The Prospective Marriage (Subclass 300) visa explained
Current as at 3 July 2026. General information only, not advice for your circumstances. Fees are FY2026‑27 figures; confirm current charges, visa validity periods and processing times at immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.
The Prospective Marriage visa - Subclass 300, sometimes called the “fiancé(e) visa” - is for people who are engaged to an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen and intend to marry them in Australia. It is a temporary visa with one job: to let you enter Australia, marry your partner, and then apply for a partner visa from onshore.
It is a useful pathway when a couple is not yet married and cannot easily meet a de facto relationship requirement, but it comes with a firm deadline and a genuine cost. This guide explains how it works and how the transition to an 820 partner visa fits in.
Who the Subclass 300 visa is for
The 300 visa is designed for couples who:
- Are engaged to marry and genuinely intend to marry each other.
- Have met in person and know each other (a marriage arranged sight-unseen will not satisfy the test).
- Cannot readily rely on the de facto pathway - for example, they have not lived together for the required period, or cultural or religious reasons mean they will not live together before marriage.
A key eligibility rule: you must be outside Australia when you apply and, generally, outside Australia when the visa is granted. In that respect it behaves like an offshore application.
How the process works, step by step
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Prepare and lodge offshore | Gather relationship evidence and a notice of intention to marry (see below), then lodge the 300 application from outside Australia via ImmiAccount. |
| 2. Assessment | The Department assesses whether your relationship and intention to marry are genuine, and whether you meet health and character requirements. |
| 3. Grant (while offshore) | If approved, the 300 is granted while you are outside Australia. It is a temporary visa valid for a defined period from grant. |
| 4. Enter, marry, apply | You travel to Australia, marry your partner, and lodge an onshore 820/801 partner application - all within the validity period of the 300. |
| 5. Partner visa stage | The 820 (provisional) is assessed on the same genuine-and-continuing-relationship test; about two years later you are assessed for the permanent 801. |
The marriage deadline
This is the feature that most distinguishes the 300 visa. The visa is granted for a fixed validity period, and you must marry your sponsor and apply for the partner visa within that period. Historically the validity has been up to around nine months from grant, though some grants have carried longer periods - the length of your own visa is stated on your grant notice, and that is the date that governs you.
If you do not marry and lodge the partner application within the validity period, the pathway lapses. Because of that hard edge, couples planning a wedding around a 300 visa should build in a comfortable margin - venues, celebrants and family travel all take time, and processing before grant is itself measured in many months.
Evidence you will need
A 300 application rests on two things: proof that your relationship is genuine, and proof that you genuinely intend to marry.
Genuine relationship evidence
The relationship is assessed against the familiar four aspects - financial, household, social and commitment - although a couple who have not yet lived together will naturally weight this differently from a long-cohabiting de facto couple. Expect to show:
- How you met and how the relationship developed, in statements from each of you.
- Evidence you know each other in person - travel to see each other, time spent together, photographs across dates.
- Communication history, which often carries a couple who live in different countries.
- Recognition of the relationship by family and friends.
Intention to marry
- Evidence that you both intend to marry - engagement, wedding planning, family involvement.
- A completed Notice of Intended Marriage (NOIM) lodged with an authorised Australian marriage celebrant, or a letter from the celebrant confirming arrangements. This is the practical document the Department looks for to confirm a real, planned wedding.
What it costs
The 300 carries the same headline application charge as the partner visas:
| Charge | Amount (FY2026‑27) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Subclass 300 application (primary applicant) | $11,710 | Indicative FY2026‑27 - confirm on the fee calculator |
| Later 820/801 application (300-holder, reduced charge) | ~$1,950 (indicative) | A reduced partner-visa charge applies to 300-holders who apply before the 300 expires; the FY25-26 figure was $1,560 |
The reduced 820 charge for 300-holders is a genuine saving, but the 2026‑27 figure was not independently verified for this article - treat it as indicative and confirm the current amount before relying on it. The initial charge is generally non-refundable if the 300 is refused.
The transition to the 820
The 300 visa is not the end of the road - it is the entry ticket to the partner visa system. After you marry, you lodge an onshore 820/801 partner application. Two practical points matter here:
- Timing. You must lodge the 820 while your 300 is still valid to access the reduced charge and to keep your status seamless. Leave it too late and you lose both.
- The evidence rebuilds. By the time you apply for the 820 you are married and (usually) living together, so the four pillars of relationship evidence are now assessed on your married life. Start gathering that evidence - joint finances, shared household, married social life - from the day you arrive, so the 820 is decision-ready when you lodge it.
For a fuller picture of what the 820 stage demands, see our guide to the four pillars of partner visa evidence.
The sponsor’s role and obligations
A 300 application needs an approved sponsor - the Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen you intend to marry. Sponsorship is a formal commitment, not a signature. The sponsor is assessed too: there are limits on how many partner or prospective-marriage sponsorships one person can make and how often, and a sponsor with certain criminal history may have to disclose it, with the applicant given access to that information. Where there are children involved, sponsor character checks take on added importance. It is worth the couple understanding the sponsor’s side of the application from the outset, because a problem on the sponsor’s record can affect the whole matter.
Health, character and other requirements
Like all substantive visas, the 300 requires the applicant to meet health and character requirements. That usually means a health examination and police certificates from each country where the applicant has lived for the relevant period. These have validity windows, so timing them sensibly against the expected grant date matters - the same evidence-freshness discipline that runs through every partner application. If you have a health condition or any character issue in your history, raise it with a lawyer early; these are the kinds of matters that are far easier to address before lodgement than after a request from the Department.
Common questions about the 300 visa
Can I work on a 300 visa?
Yes. Once the 300 is granted and you have entered Australia, it generally allows you to work and study while you arrange the marriage and prepare the partner application.
What if we do not marry within the validity period?
The pathway lapses. You cannot simply extend a 300 visa to buy more time, so the marriage and the partner-visa lodgement both need to happen inside the validity period stated on your grant. If circumstances change, get advice quickly rather than letting the visa run down.
Do we have to marry in Australia?
The 300 is built around marrying in Australia and then applying onshore. Couples who would rather marry overseas often use the offshore 309/100 partner pathway instead, which does not carry the same in-Australia marriage step.
Is the 300 the right pathway for you?
The 300 is the natural choice for engaged couples who cannot yet meet a de facto requirement and who want to marry in Australia. But it is not the only option. Some couples marry overseas first and lodge an offshore 309/100 partner visa; others who already live together may qualify for a de facto partner visa without marrying at all. The best pathway depends on where you are, whether you are willing and able to marry overseas, and how your relationship evidence looks today. Our partner eligibility check is a good first step.
Plan the wedding - and the visa - together
The 300 visa rewards couples who plan the marriage deadline, the reduced-charge window and the 820 evidence as one connected sequence rather than three separate scrambles. Our partner and family visa team prepares 300 applications and the onshore 820 transition to a decision-ready standard, with the timing mapped so you do not lose the reduced charge or run down your validity period. If you are engaged and planning to marry in Australia, book a consultation and we will help you sequence it properly.