What Can You Do on a Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) in 2026?

Updated 2026-09-27 · General information, not migration advice · Run by the Arrivau team

You can live, work and study in Australia for 9 to 15 months from the date your visa was granted, and you can travel in and out of the country as many times as you like while it remains valid. Those rights come from the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Prospective Marriage visa (Subclass 300) official page, as of July 2026. Everything else worth planning for follows from them: what you must complete before the visa runs out, and how the visa links to the Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801) that comes after it. This article describes general rules only and is not personalised advice — your own conditions sit on your grant letter and in the official record, so confirm anything outcome-related against the latest official information or a qualified professional before you rely on it.

How long can you stay, and when does the clock start?

This is a temporary visa. The Department of Home Affairs states that you may stay in Australia for 9 to 15 months from the date the visa was granted, and that the exact end date is the period specified on your visa grant letter.

Two details trip people up:

The clock runs from the visa grant date, not from the day you fly in. Time spent organising venues, paperwork or family travel before you board the plane eats into the same window.
Your personal expiry date matters more than the general 9–15 month range. The Department notes that you can check when your visa expires through your grant letter or through VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online), the digital record linked to your passport.

Can you work full time on this visa?

Yes. The Department of Home Affairs states that holders of this visa have full work rights and are protected by Australian workplace law. The Fair Work Ombudsman publishes a fact sheet on the workplace rights and entitlements of visa holders and migrant workers, which covers how those protections apply in practice.

Because Australian visas are digital, there is no visa label in your passport. To evidence your right to work, you use the visa number from your grant letter to access your digital visa record. The Department notes that employers, banks and other registered organisations check visa conditions through that same record.

Can you study, and who pays for it?

You can study in Australia on this visa. The important qualification from the Department's page is that you will not receive any government support for that study, and any study costs are at your own expense. In other words, there is no subsidy attached to this visa pathway — budget for full course fees before enrolling.

Can you fly home and come back before the wedding?

Yes. While the visa is valid you can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want. The first trip is the one with a hard deadline attached: if you were outside Australia at the time of grant, you must enter the country before the first entry arrival date shown on your grant letter.

The Department also notes that travelling to Australia after that first entry arrival date has passed is still possible if the visa itself remains valid, but the visa may be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border. Check your visa is still current through VEVO before booking a late flight.

Two situations quietly replace this visa, which matters because of the fee consequences further down:

New Zealand passport holders: the Department recommends telling the border officer that you hold a Prospective Marriage visa and that you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444). If a 444 visa is granted, it overrides your Subclass 300 visa.
Any other visa: as a Subclass 300 holder you are eligible to pay a lower visa application charge for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801). If you are granted another visa instead, that new visa replaces your Subclass 300 — and you may then need to pay the higher charge when you apply for the Partner visa.

What must you do before the visa expires?

Three obligations carry most of the weight:

Enter Australia before the first entry arrival date on your grant letter, if you were offshore at grant.
Marry your prospective spouse before the visa expires. The Department's conditions page material states the marriage itself can take place in any country, but it must be valid under Australian law.
Obey all visa conditions and Australian laws, applying to you and to any family members included in the application. Your specific conditions are listed against the visa and can be checked online.

If you plan for the couple to settle in Australia, the Department's stated sequence is to apply for the Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801) after you marry and before your Prospective Marriage visa ends. Doing so within the Subclass 300 window is directly linked to cost: you pay less for the Partner visa if you marry and apply before the Prospective Marriage visa ends. The Department also notes that you must be in Australia to lodge that onshore Partner visa application.

What about health cover while you are here?

The Department recommends taking out health insurance to cover unforeseen medical treatment, because without it you are personally liable for all healthcare costs incurred in Australia. Whether any public cover is available depends on your circumstances: some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia, and Services Australia publishes the circumstances in which those agreements apply to visitors.

Who else counts as being on this visa?

Family members could be included when the application was lodged, and a dependent child could be added after lodgement but before the temporary visa was decided. Once the Subclass 300 visa is granted, the Department states you cannot add family members to it. Family members who were included had to meet health and character requirements and had to be outside Australia when applying.

So a child born, or a relative you hoped to bring later, does not simply attach to your visa after grant. The Department points to its change-in-situation guidance for births after lodgement or grant, and to its visa finder for family members needing their own visa.

What if the wedding does not go ahead?

Plans change. Where a relationship ends, the Department describes a Notification of Relationship Cessation form in ImmiAccount, with the exact requirement depending on your situation. It also states that you may still be eligible for the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801) if your relationship ends or your partner dies, that this information is confidential, and that you must be in Australia to apply.

Where domestic or family violence is involved, the Department states it may still be able to grant the temporary and permanent visa, and publishes family violence provisions separately.

How do you prove any of this to someone?

Australian visas are digital, so there is no sticker in your passport to point at. Your grant letter contains your visa number, which unlocks your record in VEVO. According to the Department, that record is what airlines check before boarding, what Australian government agencies check for identity and conditions, and what employers and registered organisations rely on when verifying your entitlement to work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to get married in Australia on this visa?

No. The Department of Home Affairs states you can get married in any country, but your marriage must be valid under Australian law. The binding deadline is timing rather than location: you must have married your prospective spouse before the visa expires.

Can I work full time and study at the same time?

Yes, this visa carries both rights. You have full work rights and are protected by Australian workplace law, and you may also study — though you receive no government support for the study and all costs are your own.

When exactly does my visa expire?

The Department specifies your stay as 9 to 15 months from the visa grant date, with your particular end date set out in your visa grant letter. You can also see your expiry date through VEVO, using the visa number from that grant letter.

Can I leave Australia and come back before the wedding?

Yes. You can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want while the visa is valid. Just remember the first entry arrival date on your grant letter: if you were outside Australia when the visa was granted, your first entry must happen on or before that date.

What happens if another visa is granted while I hold this one?

The new visa replaces your Subclass 300. The practical consequence is financial: Subclass 300 holders are eligible for a lower application charge on the Partner visa (subclasses 820 and 801), and the Department warns that losing the 300 may mean paying the higher charge instead.

Can I add a family member now that the visa is granted?

No. Family members must have been included when the application was lodged, and a dependent child can only be added up until the temporary visa is decided. After grant, the Department states family members cannot be added to your visa.

Does marrying automatically make me a permanent resident?

No. This is a temporary visa, and settling in Australia requires a separate application. The Department's stated pathway is to apply for the Partner visa (subclass 820 and 801) after marrying and before the Prospective Marriage visa ends.