable evidence, but the list is introduced with "can include but is not limited to", so no single item is presented as sufficient on its own. Joint bank statements, joint billing accounts, joint leases or mortgages and shared-address documents each show a different part of a shared life.

Do we need a joint lease, or will utility bills do?

Both appear in the official lists, serving slightly different purposes. Joint leases or mortgages are listed as relationship evidence, while utility bills showing your home address are listed as residence evidence; documents showing your partner lived at the same address as you are also listed directly as relationship evidence.

What documents does a dependent child under 18 need?

Birth certificates or the family book showing the names of both parents, adoption papers if applicable, and parental responsibility documents if applicable. The child must hold an eligible visa, and does not need to prove functional English.

Can I add my partner or child after lodging the 887 application?

No. Family members cannot be added after you submit your application; the only exception is a newborn child, who must be reported to the Department. You must include every family member who is eligible at the time you lodge.

Does my partner need police certificates?

Character documents are required for partners. That includes an Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate where the person has spent 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, overseas police certificates on the same basis, plus Form 80 and Form 1221.