Engaged to an Australian,living in different countries:the visa that gets youto the wedding.
The subclass 300 brings your fiancé or fiancée to Australia to marry you. It runs for 9 to 15 months, allows work, and leads to the onshore partner visa at a reduced charge. It turns on one thing: proof that you have met in person and genuinely intend to marry.
Government charges, subclass 300
- Visa application charge, main applicantlodged from outside Australia$11,710
- Each adult dependant$5,860
- Each child under 18$2,935
- Partner visa 820/801 after the weddingreduced charge for 300 holders$1,955
As at 1 July 2026. The 300 must be lodged and granted while the applicant is outside Australia. Our professional fee is fixed and quoted in writing.
A temporary visa to enter Australia and marry your sponsor.
The subclass 300 Prospective Marriage visa lets the fiancé or fiancée of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen enter Australia and marry within a visa period of 9 to 15 months. The application charge is $11,710, both people must be 18 and must have met in person as adults, and after the wedding the holder applies onshore for the partner visa at the reduced charge of $1,955.
Verified as at 1 July 2026 against the Department of Home Affairs subclass 300 page and Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994.
Do I qualify? A 30-second check
Answer the questions to see where you stand.
A guide only, not legal advice. The consultation is where the real answer comes from.
Five things every 300 application must prove.
The 300 is decided on the relationship and on the sponsor. Thin evidence on either side is the usual reason for refusal, and refusals are expensive at $11,710 a time.
The partner visa after the wedding
- 01
You have met in person as adults
You must have met face to face since you both turned 18 and know each other personally. A relationship that exists only online does not qualify. Dates, photos, boarding passes and stamps prove the meetings.
- 02
You genuinely intend to marry
A letter from an authorised celebrant confirming a planned date, or a Notice of Intended Marriage, carries most weight. Venue bookings, family knowledge and messages about the wedding support it.
- 03
You intend to live together as spouses
The Department wants a real married life, not a wedding for a visa. Show where you will live, how you will share money, and that family and friends know you as a couple.
- 04
You are both free to marry and both 18
The marriage must be valid under Australian law. Earlier marriages must have ended by divorce or death, with the documents. There is no age exception for the 300.
- 05
The sponsor passes the sponsorship checks
The sponsor must be 18, an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and provide police checks. Convictions for certain offences can end the sponsorship. Two partner sponsorships in a lifetime, at least five years apart, is the usual limit.
Three applications, one relationship.
The 300 is the first of three steps. Planning the wedding date around the visa period avoids the most common problem, a marriage that falls outside the window.
Lodge the 300 from outside Australia
The applicant must be outside Australia when the application is lodged and when it is granted. Visiting on a visitor visa while it processes is possible, but the grant needs the applicant offshore. Identity, relationship evidence, the celebrant letter, health, character and the sponsor's police checks go in together.
Enter, then marry within the visa period
The visa is granted for 9 to 15 months and allows any number of entries. Enter Australia on the visa first, then marry, in Australia or overseas, before the visa expires. You can work and study from the day you arrive.
Apply for the partner visa onshore
After the wedding and before the 300 expires, lodge the 820/801 partner visa in Australia at $1,955. A bridging visa keeps you lawful and working while it is decided.
Permanent residence
The 820 is temporary. The permanent 801 is assessed about two years after the 820 was lodged, on evidence that the marriage is continuing. Family violence provisions protect an applicant whose marriage ends because of violence.
Which application fits where you are.
Engaged couples sit between three visas. This is how we choose.
| Situation | Usual visa | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Engaged, living in different countries, wedding planned | 300 | $11,710, no need to marry first, 9 to 15 months to marry |
| Married, or de facto for 12 months, partner outside Australia | 309/100 partner visa | $11,710, permanent pathway from the start |
| Married or de facto, partner in Australia on a valid visa | 820/801 partner visa | $11,710, bridging visa and work rights while it processes |
| 300 holder who has married | 820/801 partner visa | $1,955 reduced charge, lodge before the 300 expires |
| Engaged, want to visit first | 600 visitor visa | $250, no work. Marrying on a visitor visa and applying onshore is possible without condition 8503, at the full $11,710 |
Charges as at 1 July 2026. De facto couples usually need 12 months living together unless the relationship is registered in an Australian state or territory.
What the 300 pathway costs in government charges.
Government charges only. Health examinations, police certificates and our fixed professional fee are additional.
As at 1 July 2026. The reduced partner charge applies only while the 300 is still in effect. Compare $11,710 for a partner visa lodged without a 300.
What the Australian partner signs up to.
The sponsor is a party to the application, not a witness. Their history and their undertakings are assessed alongside the relationship.
- 01
Police checks and relevant offences
The sponsor provides Australian and overseas police certificates. Convictions for violent, sexual or child-related offences can lead the Department to refuse the sponsorship unless there are compelling reasons.
- 02
The two-sponsorship limit
A person can normally sponsor only two partners or fiancés in their lifetime, at least five years apart. A sponsor who was themselves sponsored within the last five years faces the same limit. Waivers exist for compelling circumstances.
- 03
Support undertakings
The sponsor undertakes to provide accommodation and financial support during the 300 and the first two years of the partner visa. If the relationship ends before the wedding, the applicant must leave when the 300 expires or the visa may be cancelled.
Subclass 300, answered plainly.
How long is a Prospective Marriage visa valid?
Between 9 and 15 months from the date of grant. The Department sets the period. You must enter Australia, marry and lodge the 820 partner visa inside that window. The 300 cannot be extended.
Can I work on a 300 visa?
Yes. The 300 has full work rights and you can study. Work rights continue on the bridging visa after you lodge the 820 partner visa.
Do we have to marry in Australia?
No. You can marry in Australia or overseas, as long as the marriage is valid under Australian law and takes place within the visa period. Enter Australia on the visa before the wedding, and keep the marriage certificate for the 820.
What if we marry before the 300 is decided?
A 300 cannot be granted to someone who is already married. The application would need to be replaced by a partner visa, the subclass 309, with a new charge of $11,710. Tell us before you set a date.
Can my children come with me?
Yes. Dependent children can be included at $2,935 each under 18 or $5,860 for adult dependants. Anyone with custody must consent. The same children are then included in the 820 partner visa.
What if the relationship ends after the wedding?
If the marriage ends because of family violence, the partner visa can still be granted under the family violence provisions. If it ends for other reasons before the 820 is decided, the partner visa cannot proceed. Get advice quickly either way.
How much does the whole pathway cost?
In government charges, $11,710 for the 300 and $1,955 for the 820/801 partner visa lodged afterwards. Health, police checks and our fixed fee are on top. A partner visa lodged without a 300 costs $11,710.
Where this visa connects.
- PartnerOpen
Partner visa
Married and de facto couples, onshore and offshore, $11,710.
- 600Open
Visitor visa
Visit your fiancé while the 300 is decided, no work.
- BridgingOpen
Bridging visas
How the bridging visa works after you lodge the 820.
- ReviewOpen
Refusals and review
What to do if the 300 or the partner visa is refused.
Articles on this visa
Engaged and living apart?
One consultation sets the evidence plan, the wedding window and the timing of the 820, with a fixed fee for the whole pathway.