Why Evidence Is Everything in a Partner Visa
The Subclass 820/801 (onshore partner visa) and Subclass 309/100 (offshore partner visa) are evidence-intensive applications. Unlike some visa types where the primary test is eligibility on paper, the partner visa requires you to prove that your relationship is genuine, current, and not formed primarily for the purpose of obtaining a visa.
Home Affairs assesses the application across four relationship aspects: financial, household, social, and commitment. The documents you submit are the evidence base for each aspect. A well-organised, comprehensive evidence package significantly reduces the risk of further information requests (s.56 requests) that delay the application and require additional preparation time under pressure.
This checklist is designed to be used alongside your statutory declarations. Your declarations explain your relationship in narrative form; your supporting documents corroborate what you have written.
1. Financial Aspect: Document Checklist
The financial aspect covers the intertwining of your financial lives. Not all of the following documents will be available to every couple β submit what applies to your situation and explain in your declaration why any items are not available.
| Document | What It Shows | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Joint bank account statements | Shared financial account; regular contributions from both partners | Ideally 6β12 months of statements showing both names and regular transactions |
| Joint mortgage documents or joint tenancy agreement | Shared housing obligation | Both names must appear on the document |
| Utility bills in both names | Shared domestic financial responsibility | Electricity, gas, water, internet β any or all |
| Joint insurance policies | Shared assets or mutual financial protection | Car insurance, home and contents, health insurance β either partner named on the other’s policy |
| Superannuation nomination of beneficiary | Naming partner as super beneficiary β strong indicator of genuine relationship | Request a statement from the fund showing the nominated beneficiary |
| Joint loan or credit facility statements | Shared financial liability | Car loan, personal loan, credit card in joint names |
| Joint property ownership documents | Shared asset ownership | Certificate of title, settlement statement, rates notice in joint names |
| Evidence of financial support | One partner financially supporting the other during a period of need | Bank transfers with clear purpose references, PayID/PayPal records, accompanying explanation in declaration |
| Tax returns showing same address | Corroborates shared residence and financial position | Most recent year’s return or notice of assessment |
| Shared investment account statements | Joint financial planning | Managed funds, share portfolio, SMSF |
Minimum realistic expectation: Joint bank account statements (or clear evidence of regular financial transfers between individual accounts with a shared purpose) plus at least one other financial document β ideally a joint lease or joint utility bill.
2. Household Aspect: Document Checklist
| Document | What It Shows | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Lease agreement in both names (or with both named as occupants) | Shared residence | Both names should appear if possible β if only one name is on the lease, a letter from the landlord confirming both reside at the property can assist |
| Council rates or land tax notice | Residential address corroboration | Shows both partners’ names at the same address, or corroborates a shared property |
| Correspondence addressed to both partners at the same address | Shared domestic address | Bank statements, insurance renewals, government correspondence |
| Medicare card or private health insurance card | Domestic partnership recognition | Being listed as each other’s partner on health insurance or Medicare family account |
| GP or medical records listing partner as next of kin | Treating each other as next of kin at the domestic level | Request a letter from the GP confirming this if records are not readily available in document form |
| Driver’s licence or government ID at the same address | Both partners using the same residential address as their registered address | Both should have the same residential address on file with relevant authorities where possible |
| Photos of shared home | Visual evidence of shared domestic space | Interior photos showing personal items of both partners; should be authentic, not staged |
Note for long-distance or offshore applications: If you have not lived together at the time of application (common for Subclass 309 offshore applications), provide evidence of your living arrangements when you were physically together β receipts for accommodation during visits, photos at each other’s homes, evidence of the addresses where you each reside. Explain the distance arrangements fully in your statutory declaration.
