Last updated: 23 April 2025
We’re often asked about checklists – the Partner Visa checklist. Where is it? Can you send me the Partner Visa checklist?
There are certainly some documents you’ll need to provide no matter what. But the simple truth is, there’s no one-size-fits-all Partner Visa checklist that exists out there for you to find because there’s no two relationships that are exactly the same.
We’ve found that most couples looking for a checklist are really searching for the answer to one of two questions. Either they want to know whether they have strong enough evidence to support a Partner Visa application or they’re trying to find a guide to give them peace of mind that they’re prepared their application properly.
In this post, we’ll discuss the mandatory documents everyone will need to provide, how to know what evidence to provide, and why relying solely on a generic Partner Visa checklist could have devastating effects on your application.
What documents are mandatory for all Partner Visas?
When it comes to a visa application there are actually very few documents that are considered mandatory by law – these typically relate to documents required to lodge a valid application.
Pro Tip: If you are section 48 barred there are additional mandatory documents you need to provide at the time of lodgement. The Department does, however, have detailed policy guidelines on the standard documents you are expected to provide as part of your application to ensure the relevant eligibility criteria for grant are met.
This includes:
- Form 47SP (this is the applicant’s application form found through your ImmiAccount)
- Form 40SP (this is the sponsor’s application form found through your ImmiAccount)
- Identity documents for both the applicant and sponsor (including passports, birth certificates, and other national ID cards)
- Relationship statements for both the applicant and sponsor
- Witness statements (at least 2 completed on the Form 888)
- Police clearances for both the applicant and sponsor
- Medical examinations for the applicant
- Evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship
Again, I simply cannot stress enough that this list is the absolute bare minimum and there are any number of variations across even just these documents. For example, your identity documents may vary and will depend on your country of origin. If you’ve had a name change, you’ll need to provide extra documents to prove the link to your identity. In some cases the Australian partner may not have a current passport and other documents are required to prove their citizenship status.
How do I know what evidence to provide?
When I say evidence here, I’m referring to the documents you’ll be providing that serve as proof of the nature of your relationship. The Department are assessing your relationship against the legal definitions. Regardless of if you are applying on the basis of marriage or a de facto relationship, all couples are expected to demonstrate:
- they have a mutual commitment to a shared life to the exclusion of all others; and
- the relationship between them is genuine and continuing; and
- they:
- live together; or
- do not live separately and apart on a permanent basis.
In the world of Partner Visas, how you evidence this will be framed with four elements of a relationship in mind (this is know as the Four Pillars of Evidence). This includes:
- Financial Aspects of your relationship
- Nature of your Household
- Social Aspects of your relationship
- Nature of your Commitment
This is where many of the questions, worries, and misconceptions arise around finding a Partner Visa checklist.
Every couple is different — and so is the way they prove their relationship. Some couples might be living together and have joint leases and shared bank accounts, I’ve also met couples who’ve been married 20+ years with kids and always kept finances separate. The evidence for couples living together in the same country will look different to those maintaining their relationship long distance.
This is why it’s so important to get some advice from a Registered Migration Agent about what evidence you should be providing for your application. Here at Freedom Migration, we always start with a Visa Consultation to talk about how you choose to set your life up as a couple and alert you to any potential complications or complexities in evidencing your relationship based on your unique circumstances.
From here, we craft a strategy for preparing your application and the steps to put in place so you don’t have to stress over online checklists and can be confident about your application whether you choose to work with us, someone else, or DIY your Partner Visa application.
Tailored Partner Visa checklist examples
Let’s break down a couple examples of how evidence may vary for two different couples.
Couple 1
Meet Mei and Tara. They’ve been together for years and have lived overseas throughout their entire relationship. Recently they’ve decided they’d like to start a family and have chosen to move to Australia close to Tara’s family to set down roots. They own a home together and have a long established joint bank account. The electricity and water are in Tara’s name, but their internet and family mobile phone plan is in Mei’s name. They only own one car and Mei tends to do all the driving, but Tara is listed as an authorised driver on their insurance. Mei and Tara love hosting social gatherings at their home and are members of a local social club together.
