Proving a de facto partner on a parent visa application (2026)
Yes — a de facto partner can be included in a Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) application, and the proof the Australian Department of Home Affairs asks for is specific: documents showing you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply. The Department's official Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) page names four categories of acceptable proof — joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing you have lived at the same address as your partner. This article reflects that official page as at July 2026 and is general information only; it is not advice about your own circumstances, and for a decision on your situation the Department's current published requirements — and professional advice if you need it — are what count.
What does Home Affairs actually ask for from a de facto partner?
The partner document list on the subclass 143 page has four parts. You provide:
- identity documents
- character documents
- evidence of your relationship, being your current marriage certificate or documents that prove you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply
- documents about other relationships, if applicable
Partners included in the application also need the same photographs everyone else does: four recent passport-size (45mm x 35mm) colour photos, less than 6 months old, showing the full face against a plain light-coloured background.
The structure matters for planning. Identity and character are handled separately from the relationship claim, so a strong pile of joint bills does not make up for a missing identity document.
How does the 12-month de facto requirement work?
The wording on the official page is "documents that prove you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply." The qualifier is the lodgement date, not the decision date: the 12 months needs to have already run by the time you submit, and your documents need to show that.
That has a practical consequence for couples who are close to the line. If you are at month ten, the evidence you lodge will describe a ten-month relationship, not a twelve-month one, and the page sets out no alternative route for the subclass 143 context — the timing choice is yours, and it sits with when you lodge rather than with anything you can add later.
Which documents does the Department list as proof?
The page gives the list as examples rather than as a checklist where any one item is enough ("Documents that prove your de facto relationship include"). The four named types fall into three themes:
- Shared money — joint bank account statements, and billing accounts in joint names
- Shared housing commitments — joint leases or mortgages
- Shared address — documents that show you have lived at the same address as your partner
Because the list is illustrative, the sensible reading is that a mix covering more than one theme describes the relationship better than a single document does. Joint bank statements show a financial relationship; a lease in both names and correspondence at a shared address show a household. A couple whose paperwork only covers one of these has thinner evidence than a couple whose paperwork covers all three.
Does a marriage certificate replace all of that?
For a married couple, yes, at the relationship-evidence step. The page puts it in the alternative: "your current marriage certificate or documents that prove you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply." Note the word current — the certificate has to be the one for the marriage you are relying on now.
The rest of the partner documents do not change. Identity documents, character documents, documents about other relationships where applicable, and photographs are still required for a spouse.
What if one of you has been married or in a de facto relationship before?
Both the partner list and the adult dependant list include "documents about other relationships, if applicable." The official page does not go on to specify which documents those are, so what you can supply from registries, court records or earlier visa paperwork is what you have to work with, and the Department's current published wording is the thing to check before you finalise your uploads.
There is also a general duty behind this: the page states there are consequences for not giving accurate or complete information, and a separate page covers providing accurate information.
Can I add a de facto partner after I lodge?
Possibly — the Department of Home Affairs says you might be able to add family members to your application before it makes a decision. The route is Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement, and the page says you will also need evidence of your relationship and a copy of the family member's passport.
Where your partner is standing matters here. A spouse or de facto partner being added can be in or outside Australia when you add them — unless you applied as a retiree, in which case they must be in Australia when you add them. Retiree applicants are also limited at the outset: under the Retirement visa pathway you can include your partner only if they also hold a Retirement visa or Investor Retirement visa, and you cannot include children at all.
If your application is online or imported into ImmiAccount, Form 1436 can be uploaded there; otherwise it can be sent using the Parent visa processing centre form.
What does including a partner mean for cost and for the queue?
Each family member who applies with you adds to the cost. The subclass 143 page states the visa costs from AUD49,900 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you, payable in two instalments — the first when you apply, the second when the Department asks for it. The second instalment must be paid before the visa is granted, and if the invoice is not paid the application will be refused. The application fee is not refunded if the application is refused.
The Assurance of Support covers you and any family members who come to Australia with you on this visa, so adding a partner widens what that assurance has to cover. It can be provided by an individual, more than one person, or an organisation; the sponsor or a family member does not have to be the one to provide it.
On timing, expect to wait. The page states demand for Parent visas is greater than the places available each year, applications are subject to capping and queueing, and are processed in the order received. It also says not to arrange to stay permanently in Australia until the visa is granted.
What if our relationship changes while the application is queued?
You have to tell the Department. Changes you must report include your relationship status and your family composition, and mistakes on the application should be corrected as soon as possible using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers.
For holders of a Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173) visa moving to the subclass 143, a change in the partner relationship is specifically listed as one of the changes that needs evidence. More broadly, the queue is long enough that relationships genuinely do change during it, and the obligation to notify does not wait for the application to reach final assessment.
Does my partner need to meet health and character requirements?
Yes. Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet the health and character requirements, and the Department says it might also ask non-migrating family members to meet them. Character documents, including police certificates, are requested when the Department asks — the page says not to arrange a police check until then. Health examinations are the same: you are told when they are needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do we have to have lived together for 12 months to be counted as de facto?
You have to show you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply, and one of the document types the Department lists is documents showing you have lived at the same address as your partner. The 12-month period runs up to the date you lodge.
Are joint bank statements enough on their own?
The official page presents joint bank account statements as one example among several, alongside joint billing accounts, joint leases or mortgages, and shared-address documents. Because the list is illustrative rather than a single-item requirement, relying on one type of document leaves the relationship less well documented than covering several.
Can my partner be included if we are de facto but keep separate addresses?
The Department's listed evidence is built around joint financial commitments, joint housing commitments and a shared address. The page does not set out an alternative set of documents for couples who do not share an address, so the current published wording on the subclass 143 page is what you should check against your situation.
Can I add my de facto partner after I have already applied?
Possibly — the Department says you might be able to add family members before it makes a decision, using Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement, together with evidence of your relationship and a copy of your partner's passport. They can be in or outside Australia when added unless you applied as a retiree, in which case they must be in Australia.
Does adding a partner increase the visa cost?
Yes. The Department states the visa costs from AUD49,900 for a single applicant and that there are additional charges for each family member who applies with you. The total is paid in two instalments, and the second instalment must be paid before the visa is granted.
Do I need to tell the Department if we separate while the application is waiting?
Yes. A change in relationship status is one of the changes the Department requires you to report, and incorrect answers on the application should be corrected using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers. There are consequences for not providing accurate or complete information.
What photos does my partner need to provide?
Four recent passport-size photos (45mm x 35mm), less than 6 months old, good quality colour rather than laser copies, showing the full face against a plain light-coloured background. Untinted prescription glasses are allowed, and a religious head covering can be worn as long as the face is shown.