What Relationship Evidence Does a Partner Need for a Subclass 836 Application in 2026?
A partner included in a Carer visa (Subclass 836) application is asked for identity documents, character documents, documents about former relationships where relevant, and then one of two things: a current marriage certificate, or proof of a de facto relationship of at least 12 months before the application is lodged. That list comes from the Partner documents part of the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Carer visa (Subclass 836) page, as published in July 2026. Everything below is general information rather than advice about an individual case, so where your own circumstances are unusual, the requirements as currently published should govern the decision you make.
Who is the "partner" in a Carer visa application?
The partner here is not the person receiving care. The 836 is an onshore permanent visa built around a carer and an Australian relative who needs care, and the partner is included as a member of the family unit in the same application. The Department's visa page states that members of the family unit can be included when you apply, and that family members who apply for the visa must meet the health and character requirements.
This distinction matters when you read the document checklist. One set of evidence — the Bupa Medical Visa Services certificate and the written evidence that the person needing care does not have reasonable access to care in Australia — goes to the care relationship. The evidence discussed on this page goes to a completely separate question: whether the person you want included is your spouse or de facto partner.
What exactly does the Department ask a partner to provide?
Under the heading for partner documents, the official page asks for four categories of material:
- identity documents
- character documents
- documents about former relationships, if applicable
- either a current marriage certificate, or proof of a de facto relationship of at least 12 months before applying, except in limited circumstances
The page also requires four recent photographs (45mm x 35mm) of anyone included in the application. Those photographs must be less than six months old, in good quality colour rather than laser copies, showing a full face against a plain light-coloured background. Prescription glasses may be untinted, and a head covering worn for religious reasons may be kept on as long as the face is visible.
Do we need a marriage certificate, or is de facto enough?
Either route works. The Department frames them as alternatives: you provide a current marriage certificate, or you prove a de facto relationship of at least 12 months immediately before you apply.
Two details deserve attention. First, the 12 months is measured before lodgement, not before the decision, so timing the application around the start of cohabitation can make the difference between meeting and missing it. Second, the page ends this requirement with the words "except in limited circumstances" without setting out what those circumstances are, so anyone who believes their situation falls outside the 12-month rule needs to read the requirement as it is currently published rather than assume the exception applies.
The visa criteria themselves sit in the Migration Regulations 1994 rather than only in the Department's web guidance. If a compiled version of those Regulations reads differently from what the Department currently publishes, the published page is the version that describes how the application will be handled.
What counts as proof of a 12-month de facto relationship?
The official page gives four examples of documents that could prove a de facto relationship, and because it uses "could include," the list is illustrative rather than closed. No single item is described as enough on its own.
Joint bank account statements. These show shared money rather than two people who happen to live at the same address. Statements should run across the period you are relying on, not just the weeks before lodgement.
Billing accounts in joint names. Utility, internet or phone accounts held jointly point to a shared household operating as a unit.
Joint leases or mortgages. A lease in both names is date-specific evidence that the two of you took on a housing commitment together, which is often the clearest single document covering the start of the relationship period.
Documents showing your partner lives, or has lived, at the same address as you. This is broader than a lease: correspondence, official records or other documents addressed to each of you at the same address can fill gaps where no joint account exists.
A hypothetical makes the practical point. Suppose an applicant and their partner have shared a rented flat for eighteen months, but opened a joint bank account three weeks ago. The lease covers most of the twelve-month window, so the relationship period is documented even though one of the four examples only covers recent weeks. The reverse case — a joint account opened two years ago with nothing tying either person to a shared address — leaves significant stretches undocumented. The sensible approach is to gather items that overlap across the full twelve months rather than relying on one recent document.
What documents deal with earlier relationships?
The checklist asks for "documents about former relationships, if applicable." The page does not define what those documents are, but the requirement exists because the Department needs to see that any previous marriage or de facto relationship has ended before the current one began.
