Fiancé Visa Australia: Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300)

The Prospective Marriage visa subclass 300 — commonly called the fiancé visa — allows an engaged person to travel to Australia, marry their Australian partner and then continue to permanent residence through the Partner visa pathway. However, a successful application depends on much more than being engaged. The Department must be satisfied that the relationship is genuine, that both people genuinely intend to marry, that the sponsorship requirements are met and that the application is supported by credible, consistent evidence.

At a Glance

What Is the Fiancé Visa Australia Pathway?

The Prospective Marriage visa subclass 300 is a temporary visa for a person who intends to travel to Australia and marry their prospective spouse.

The applicant must generally be outside Australia when the visa application is lodged. Since 1 July 2024, the visa may be granted while the applicant is either inside or outside Australia.

The visa is generally granted for a period of between 9 and 15 months from the date of grant, with the exact period stated on the visa grant notice. The visa cannot generally be extended, so the marriage and the next visa application both need to fit inside that window.

After the subclass 300 visa is granted, the applicant must marry their prospective spouse while the visa remains valid. The marriage can generally take place in Australia or overseas, provided it is legally recognised for Australian migration purposes. The couple can then apply in Australia for the Partner visa pathway through the subclass 820 and subclass 801 visas.

The subclass 300 visa is therefore not permanent residence by itself. It is normally the first stage in a longer partner migration process, and a reduced application charge generally applies to the later Partner visa application for subclass 300 holders — one of several reasons the complete pathway should be planned from the start.

For the Department’s official information, see the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) listing.

Who Can Sponsor a Subclass 300 Visa Applicant?

The prospective spouse must generally be:

• an Australian citizen;
• an Australian permanent resident; or
• an eligible New Zealand citizen.

The sponsor must usually be at least 18 years old and must satisfy the sponsorship requirements applying to Australian partner and family visas.

Sponsorship limitations can also apply. In general terms, difficulties can arise where the sponsor:

• has previously sponsored two or more partners or prospective spouses;
• sponsored another partner or prospective spouse within the last five years;
• was themselves sponsored as a partner or prospective spouse within the last five years; or
• has criminal history that engages the Partner and Prospective Marriage sponsorship provisions, including relevant offences or a significant criminal record; or
• is sponsoring an applicant or including a child under 18 and child-protection provisions concerning registrable offences apply.

Some sponsorship restrictions contain limited discretions or exceptions, including provisions involving compelling circumstances. Their application should be legally established rather than assumed.

Sponsorship eligibility should be reviewed before the application is prepared, rather than treated as an administrative formality at the end. A genuine relationship does not overcome a sponsorship restriction by itself.

Basic Eligibility for a Prospective Marriage Visa

Although every matter is different, the applicant and sponsor will generally need to establish that:

• they are both at least 18 years old;
• they have met each other in person since turning 18;
• they know each other personally;
• they genuinely intend to marry;
• they intend to live together as spouses after marriage;
• there is no legal obstacle preventing the marriage;
• the relationship is genuine and continuing;
• the sponsor is eligible to sponsor the applicant; and
• the applicant satisfies the relevant health and character requirements.

Meeting these basic requirements does not automatically mean an application will be approved. The Department must also be persuaded by the quality, consistency and credibility of the evidence.

Do You Need to Have Met in Person?

In most cases, the applicant and sponsor must have met each other in person after both turned 18.

An online relationship, telephone relationship or video-call relationship will not normally be enough by itself.

Meeting in person satisfies an essential threshold. It does not, by itself, establish that the relationship is sufficiently developed or credible.

I have seen couples place excessive weight on proving that they met once while providing very little evidence of what happened after that meeting. The legal requirement to have met and the evidentiary task of proving a genuine relationship are different questions.

This requirement can become important where a couple first met online and have had limited opportunities to spend time together physically.

The Department may examine:

• when and where the couple first met;
• how much time they have spent together;
• whether their accounts of important events are consistent;
• whether family and friends know about the relationship; and
• whether the relationship has developed in a credible way.

Does Being Engaged Prove the Relationship?

No. An engagement is important, but it does not by itself prove that the relationship is genuine.

The Department is not simply assessing whether a proposal occurred or whether an engagement ring was purchased. It is assessing the relationship as a whole.

In some applications, the wedding is the most heavily documented event while the relationship leading to the wedding remains poorly explained.

