Partner Visa Cost in 2026: The $11,710 Government Fee and What Else to Budget

The partner visa cost in 2026 is $11,710 for the main applicant, whether you apply in Australia on the 820 visa (then the 801) or from overseas on the 309 visa (then the 100). Each additional applicant adds $5,860 if aged 18 or over, or $2,935 if under 18. That one charge covers both the temporary stage and the permanent stage.

The charge rose 25% on 1 July 2026, from $9,365. Health checks and police certificates add about $510 for a single applicant; translations and professional fees come on top. Every figure below was checked against Home Affairs and the other sources linked on 7 September 2026.

What is the partner visa cost for each subclass?

A Prospective Marriage visa holder who marries and applies for the 820/801 before the 300 expires pays $1,955 instead of the full charge. Miss that window and the charge is $2,475, provided you entered Australia on the 300 and hold no other substantive visa.

Someone who already holds a Dependent Child visa (subclass 445) pays nothing for a partner visa application. And from 1 July 2026 a lower charge applies to applicants holding a passport from Timor-Leste or one of twelve Pacific countries; Home Affairs applies it automatically in ImmiAccount.

Partners of New Zealand citizens on a Special Category visa (subclass 444) usually pay $1,330 for a 461 visa instead. The 461 is temporary, but it can be renewed every five years.

When do you pay, and can you pay in instalments?

You pay the whole $11,710 when you lodge, by card, PayPal or BPAY through ImmiAccount. There is no instalment plan for partner visas. Unlike parent visas there is no second instalment before grant, and Home Affairs will not process an application lodged without the correct charge.

An application lodged on 1 July 2026 paid $2,345 more than one lodged the day before, because the charge is locked to the lodgement date and indexed each 1 July. If your application is ready in June, lodging before 1 July avoids that year’s increase.

What other partner visa costs should you budget for?

• Health examination — $392 for the medical examination and chest x-ray at Bupa Medical Visa Services in Australia, plus $60.90 for the HIV test that permanent visa applicants usually need, about $453 per adult at Bupa’s fees from 1 July 2026. Overseas applicants use a panel clinic, and prices vary by country.
• Police certificates — $56 for an Australian Federal Police National Police Check, or $113 if fingerprints are required. You need one from every country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last ten years, and each country sets its own price.
• Certified translations — every document not in English needs a translation, by a NAATI-certified translator in Australia or a qualified translator overseas, priced per document. Marriage, birth and divorce certificates and police records are the usual ones.
• Bridging visa B — $575 each time an onshore applicant needs to leave Australia while the 820 is being processed. The bridging visa A granted with the application costs nothing but does not allow travel.
• Registering the relationship — optional. De facto couples who register the relationship with a state registry do not need to show 12 months in the relationship before applying; each state sets its own fee.
• Professional fees — separate from every figure above. Ours is a fixed professional fee of $4,000 for the first stage and $2,500 for the permanent stage, each covering the whole family, plus GST.

How much does a partner visa cost in total?

For a single applicant applying in Australia, the total before professional fees is about $12,220: the $11,710 charge, $453 medical and $56 police check. Translations and any overseas police certificate come on top.

Adding a child under 18 costs $2,935 more, plus the child’s own health examination. Adding an adult, such as a dependent child aged 18 or over, costs $5,860 plus a full adult medical.

With our fixed fee, a single onshore applicant is looking at about $16,220 plus $400 GST for the first stage. The permanent stage, usually two years later, adds $2,500 plus GST.

Is the partner visa cost refundable if you are refused or withdraw?

Not in the ordinary case. Home Affairs states on the subclass 820 page that it will not refund the charge if the application is refused, and withdrawing does not bring one either.

Regulation 2.12F allows a refund only in a short list of situations, such as an application that was unnecessary when it was made, or a departmental error. The list is on our fees and thresholds page. Treat the $11,710 as spent the moment you lodge.

What should you check before paying?

• Your current visa, if onshore — an applicant with no substantive visa (bridging visa only, or none) must satisfy extra criteria in Schedule 3 unless there are compelling reasons to waive them. Settle that before paying, because a refusal earns no refund. Our section 48 bar post explains the Schedule 3 trap.
• The Prospective Marriage window — if you hold a subclass 300, marry and lodge the 820 before it expires, and pay $1,955 rather than $11,710.
• Every dependent child — include them at lodgement; adding a child later means a separate 445 application at $4,040.
• Timing around 1 July — the charge is set by lodgement date and rises each 1 July.
• Document expiry — health examinations are generally valid for 12 months and police certificates for 12 months from issue, so do not pay for them long before you can lodge.

Frequently asked questions

Does the partner visa cost cover both the temporary and the permanent stage?

Yes. The $11,710 paid with the 820 or 309 application also covers the 801 or 100 permanent stage. Home Affairs does not charge again when the permanent visa is granted, which is usually two years after you first applied.

Is there a fee for the sponsor?

No. Home Affairs charges nothing for the sponsorship form, and the sponsor’s only cost is the police check required of partner sponsors: $56 for the Australian Federal Police certificate, plus overseas certificates if they have lived abroad.

Can I pay the partner visa cost in instalments?

No. The full charge is paid at lodgement, and partner visas have no second instalment. Some agents offer a payment plan on their professional fee, but the government charge cannot be split.

Will the partner visa cost increase in 2027?

Very likely, on 1 July 2027. Visa application charges are adjusted every 1 July, and the 2026 change was a 25% rise. The 2027 amount is not known until the amending regulations are registered in late June.