Applying for Subclass 300 in 2026: The First Step on the Partner PR Route

How to lodge the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) in 2026, and which choices at this stage shape the partner visa application that follows.

Published: 10 July 2026 Reading time 12 min

If you are planning the onshore partner route and wondering whether subclass 300 is the right first step, the short answer is that it is the stage that gets you to Australia to marry, not the stage that grants permanent residence. For couples heading toward a Partner visa (subclass 820/801), the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) is the temporary, first-stage application: you lodge it online from outside Australia with a sponsor, enter on it, marry within its validity window, and then move to the partner stage that leads to permanent residence. That later stage is a separate application with its own criteria; the subclass 300 page does not set it out, and this article stays within what the subclass 300 page covers. What follows is general information drawn from the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) page as at July 2026, and it is not a substitute for advice tailored to your own circumstances — check the official page and, where your situation is unusual, a registered migration agent or legal practitioner before relying on it.

What does subclass 300 actually set up, and what does it not?

Subclass 300 is a nine-to-fifteen-month temporary visa, and the Department's page is explicit about what it is designed to do: let you come to Australia, marry your prospective spouse, and stay lawfully while you do it.

To be eligible, the page states you must:

be 18 years old or older
have a sponsor who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen
intend to marry your prospective spouse before the visa period ends
have met your prospective spouse face to face as adults since turning 18, and be known to each other personally at the time you apply
be outside Australia when you apply, along with any family who apply with you

You can be in or outside Australia when the Department decides the application. Once granted, the page says you must stay in Australia for 9 to 15 months from your visa grant date, and you can work and study while you are here.

What it does not do is deliver permanent residence on its own. The permanent outcome in the partner route arrives through a later, separate application. The one handover the subclass 300 page does describe is the opposite case: if you marry before the Department decides your 300 application, you are no longer eligible for it, and the page directs you to request consideration for the offshore Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309) and Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100) instead.

That distinction matters financially as much as procedurally. The Department states it will not refund the application fee if your application is refused, so an application lodged on the wrong footing is a cost you do not recover.

Who can sponsor you, and when does sponsorship have to line up?

Your sponsor must be an Australian citizen, a permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and the timing is tighter than most applicants expect.

The Department's page says you and anyone who applies with you must have a sponsor both when you lodge the application and while you are on the visa. Sponsorship is not something the sponsor organises at their leisure: the page instructs that your sponsor should apply to sponsor you as soon as possible after you apply for the visa, and that after you apply you need to give your sponsor your Transaction Reference Number (TRN) or application ID, because the sponsor needs the TRN to apply for sponsorship.

Treat the TRN as the join between the two halves of the application. If it never reaches your sponsor, the sponsorship half simply has not started.

How do you lodge in ImmiAccount, and where does the TRN fit?

You must apply online and while outside Australia. The Department's page sets out the sequence:

Log in to ImmiAccount (create an account if you do not have one).
Select 'New application'.
Select 'Family'.
Select 'Stage 1 – Partner or Prospective Marriage Visa'.
Complete your application.
Pay the visa application charge.
Submit your application.
Give your TRN to your sponsor.
Attach supporting documents to your completed application.

Two mechanical details cause avoidable trouble. The Department says it cannot process your application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge, and it allows up to 100 documents for each person on the application — a limit that cannot be increased, though you can attach further documents to other clients on the same application if you hit it for one applicant.

Also give your own phone number and email address. The page is firm that the Department may need to contact you directly, even where you have nominated your sponsor's email address, appointed an authorised recipient, or appointed someone to provide immigration assistance.

Which documents decide how smooth the next stage will be?

Identity documents are the base layer. The page asks for a birth certificate showing the names of both parents, or if you cannot provide one, the identification pages of a family book, a government-issued identification document, a court-issued identity document, or a family census register. Alongside that: the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates; a national identity card if you have one; and proof of any change of name.

You also need evidence of your relationship with your prospective spouse, evidence of any former relationships, and evidence of any dependants you have.

Format rules are strict and worth getting right the first time:

Non-English documents must be translated, with both original and translation provided. Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters; translators outside Australia need not be accredited but must include their full name, address and telephone number, and their qualifications and experience in that language, in English.
Scan or photograph everything in colour, clearly enough to read.
Where a document runs to more than one page, save all of it as one file.
Documents do not need to be certified.

Label documents clearly, attach each document only once even if it supports more than one point, and keep a copy of the completed application. The Department's reasoning is stated plainly on the page: applications that arrive with all required information reduce processing delays.