A venue booking can demonstrate an intention to hold a ceremony. It cannot, by itself, explain how the relationship developed, why the couple decided to marry or how they intend to build a shared life.

Evidence may need to demonstrate:

• how the relationship began;
• how it developed over time;
• how the couple communicates;
• how they support each other;
• their knowledge of each other’s lives;
• their plans for marriage;
• their plans for living together in Australia; and
• the involvement of family members and friends.

A formal engagement ceremony can be useful evidence, but it should form part of a broader and coherent relationship history.

Evidence for a Fiancé Visa Australia Application

The strongest evidence will depend on the couple’s circumstances. There is no single document that proves a relationship is genuine.

A persuasive application usually draws together evidence from several different areas.

A carefully structured application makes it easier for the decision-maker to understand the relationship being presented and the purpose of each document.

Evidence of Time Spent Together

• passport entry and exit stamps;
• flight bookings and boarding passes;
• hotel or accommodation records;
• photographs taken during visits;
• travel itineraries;
• receipts for activities undertaken together; and
• evidence of visits to each other’s families.

Evidence of Communication

• message histories;
• telephone and video-call records;
• emails;
• letters or cards;
• social media interaction; and
• evidence showing regular communication during periods apart.

Couples often assume they need thousands of screenshots. They don’t. Twenty carefully selected conversations spread across the relationship — the first messages, the planning of visits, the discussions about marriage, the ordinary Tuesday-night exchanges — are often far more persuasive than five thousand pages dumped into a PDF. What I look for when reviewing communication evidence is not volume but pattern: does the contact continue naturally across the whole relationship, including the unremarkable stretches?

See Why Relationship Evidence Is About Consistency, Not Volume.

Evidence of Financial Support

• money transfers;
• shared travel expenses;
• purchases made for each other;
• joint financial planning;
• shared wedding expenses; and
• evidence that one person has assisted the other financially.

Not every engaged couple will have joint accounts or significant shared assets, particularly where they live in different countries. The evidence should be assessed in the context of the relationship rather than forced into a standard template.

Evidence of Social Recognition

• photographs with family members and friends;
• engagement announcements;
• invitations to family or social events;
• statements from people who know the couple;
• social media posts; and
• evidence that both families recognise the relationship.

Evidence of the Planned Marriage

• a Notice of Intended Marriage;
• correspondence with an authorised marriage celebrant;
• wedding venue enquiries or bookings;
• wedding invitations;
• receipts for wedding-related expenses;
• discussions with family members about the wedding; and
• a realistic proposed wedding timeframe.

The wedding plans should be genuine and sufficiently developed to support the stated intention to marry. However, couples should also be careful about making expensive, non-refundable arrangements before the visa outcome is known.

Relationship Statements

Relationship statements are often an important part of a subclass 300 application.

They should normally explain:

• how and when the couple met;
• how the relationship developed;
• important visits and events;
• how the couple communicates while apart;
• when and how they became engaged;
• their marriage plans;
• their plans for living together; and
• their understanding of each other’s personal and family circumstances.

A good relationship statement should be personal, specific and consistent with the documentary evidence.

Generic statements, exaggerated language and descriptions that appear to have been copied from a template can reduce credibility rather than strengthen it.

What Can Cause Problems in a Subclass 300 Application?

Many fiancé visa applications are genuine but still contain avoidable weaknesses.

Common problems include:

• very limited time spent together in person;
• inconsistent accounts of how the relationship began;
• large unexplained gaps in communication;
• limited evidence that family members know about the relationship;
• unclear or unrealistic wedding plans;
• previous marriages that have not legally ended;
• significant differences between the applicant’s and sponsor’s statements;
• incorrect information in earlier visa applications;
• a history of previous partner sponsorships;
• undisclosed criminal or immigration history;
• documents that appear staged or created only for the application; and
• evidence submitted without a clear explanation of its significance.

None of these issues necessarily means that the relationship is not genuine. However, they may require careful explanation and a more considered evidence strategy.

See Common Partner Visa Mistakes.

Previous Visa Applications and Immigration History

The Department may compare the subclass 300 application with information previously provided by the applicant or sponsor.

This can include earlier:

• visitor visa applications;
• student visa applications;
• partner visa applications;
• sponsorship applications;
• statements about relationship status; and
• information provided at the Australian border.

For example, difficulties can arise where a person previously declared that they were single during a period when the subclass 300 application now claims the relationship was already serious or committed.

