Subclass 820/801 Partner Visa: The Complete Onshore Guide

Published 17 Mar 2026

What is the 820 visa?

The 820 visa is Australia’s onshore partner visa. It lets the spouse or de facto partner of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen live, work and study in Australia while the Department decides their permanent partner visa (subclass 801). You apply once, from inside Australia, and that single application covers both stages.

From 1 July 2026 the application charge is AUD 11,710 for most applicants, and the Department currently decides half of 820 visa applications within 20 months. If your current visa expires while you wait, you will normally move onto a bridging visa (a temporary visa that keeps you lawful) with full work rights.

One onshore application covers both the temporary 820 and the permanent 801. You pay the application charge once — AUD 11,710 from 1 July 2026 — and the permanent stage costs nothing extra.

This page covers the onshore route. If your partner is outside Australia, see the offshore partner visa (subclasses 309/100), or compare every option on the partner visa hub. The application charge rose by about 25% on 1 July 2026 — our summary of the 1 July 2026 fee increases explains what changed.

What do the 820 and 801 visas let you do?

Subclass 820 (temporary)

While you hold the 820 visa you can:

  • Live and work — unrestricted work anywhere in Australia until the 801 is decided.
  • Study — enrol in Australian courses (without government subsidy).
  • Travel — leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you like.
  • Free English classes — through the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible.
  • Medicare — you can generally enrol in Medicare once the application is lodged.

Subclass 801 (permanent)

Once the 801 is granted you are a permanent resident and can:

  • Live, work and study in Australia without conditions.
  • Use Medicare in full.
  • Sponsor eligible family members for their own visas.
  • Travel freely for 5 years — after the travel facility ends you keep permanent residence but need a Resident Return visa to re-enter.
  • Apply for Australian citizenship once you meet the residence rules.

Who is eligible for the 820 visa?

To be granted the 820 visa you must meet four groups of rules. Open each group below:

You, and any family members included in your application, must:

  • Be in Australia when you apply — the 820 visa is the onshore route, and you generally also need to be in Australia when the temporary visa is granted.
  • Be at least 18 at the time of application (in most cases).
  • Meet health and character rules — medical examinations, plus police certificates for each country you have lived in for 12 months or more in the last 10 years.

You must be the spouse or de facto partner of your sponsor, and the relationship must be genuine and continuing — a real commitment to a shared life together.

  • Married applicants — the marriage must be valid under Australian law (most overseas marriages are recognised).
  • De facto applicants — you normally need to show the relationship has existed for at least 12 months before you apply. Registering your relationship with an Australian state or territory removes the 12-month rule.
  • Evidence — the Department looks at four areas: your finances, your household, how family and friends see the relationship, and your commitment to each other. Strong applications cover all four.

Your partner applies to be your sponsor, and the Department must approve the sponsorship.

  • Who can sponsor — an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen (broadly, a Special Category visa holder who was in Australia on 26 February 2001 or meets related requirements).
  • Sponsorship limits — a person can generally sponsor a partner no more than twice in their lifetime, and the sponsorships must be at least five years apart. Waivers exist only for compelling circumstances.
  • Police checks for sponsors — sponsors provide police certificates, and a serious criminal history can bar the sponsorship. Our post on the family violence provisions and sponsorship rules explains why these checks exist.

Your visa history affects whether you can lodge a valid onshore application.

  • If you hold a substantive visa (any visa other than a bridging visa) — you can usually apply without extra hurdles.
  • If you do not hold a substantive visa — extra rules known as Schedule 3 apply: unless you previously held a Prospective Marriage (subclass 300) visa, you must show compelling reasons before the Partner visa can be granted.
  • Certain regional visas — if you hold or recently held some skilled regional visas (for example subclass 494 or 491), you may not be able to apply for the 820 until you have held that visa for at least three years.

How much does the 820 visa cost?

The application charge is paid once, when you lodge, and covers both the 820 and the 801 stages:

  • Base application charge — AUD 11,710 (from 1 July 2026).
  • Each additional applicant 18 or over — AUD 5,860.
  • Each additional applicant under 18 — AUD 2,935.

A child who already holds a Dependent Child visa (subclass 445) pays no application charge for their Partner visa application. Health checks, police certificates and translations cost extra.

If you hold a Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) and have married your sponsor, you apply for the 820/801 at a reduced charge:

  • Base application charge — AUD 1,955.
  • Each additional applicant 18 or over — AUD 980.
  • Each additional applicant under 18 — AUD 485.

If your Prospective Marriage visa has already ceased, a slightly higher base charge of AUD 2,475 applies.

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How long does the 820 visa take?

As at 3 August 2026, the Department’s processing-time tool shows half of 820 visa applications decided within 20 months and 90 per cent within 25 months.

The permanent 801 stage runs on its own clock: it is assessed from your eligibility date, normally two years after the day you applied. From that date, half of 801 decisions currently take 3 months and 90 per cent take 11 months.

Slow files usually come down to evidence gaps — missing police certificates, thin relationship evidence, or unexplained changes in circumstances. Our post on partner visa delays in 2026 explains what is driving current wait times and what you can do about them.

FAQs about the Onshore Partner Visa

The applicant may still be granted the 801, provided they can show the relationship would have continued and they have developed close ties in Australia.

You may still be eligible for the 801 if the relationship broke down because of family violence, or if you have custody of, or access rights to, a child of the relationship. Our guide to the family violence provisions explains how this works.

Usually not. If a permanent health clearance was given for the 820, repeat medicals are only required if more than 12 months have passed or health concerns arise.

Yes. All applicants must provide updated police clearances for any country lived in for 12 months+ since the 820 grant.

Yes. Newborn children are automatically added. Other dependent children generally need a Subclass 445 visa first, then can be added via written request or Form 1002.

If you have had a visa refused since you last entered Australia and you no longer hold a substantive visa, the section 48 bar stops most new visa applications from inside Australia. The Partner visa is one of the few applications the bar still allows — but the extra Schedule 3 rules then apply, and your immigration history must be addressed properly. Get advice before lodging.

Yes, but only if you meet strict requirements. If you do not hold a substantive visa (for example, you are unlawful) and you have not previously held a Prospective Marriage (Subclass 300) visa, you must show compelling reasons why the Partner visa should be granted despite your unlawful status

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