Why do police checks and health examinations need timing thought?

Both have expiry clocks attached, and both can expire while you are waiting.

For character, you need a police certificate from every country where you spent a total of 12 months or more during the last 10 years since you turned 16, plus military service records or discharge papers if you served in any country's armed forces. For immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date. There is a specific trap for applicants using an Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate: if more than 15 months has passed since it was issued, new checks will be required to progress the application. If you have spent 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, you must provide an Australian police certificate, and the Department accepts only complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the AFP — not standard disclosure certificates, and not certificates issued by state or territory police. You also need to complete and attach Form 80 (Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment).

For health, you need health examinations, and the Department cannot grant the visa unless you have a valid health assessment. Results are valid for 12 months from when you completed the examinations, and a health undertaking, if you are asked to sign one, is valid for 6 months. The page advises checking published visa processing times before deciding when to complete your examinations.

The cost angle is straightforward: a certificate or examination that lapses is one you pay for twice and wait for twice. Getting the police certificate early, as the page allows, only makes sense if the expected wait sits inside that 12-month validity.

What must you avoid doing while the application is being decided?

Several actions can end the application or leave you exposed.

Do not arrange travel to Australia until the Department tells you in writing that the subclass 300 visa has been granted. If you do travel to Australia on another visa while the application is in progress, you are responsible for ensuring you continue to hold a valid visa for the duration of your stay.

Do not marry before the decision. If you do, you are no longer eligible for subclass 300. The page sets out the steps: sign in to ImmiAccount, go to the 'Update details' tab, select 'Change in situation', and attach evidence that the marriage is valid (a registered marriage certificate issued by the relevant legal authority), a request to be considered for subclass 309 and subclass 100, and a statement asking to withdraw the subclass 300 application. If you do not withdraw, the application will be refused, because you no longer meet the eligibility requirements.

Report relationship breakdown through the Notification of Relationship Cessation form in the 'Update Details' tab. The page pairs this with online safety guidance: change your ImmiAccount password, avoid saved passwords, and consider changing your email password or setting up a new email account.

Report other changes — the birth of a child, a new passport, changed contact details or address, or any other change relevant to the application. A dependent child can be added before the decision using Form 1436, and the child must be outside Australia.

If you appoint someone to receive correspondence (Form 956A) or to give immigration assistance (Form 956), note that a person giving immigration assistance must be a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person. The subclass 300 page also points to the Partner Processing Enquiry Form as the channel for changes that cannot be made directly in ImmiAccount.

What happens at the decision, and what carries forward?

You will be told the decision in writing, and you should keep a copy of it. If the visa is granted, the Department tells you your visa grant number, the date your visa starts, and your visa conditions. If it is refused, the Department tells you why and whether you have a right to review the decision. Either way, the application fee is not refunded on refusal.

The practical habit worth forming at this stage is record-keeping: keep your lodged application, the documents you attached, the TRN, and the decision notice together. Starting the next partner stage from a file you already hold is cheaper and calmer than rebuilding identity, relationship and character evidence from scratch, and it avoids the slowest failure mode in this route — discovering at the second stage that something declared or attached at the first stage does not match.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to be outside Australia to apply for subclass 300?

Yes. The Department's page requires you to apply online and while outside Australia, along with any family members who apply with you. The decision itself can be made while you are in or outside Australia.

Can I travel to Australia while my subclass 300 application is being processed?

You should not arrange travel to Australia until the Department tells you in writing that the visa has been granted. If you do enter on a different visa while the application is in progress, you remain responsible for holding a valid visa for the whole of your stay.

What happens if we marry before the subclass 300 is decided?

You stop being eligible for subclass 300. The Department expects you to update your details in ImmiAccount, attach your registered marriage certificate, request consideration for the Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309) and Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100), and ask to withdraw the subclass 300. If you do not withdraw it, it will be refused.

How long does a subclass 300 visa last, and can I work on it?

The page states you must stay in Australia for 9 to 15 months from your visa grant date, and that you can work and study in Australia. You must intend to marry your prospective spouse before the visa period ends.

Does my sponsor need to do anything at the same time as me?

Yes. Your sponsor should apply to sponsor you as soon as possible after you lodge, and needs your TRN or application ID to do it. You must have a sponsor when you lodge and while you hold the visa, and the sponsor must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen.

Is there a limit on how many documents I can attach?

Yes — up to 100 documents for each person on the application, and the limit cannot be increased. If you reach it for one applicant, you can attach further documents to another client on the same application.