That does not always mean the new application must fail. It does mean that the chronology and any apparent inconsistency should be addressed directly.

See Why Genuine Relationships Still Get Refused.

Should You Apply for a Subclass 300 or Partner Visa?

The correct pathway depends on the couple’s legal and personal circumstances.

A subclass 300 visa may be appropriate where the couple is genuinely engaged but has not yet married and does not satisfy the requirements for a de facto partner application.

A Partner visa may instead be appropriate where the couple:

• is already legally married;
• has established a qualifying de facto relationship; or
• will marry before lodging the visa application.

The decision should not be based solely on which application appears easier.

The couple should consider:

• where the applicant is located;
• whether they are already married;
• whether they meet the de facto relationship requirements;
• when they intend to marry;
• the applicant’s current visa status;
• travel requirements;
• processing uncertainty; and
• the overall cost and timing of the full pathway.

When the Subclass 300 Is Usually Not the Best Option

In my experience, the subclass 300 is regularly chosen by couples who should be applying for something else. It is usually not the right pathway where the couple:

• is already legally married — a married couple applies for a Partner visa, not a Prospective Marriage visa;
• has already established a de facto relationship — a couple who meets the de facto requirements can generally go straight to the Partner visa pathway rather than adding an extra visa stage and an extra application charge;
• is already living together in Australia — an applicant lawfully in Australia with a qualifying relationship may have an onshore Partner visa option, and the subclass 300 generally cannot be lodged from inside Australia anyway; or
• plans to marry very soon — where the wedding will happen before an application could realistically be lodged, marrying first and applying for a Partner visa is often the simpler and cheaper structure.

The subclass 300 is not automatically the safer option merely because the couple is engaged.

Where the couple already qualifies for a Partner visa, adding a preliminary visa stage may create more cost, more processing and another set of relationship statements that must remain consistent in the future.

The subclass 300 exists for a specific situation: a genuinely engaged couple who cannot yet meet the marriage or de facto requirements and where the applicant is offshore. Where that is not the situation, forcing the relationship into the fiancé visa shape usually adds cost, time and an unnecessary visa stage.

See Partner Visa Strategy Australia, Onshore Partner Visa Australia: Subclasses 820 and 801, Australia Partner Visa Offshore: Subclasses 309 and 100 and How to Prove a De Facto Relationship.

What Happens After the Subclass 300 Visa Is Granted?

The visa holder can travel to Australia during the visa’s validity period and must marry their prospective spouse while the visa remains valid.

The marriage can generally take place in Australia or another country, provided it occurs within the relevant visa period and is legally recognised for Australian migration purposes.

After the marriage, the visa holder can usually apply in Australia for the temporary Partner visa subclass 820 and permanent Partner visa subclass 801 pathway.

The Partner visa application is a separate application. Further documents and relationship evidence will be required, and the relationship evidence gathered for the subclass 300 stage will matter again — which is one more reason to organise it properly the first time.

See Onshore Partner Visa Australia: Subclasses 820 and 801.

Can You Work in Australia on a Subclass 300 Visa?

A subclass 300 visa generally permits the visa holder to work in Australia while the visa is valid.

The visa holder may also be able to study, although they may not have access to government funding available to Australian citizens or permanent residents.

The precise visa conditions and validity period should always be checked on the visa grant notice and through VEVO.

Can the Applicant Visit Australia While the Visa Is Processing?

An applicant may separately apply for an appropriate visitor visa while the subclass 300 application is being processed.

However, the visitor visa application will be assessed independently.

The applicant may need to satisfy the Department that they genuinely intend to comply with the temporary nature and conditions of the visitor visa.

A pending fiancé visa application does not create an automatic entitlement to a visitor visa and does not guarantee entry to Australia.

Health and Character Requirements

The applicant will usually need to satisfy health and character requirements.

This may involve:

• undertaking immigration medical examinations;
• providing police clearances from relevant countries;
• declaring criminal charges or convictions;
• declaring previous visa refusals or cancellations; and
• providing additional information where requested.

Applicants should disclose relevant history accurately. Attempting to avoid an issue by omitting it can create a more serious problem than the original matter.

Why Processing Times Vary

Processing times change and can vary substantially between applications.

Factors affecting processing may include:

• whether the application is complete;
• the complexity of the relationship history;
• the applicant’s health and character circumstances;
• the sponsor’s history;
• whether further information is requested;
• the need for document verification;
• the Department’s caseload; and
• processing priorities applying at the time.

