Partner visa sponsor requirements: who can sponsor, the age rule and character checks

To sponsor your partner for the Partner visa (subclass 820), you must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, you must be 18 or older, and the department must approve your sponsorship. Most sponsors also have to meet the character requirements, and you have to prove your identity and provide police certificates.

Here is what the subclass 820 page says about each of these.

Who can sponsor: the status rule

The subclass 820 page, under 'Be suitable to sponsor', says you must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

The same section adds a note about New Zealand citizens: if you are a New Zealand citizen and do not meet the eligibility criteria to sponsor your partner for this visa, your partner may be eligible for a New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461).

The same section also states that the department must approve your sponsorship. This sits alongside the applicant-side rule in the Eligibility section of the subclass 820 page, under 'Have a sponsor', which says you cannot change your sponsor: the person who sponsors you when you apply for the visa must be the same person who sponsors you for 2 years after the temporary Partner visa (subclass 820) is granted.

The age rule

The subclass 820 page says you must be 18 years old or older to be a sponsor. It gives one case where this does not settle the matter: if you are under 18 and you are married to the applicant, your parent or guardian might be able to sponsor your partner.

That exception is also reflected in the document section of the same page. If you are sponsoring the applicant on behalf of your child who is married to the applicant but under 18, you provide an official document allowing the marriage between your child and the visa applicant, and evidence you are the parent or guardian of your child.

The applicant side of the age rule is separate. The Eligibility section of the subclass 820 page says married applicants must, in most cases, be 18 or older when they apply, and applicants in de facto relationships must be 18 or older when they apply.

Character checks

The subclass 820 page says most sponsors will need to meet the character requirements to be eligible to sponsor someone for this visa. It then lists three situations where the department might not approve you as a sponsor:

• you have a significant criminal record in relation to relevant offences
• you refuse to provide the department with a police clearance
• you do not consent to the disclosure of your convictions to the applicant

The page also notes that convictions for relevant offences that have been quashed, or otherwise nullified or pardoned, are not included.

Measures for the protection of children

The subclass 820 page states that there are limitations on sponsorship if the sponsor has been convicted of certain offences involving children. The page refers you to its separate information on measures for the protection of children.

Limitations on sponsorship

The Limitations on sponsorship section of the subclass 820 page carries a single short statement: the department may refuse your sponsorship application and the visa application if the sponsorship limitations apply to you. The detail sits in separate sections on the same page, covering previous sponsorship, Contributory Parent visa holders and Woman at Risk (subclass 204) visa holders.

Forced marriage

The subclass 820 page says the department may refuse your partner's visa application if you and your partner are found to be in a forced marriage, and that forced marriage is a crime in Australia. The page defines it as a situation where a person, or both people, gets married without freely and fully consenting. They may be tricked, threatened or pressured into getting married, or they are incapable of understanding the nature and effect of a marriage ceremony, for reasons including age or mental capacity.

The documents a sponsor provides

The 'Gather and prepare your documents' section of the subclass 820 page sets out what you must give the department.

For identity, you must provide evidence that you are an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen:

• a copy of your passport
• a copy of your birth certificate
• a photo of your face

If you are an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, you must also provide evidence that you usually live in Australia. The page says this evidence can include documents showing that you maintain a home in Australia, work in Australia, own property, business or other interests in Australia, or have family and other ties in the same place you live.

For character, you need to provide an Australian police certificate to show that you meet the additional sponsor requirements. The page says it only accepts complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police, and does not accept standard disclosure certificates or national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police.

You also need an overseas police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16. The page notes that, for immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date, and that if they expire before the visa application is decided, you will be told if you need to provide them again.

The page carries one further character requirement: you must provide written consent for the department to disclose any convictions for relevant offences to the visa applicant. If you sponsored your partner and their family members included in their application for a Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) visa, you may not need to submit police certificates again, and if police certificates are required the department will let you know.

The page asks you to have all documents translated into English and provide original and translated documents. Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited, but each translation must include their full name, address and telephone number, and qualifications and experience in the language they are translating, in English. You do not need to have any documents certified. Scan or photograph all documents, English and non-English, in colour, clear enough to read, and if a document is more than one page, save it all as one file.

How to apply as a sponsor

The steps on the subclass 820 page, in order:

• Apply after the applicant has applied for their visa and given you their transaction Reference Number (TRN) or application ID.
• Apply online. You can be inside or outside Australia when you apply to sponsor.
• You can apply using your partner's ImmiAccount, or your own ImmiAccount. You can create your own ImmiAccount if you do not have one.
• Log in to ImmiAccount.
• Select 'New application'.
• Select 'Family'.
• Select 'Sponsorship for a Partner to Migrate to Australia'.
• Complete your application using the transaction reference number (TRN) given to you by the visa applicant.
• Attach documents.

The page also says you should provide all required information with your application, or as soon as possible after applying, and that you must prove your identity and provide true information.

If you did not attach all documents when you applied, attach them to your application in ImmiAccount as soon as you can. The department will ask you to provide more information if needed.

What you owe as a sponsor

The opening section of the subclass 820 page says you must sponsor your spouse or de facto partner and the family members included in their application, and that as a sponsor you must assist your partner and those family members, financially and with their accommodation.

The Cost section of the subclass 820 page says No cost.

Processing times

The subclass 820 page says processing times for Partner visa applications vary, and that applicants may experience longer processing times than expected. It points to the visa processing time guide tool for an indication of processing times, describing that tool as a guide only and not specific to your application. Applications are processed according to Ministerial Direction 117, and the page points to the Family visa processing priorities information and to Partner Visa Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs).

Getting help

The subclass 820 page says only some people can help you with your sponsorship application. If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance, they must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner or an exempt person. You can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your sponsorship matter.

Questions people ask

Must my sponsor be an Australian citizen?

No. The subclass 820 page says you must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen.

Does the department have to approve the sponsorship?

Yes. The subclass 820 page states that the department must approve your sponsorship.

Can I sponsor someone if I am under 18?

The subclass 820 page says you must be 18 years old or older. If you are under 18 and you are married to the applicant, your parent or guardian might be able to sponsor your partner.

What police certificates do I need as a sponsor?

The subclass 820 page says you need an Australian police certificate, which must be a complete disclosure National Police Certificate issued by the Australian Federal Police, plus an overseas police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16.

Can I change my sponsor after I apply?

The Eligibility section of the subclass 820 page says you cannot change your sponsor. The person who sponsors you when you apply must be the same person who sponsors you for 2 years after the temporary Partner visa (subclass 820) is granted.

Sources

• Partner visa (temporary) (subclass 820) — Department of Home Affairs

Checked 11 October 2026

This page is an unofficial summary published by PartnerVisa.help, not by the Department of Home Affairs, and the department's current pages prevail if they differ.