Separately, the identity section of the same page lists a marriage or divorce certificate as evidence of a change of name. So where a name on a birth certificate, passport or joint account differs from a name used elsewhere, a marriage or divorce certificate can serve both purposes at once. Change-of-name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority are also accepted.
What does an included partner have to satisfy besides relationship proof?
Three things beyond the paperwork:
Health and character. Members of the family unit who apply for the visa must meet the health and character requirements. The character documents section sets out police certificate rules — for example, a complete disclosure National Police Certificate from the Australian Federal Police where the person has spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, with those certificates treated as valid for 12 months from the date of issue, and overseas police certificates for other countries where 12 months or more was spent in that same 10-year window.
Accuracy. The consequences of failing to establish identity are stated bluntly on the page: the visa application will be refused, and the applicant may not be granted another visa for 10 years, along with family members listed on the application. If a mistake is later found on a lodged application, Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers is the mechanism the Department provides for correcting it.
Cost. There is an extra charge for each family member who applies with you, and while the Department may consider reducing the second instalment to nil in cases of severe financial hardship, the page states it will not reduce that instalment for anyone applying for the visa with you. The second instalment itself must be paid or the visa cannot be granted.
How do these documents actually get lodged?
The Subclass 836 is a paper application. Form 47OF Application for migration to Australia by other family members must be completed in English and submitted with the other documents, and the applicant must be in Australia but not in immigration clearance both when the application is submitted and when it is decided.
Applications cannot be submitted in person; they go by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth at the address shown on the form. Only certified copies should be sent — the Department asks applicants not to send original documents — and you should keep a complete copy of the application and supporting documents for your own records. If any required step is incomplete, the application may be treated as invalid, and invalid applications are not processed.
What has to be reported while the application is pending?
Changes in circumstances must be notified after lodgement, and the list expressly includes changes to marital or de facto status, alongside changes to phone number, address or passport and the birth of a child.
If a relationship breaks down, the Department points to its Family violence provisions page, which sets out how that situation is handled. You must also remain lawful while waiting: the bridging visa granted with the application starts if your current visa expires before a decision, and cancelling your current visa instead would leave you unlawful and ineligible for a bridging visa.
Frequently Asked Questions
What relationship evidence does the Department ask for from a partner on a Subclass 836 application?
The partner documents section asks for identity documents, character documents, and documents about former relationships where relevant, plus either a current marriage certificate or proof of a de facto relationship of at least 12 months before lodgement. Four recent 45mm x 35mm photographs are also required for anyone included in the application. The requirement appears on the official Carer visa (Subclass 836) page published by the Department of Home Affairs.
Do we still need 12 months of de facto evidence if we are married?
No. The page presents marriage and de facto evidence as alternatives, and a current marriage certificate satisfies the requirement on its own. The 12-month period applies to the de facto route, where there is no marriage certificate to rely on. The requirement still carries the qualifier "except in limited circumstances," so the published wording is what matters.
Can joint bank statements alone prove a de facto relationship?
The page describes joint bank account statements as one of several documents that could prove a de facto relationship, which means no single example is presented as sufficient by itself. Statements covering the whole 12-month window, ideally alongside joint billing accounts, a joint lease or mortgage, or documents showing a shared address, give a much fuller picture than one recent statement.
Does a partner included in the application need health and character checks?
Yes. Family members who apply for the visa must meet the health and character requirements, and the partner documents checklist asks for character documents directly. Health examinations are arranged if the Department asks for them, rather than being something you send in with the paper application.
Do original documents need to be sent to Perth?
No. The Department asks applicants not to send original documents with the paper application, only certified copies. The full application, including Form 47OF and supporting documents, goes by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, and you should keep your own complete copy.
What happens if the relationship ends while the 836 application is being processed?
A change in marital or de facto status is something the Department requires you to tell it about after lodgement. Where family or domestic violence is involved, the Department publishes separate Family violence provisions explaining how those cases are treated. Beyond that, the partner remains part of an application that is assessed against the family unit rules in force at decision time.