Couples should avoid planning their wedding on the assumption that the visa will be decided by a particular date.

Like any Australian visa, a subclass 300 application can also spend time in further assessment. See Partner Visa Further Assessment.

Can a Fiancé Visa Be Refused?

Yes. A subclass 300 visa can be refused where a legal requirement is not met or the evidence does not persuade the Department that the relationship and intention to marry are genuine.

A refusal may result from one central issue. However, many difficult cases involve an accumulation of concerns:

• limited evidence of how the relationship developed
• inconsistent dates or relationship statements
• unclear or unrealistic marriage plans
• sponsorship restrictions
• health or character concerns
• incorrect or misleading information
• an inadequate response to a Department request

In my experience, couples are sometimes surprised by refusal because they were thinking about whether their relationship was genuine while the decision-maker was considering whether the application had actually proved the required facts.

Depending on the circumstances, review rights may be available through the Administrative Review Tribunal. The refusal notice should be checked immediately because review rights and deadlines depend on the decision, and strict time limits may apply.

It is usually better to identify and address weaknesses before lodgement than to attempt to repair the matter after refusal.

Before Lodging a Fiancé Visa Application

Before applying, couples should consider:

• whether the subclass 300 is the correct visa pathway;
• whether the applicant and sponsor meet the basic requirements;
• whether any previous relationships have legally ended;
• whether the sponsor has any sponsorship limitations;
• whether previous visa records contain inconsistent information;
• whether there is adequate evidence of meeting in person;
• whether the wedding plans are genuine and realistic;
• whether the relationship evidence covers the full chronology; and
• whether any difficult issues need to be explained before lodgement.

Related Guides

Partner Visa Pathways and Strategy

• Partner Visa Strategy Australia
• Onshore Partner Visa Australia: Subclasses 820 and 801
• Australia Partner Visa Offshore: Subclasses 309 and 100
• Partner Visa Strategy Assessment

Relationship Evidence

• How to Prove a De Facto Relationship
• Why Relationship Evidence Is About Consistency, Not Volume
• Common Partner Visa Mistakes

Risk, Delay and Refusal

• Why Genuine Relationships Still Get Refused
• Partner Visa Further Assessment
• Visa Appeals Australia and ART Reviews

Fiancé Visa Australia FAQs

How long is the subclass 300 visa valid?

The visa is generally granted for a period of between 9 and 15 months from the date of grant, with the exact period stated on the visa grant notice. The marriage must take place while the visa remains valid, and the visa cannot generally be extended.

Do we need to have met in person?

Yes. In most cases the couple must have met in person after both turned 18 and be personally known to each other. Meeting in person does not, by itself, establish that the relationship is genuine.

Can a subclass 300 visa be granted while I am in Australia?

Yes. The application must generally be lodged while the applicant is outside Australia, but since 1 July 2024 the visa may be granted while the applicant is inside or outside Australia.

Can we get married outside Australia?

Generally yes. The marriage can usually take place in Australia or overseas, provided it occurs while the visa remains valid and is legally recognised for Australian migration purposes.

Is the subclass 300 easier than a Partner visa?

Not necessarily. The subclass 300 has different legal requirements and adds an additional visa stage. The appropriate pathway depends on whether the couple is already married, qualifies as de facto partners, where the applicant is located and the complete migration strategy.

Do wedding bookings prove that the relationship is genuine?

No. Wedding arrangements may support a genuine intention to marry, but the relationship itself must still be established through credible and consistent evidence.

Can I work on a subclass 300 visa?

The visa generally permits the holder to work in Australia during the validity period. The exact conditions should always be checked on the visa grant notice and through VEVO.

Can I include my children in the application?

Dependent children can generally be included in the application, provided they meet the dependency, health and character requirements. Whether a child qualifies as dependent depends on their age and circumstances.

What happens after we marry?

After the marriage, the visa holder can usually apply in Australia for the Partner visa pathway through the subclass 820 and 801 visas. A reduced application charge generally applies to that application for subclass 300 holders, and further relationship evidence will be required.

What if the subclass 300 visa is refused?

Depending on the decision, review rights may be available through the Administrative Review Tribunal. The refusal notice should be checked immediately because review rights and deadlines depend on the decision, and strict time limits may apply.

This information is general in nature and does not constitute migration advice for your individual circumstances. Australian migration law and policy can change, and eligibility should be assessed based on the circumstances existing at the time of application.