3. Social Aspect: Document Checklist
| Document | What It Shows | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Photographs together | Visual record of the relationship over time | Include photos from multiple occasions, years, and contexts β together with family, at events, travelling. Aim for 20β40 representative photos rather than hundreds. Label each photo with the date and occasion. |
| Travel records (boarding passes, hotel bookings, travel insurance) | Holidays and trips taken together | Joint booking confirmations, travel insurance policies listing both partners, passport entry/exit stamps showing same travel dates |
| Invitations and attendance records for shared events | Participation in social, cultural, or family events together | Wedding invitations, event programs, birthday celebration evidence |
| Screenshots of social media profiles | Public mutual identification as a couple | Posts showing the relationship, photos tagged together, profiles that identify each other. Date-stamp the screenshots. Do not edit or alter. |
| Communication records | Regular contact, especially during periods of geographic separation | Call logs, messaging app history excerpts (WhatsApp, Messenger, etc.). For offshore applications, these are particularly important to show ongoing contact while apart. |
| Cards and letters | Personal written expressions of the relationship | Birthday cards, anniversary cards, letters written to each other β particularly over the course of the relationship |
| Joint membership records | Participation in shared activities or organisations | Gym membership, community organisation, faith community, sporting club |
| Third-party statutory declarations | Independent witnesses who know you as a couple | Two to four declarations from friends, family members, or colleagues. Each should describe specific observations about the relationship. |
4. Commitment Aspect: Document Checklist
| Document | What It Shows | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage certificate | Formal legal commitment (for married applicants) | Must be an official government-issued certificate. Foreign marriage certificates require a NAATI-accredited translation if not in English. |
| Engagement notice or ring purchase record | Formal commitment to marry (for engaged de facto applicants) | Not required but can be helpful context for the relationship timeline |
| Evidence of long duration of relationship | Sustained commitment over time | Dated photos, dated correspondence, and other materials showing the relationship existed at various points in time |
| Evidence of knowledge of each other’s personal circumstances | Depth of the mutual commitment | This is generally addressed in the statutory declaration rather than a specific document, but items such as medical appointment records, next-of-kin designations, or being named in each other’s wills can corroborate this |
| Power of attorney or enduring power of attorney | High-trust legal arrangement conferring authority over personal or financial matters | Not required or expected, but if in place, it is strong evidence of deep mutual trust and commitment |
| Wills naming partner as beneficiary | Long-term financial commitment and recognition of partner | A will is a private document; a statutory declaration from the solicitor who prepared the will can confirm the partner is named without disclosing the full contents |
| Evidence of plans for shared future | Mutual commitment to a long-term shared life | Property purchase contracts, joint savings account for shared goals, correspondence about future plans (house purchase, children, retirement) |
Application-Level Documents (Required for All Applicants)
In addition to the relationship evidence above, all partner visa applications require the following standard documents:
- Valid passport (all pages) β primary applicant and sponsor
- Certified birth certificates β primary applicant and sponsor
- Form 47SP (primary applicant) and Form 40SP (sponsor) β completed accurately and signed
- Police clearances β from each country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years
- Health examinations β completed via an approved panel physician (if required at this stage β timing depends on when Home Affairs requests them)
- Relationship registration certificate β if your de facto relationship is registered in an Australian state or territory
- Divorce certificates β if either partner was previously married
- Children’s documents β birth certificates for any children of the relationship or children who will be included in the visa application
Frequently Asked Questions
We have not lived together β will our application be refused?
Not automatically. Home Affairs recognises that de facto couples are not always able to live together at the time of application, particularly in offshore applications. What you need to demonstrate is that the relationship is genuine despite the distance, and that the separation is due to genuine circumstances (study, family obligations, visa conditions) rather than because the relationship is not real. Strong evidence under the social and commitment aspects β regular communication records, visits, shared plans β can compensate for limited cohabitation evidence.
How far back should our financial evidence go?
Ideally, your financial evidence should cover the period from when you first began living together or combining finances. For most applications, 12 to 24 months of current bank statements (the period immediately before lodgement) is the priority. If you have been together for many years, you do not need to produce 10 years of records β focus on recent, current evidence that shows the relationship is genuine and ongoing at the time of application, supplemented by older materials that establish the relationship’s duration.
Can I use WhatsApp chat screenshots as evidence?
Yes. Screenshots of communication app history (WhatsApp, Messenger, Viber, WeChat, or similar) are acceptable as supporting evidence, particularly for the social aspect and for demonstrating contact during periods of separation. The screenshots should show timestamps and be unedited. Providing context in your declaration about what period the communications relate to and what they demonstrate is helpful. Communication records alone are not sufficient β they must be part of a broader evidence package.
Related Reading
Umar Ashraf
MARA Registered Migration Agent & Education Consultant | MARA #2619222 | Epping, Melbourne VIC
Umar Ashraf is a MARA-registered migration agent specialising in complex cases, visa cancellations, ART tribunal appeals, and employer sponsorship. He provides consultations in English, Urdu, Punjabi and Hindi.