Mei and Tara’s Partner Visa checklist would include the following pieces of evidence
- Joint bank account statements
- Mortgage documents with both their names
- Electricity and water bills for their shared address with Tara’s name listed
- Internet and cable bills for their shared address with Mei’s name listed
- Car insurance under Mei’s name with Tara listed as an authorised driver
- Photos from the gatherings hosted at their home
- Each of their membership cards for their social club
- Statements of support from their friends and family
- Evidence of communication with Tara’s family back home in Australia
Couple 2
Meet Sara and Max. They met during their studies at university and are both residing in Australia, but have chosen not to move in together until they’re married. They’ve been in a relationship for just under two years, are now engaged, and are planning their wedding for next year. They both love the outdoors, fitness, and sport. When they’re not buried in their studies, they can be found hitting the trails or with friends at the beach. They spend Saturday afternoons at Max’s house watching the footy. Last Christmas they spent the holidays overseas with Sara’s family and are planning to visit Max’s extended family out of state on a post-graduation Aussie road trip.
Sara and Max’s Partner Visa checklist would include
- Receipts from Sara’s engagement ring and wedding arrangements
- Screenshots from conversations about wedding plans
- Photos of wedding invitations
- Receipts from gifts they’ve bought each other
- Photos with friends hiking and at the beach
- Plane tickets with each of their names from their trip to visit Sara’s family
- Photos of Sara and Max with Sara’s family
- Statements from their housemates about how they interact
Both of these lists are really very small as we’ve only taken a small peek at each of these relationships. Hopefully it’s clear just how much an evidence checklist can vary from relationship to relationship and why a generic Partner Visa checklist isn’t very helpful at all. It may serve as a guide, particularly for the mandatory documents, but it’s not ideal for working out what evidence you should be providing and whether you have enough of it.
What about the Partner Visa checklist I found online?
If you really want one, it’s not too hard to find a generic Partner Visa checklist online, particularly if you’re looking on some sort of forum. Don’t get me wrong, I love forums. They’re a great place to find general information particularly when it comes to the experience someone else has had. They cannot, however, provide you with up to date migration advice or advice on your specific situation, even if your matter is relatively “straightforward.”
Reading the information on a forum can be really helpful. The problem arises when you take action on the information you have just read on the forum and plan to lodge an application based on a checklist that you have seen there or advice from someone who has lodged their own Partner Visa successfully. Likewise, I would be pretty sceptical of any proclaimed Partner Visa expert who swears by a one-size-fits-all Partner Visa checklist.
Trying to force your relationship into a box designed for someone else may result in a poorly prepared Partner Visa application. This can lead to numerous requests for more information, processing delays, and even a visa refusal!
How to put together a great Partner Visa checklist
You don’t necessarily need a Registered Migration Agent to lodge your Partner Visa application. In fact, a lot of our clients who have had a Visa Consultation will go on to lodge their application on their own or DIY their application with some support from our friends over at the Partner Visa Academy. You should, however, definitely get advice from a Registered Migration Agent before you start the application process so you can be sure you’re on the right track.
Unfortunately, we see it all too often when a couple has lodged their application on their own and comes to us needing help with a visa refusal. You definitely do not want to be in that situation – it’s expensive, stressful, and can take years to resolve!
The reality is a lot of the refusals we see could have been overcome if the couple had put together better evidence of their relationship. In other words, if they’d had a better checklist that was tailored to them, the application would have been a no-brainer for Immigration.
IMPORTANT: Please note, this does not constitute Immigration advice. Always seek advice from a Registered Migration Agent before applying for an Australian Visa. Migration Law is constantly changing. This information is accurate only at the time of publication.
