If you’re engaged to an Australian citizen or permanent resident and planning to start your life together in Australia, the prospective marriage visa Australia (Subclass 300) is likely the pathway you need. This temporary visa allows you to travel to Australia, marry your partner, and then apply for a permanent partner visa, all while living together in the country. But the eligibility criteria, documentation requirements, and processing timeline can be difficult to navigate, especially from overseas. Getting it right the first time matters, because a refused application costs you both time and money.

At Simon Mander Consulting, we’ve spent over 22 years helping couples through exactly this process. From assessing your eligibility to preparing a strong application, our team has guided thousands of clients through Australia’s migration system, including many who felt overwhelmed by the complexity of partner and fiancé visa pathways. We understand what the Department of Home Affairs expects, and we know how to present your relationship evidence effectively.

This guide breaks down everything you need to know about the Subclass 300 visa: who qualifies, what it costs, how long processing takes, and how it fits into the broader pathway to permanent residency. Whether you’re just starting your research or ready to apply, you’ll walk away with a clear picture of your next steps.

Why the prospective marriage visa matters

The Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa Australia is the only pathway for engaged couples who are not yet married and do not qualify for a de facto partner visa. Without it, your Australian partner cannot sponsor you to live in Australia before the wedding. This visa gives you up to 9 months to enter Australia, get married, and then lodge a Partner visa (Subclass 820/801) to stay permanently.

How it connects to permanent residency

Once you marry in Australia on this visa, you can apply onshore for the Partner visa (Subclass 820/801) without leaving the country. This means you stay in Australia with your spouse while the application is processed, rather than waiting overseas.

Staying onshore after marrying on a Subclass 300 visa is one of the most practical routes to permanent residency available to engaged couples.

The Partner visa runs in two stages: a temporary grant (Subclass 820) followed by permanent residence (Subclass 801), usually after around two years. During both stages, you can work and study in Australia without restriction, which makes the pathway manageable for most couples.

What you cannot do on this visa

The Subclass 300 has firm conditions you need to understand before you apply. You must marry the same person who sponsored your visa, and that wedding must happen before the visa expires. The Department of Home Affairs does not allow you to change sponsors or substitute a different partner after the visa is granted.

If the relationship ends before you marry, you cannot extend or transfer the visa. Once it expires, you would need to leave Australia, with no onshore alternative available. Knowing these limits before you apply protects your plans and prevents costly errors.

Eligibility rules for applicants and sponsors

To qualify for the prospective marriage visa Australia, both you and your Australian partner must each meet separate eligibility requirements. The Department of Home Affairs assesses both sides of the application independently, so a weakness on either side can lead to a refusal.

What you must meet as the applicant

You must be outside Australia when you lodge your application. You also need to be at least 18 years old, in good health, and of good character, which means completing medical examinations and providing police clearances from each country where you have lived.

Your intention to marry must be genuine and mutual, supported by real evidence rather than a written statement alone.

What your sponsor must prove

Your Australian sponsor must be a citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen, and must be single at the time of application. They need to have met you in person at least once after both of you turned 18. The Department does not waive this meeting requirement under any circumstances.

• Be an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen
• Have met you in person at least once after both of you turned 18
• Be single with no current marriages or de facto relationships
• Not be subject to any sponsorship bars or restrictions

Evidence and documents you will need

Gathering the right documents is one of the most time-consuming parts of a prospective marriage visa Australia application. The Department of Home Affairs expects you to prove both the authenticity of your relationship and your personal eligibility, so weak or incomplete documentation is one of the most common reasons applications are delayed or refused.

Relationship evidence

Your application needs to show a genuine and ongoing intention to marry, not just a statement that you plan to do so. The stronger and more varied your evidence, the better.

A single type of evidence, like photos alone, is rarely enough to satisfy a case officer reviewing your application.

• Communication records: chat logs, call histories, and emails showing regular contact
• Travel records: boarding passes or passport stamps showing when you met in person
• Photos together across different dates and locations
• Statutory declarations from people who know you both as a couple

Identity and character documents

Your identity documents include your current passport, birth certificate, and any previous marriage certificates showing dissolution. For character requirements, you need police clearances from every country where you have lived for 12 months or more in the last 10 years, along with completed medical examination results from an approved panel physician.

Timeline, processing times, and costs

Processing times for the prospective marriage visa Australia depend on your nationality, documentation quality, and case complexity. The Department of Home Affairs currently processes 75% of Subclass 300 applications within 17 to 22 months, which means you need to start well before your intended wedding date to avoid complications with your plans.

Applying early gives you the buffer you need to gather additional documents if the Department requests more information mid-process.

Processing stages to plan for

Your application goes through several steps before a decision is made. First, the Department reviews your initial submission and may issue a request for further information. Then health and character checks run in parallel, which means your police clearances and medical results must stay valid throughout the process. Expired documents cause delays, so check the validity windows carefully before you submit.

What the visa costs

The government application fee for the Subclass 300 is AUD 8,850 for the primary applicant as of 2025. Your additional expenses, including medicals, police certificates, and translation fees, can push your total cost closer to AUD 10,000 to AUD 12,000 depending on your country and circumstances.

Budget for these common additional costs before you begin:

• Medical examination through an approved panel physician
• Police clearances from each relevant country
• Document translation into English
• Biometrics collection if required for your nationality

After you enter Australia: marry and apply for Partner visa

Once your Subclass 300 is granted, you have up to 9 months from the date of grant to enter Australia. Your first priority after arrival is to schedule and complete your wedding before the visa expires, because the Department of Home Affairs will not extend this deadline under any circumstances. Book the ceremony early so you have enough time to handle any unexpected delays.

Getting married early in your visa window gives you more time to prepare your Partner visa application without pressure.

Lodging the Partner visa after your wedding

After your wedding, you can lodge your Subclass 820/801 Partner visa application while remaining in Australia. This is a significant advantage of the prospective marriage visa Australia pathway, as it means you do not need to leave the country while the Department processes your case.

The Partner visa runs in two stages. Your temporary Subclass 820 is typically granted within a few months of lodging, and from that point you can work and study freely in Australia without restriction. The permanent Subclass 801 follows after you and your spouse have been in a married relationship for approximately two years, at which point the Department reviews your relationship again.

Next steps

The prospective marriage visa Australia pathway is detailed, but it follows a predictable structure when you approach it methodically. Your two main priorities are proving your relationship is genuine and giving yourself enough lead time before your planned wedding date. Starting your application early is the single most effective thing you can do to keep your plans on track, given processing times of up to 22 months.

Before you lodge, take stock of your relationship evidence, identity documents, and character clearances to identify any gaps. Weak documentation is the most common reason applications stall or get refused, and fixing gaps after submission is far harder than addressing them upfront. If your situation involves prior marriages, previous visa refusals, or complex circumstances, professional advice makes a real difference to your outcome.

Speak with an experienced Australian migration agent to get a clear assessment of your eligibility and a straightforward plan for your application.