DIY partner visa application: preparing your own?
You can prepare a DIY partner visa application yourself. The challenge is turning years of relationship history, documents and shared facts into a clear, consistent application. Start with Salvo's free evidence checklist and practical lawyer-developed resources.
Know which application you are preparing.
The correct pathway depends on the applicant's location, relationship and visa circumstances. A generic document list cannot answer that threshold question.
Partner Visa 820/801
For eligible applicants lodging the combined temporary and permanent pathway while in Australia.
Understand 820/801 → Offshore✈️Partner Visa 309/100
For eligible applicants lodging the combined provisional and permanent pathway outside Australia.
Understand 309/100 → Engaged💍Prospective Marriage 300
For eligible engaged couples planning to marry after the applicant travels to Australia.
Understand subclass 300 →Organise before you upload.
Confirm the pathway and current criteria
Use the current Home Affairs subclass information. Check location requirements, existing visa conditions, sponsor eligibility and any timing issue before treating a checklist as complete.
Map the four relationship areas
Organise evidence across financial aspects, household arrangements, social recognition and commitment. Our document guide explains the framework.
Build one consistent chronology
Check important dates, addresses, travel, periods apart and relationship milestones across both partners' forms, statements and supporting documents.
Draft the relationship statements
Explain the relationship in each partner's own voice and check shared facts before finalising. Statement Studio provides separate guided workspaces and consistency checks.
Review forms and attachments together
File names, dates and explanations should make the application easier to follow. More documents are not automatically better if they are repetitive, unexplained or inconsistent.
Keep evidence current after lodgement
The relationship continues while the application is processed. Keep records organised and respond carefully to any Department request by its deadline.
Can you lodge your own partner visa application in Australia?
Yes. You do not have to appoint a migration agent or lawyer to prepare and lodge a partner visa application. Self-lodging also means you are responsible for choosing the correct pathway, answering accurately, meeting validity requirements and managing the application after submission.
Build the application in the right order
- Confirm whether the relevant pathway is 820/801, 309/100 or subclass 300.
- Create or access the applicant's ImmiAccount and complete the correct online visa form.
- Reconcile names, dates, addresses, travel, prior relationships and relationship milestones before submitting.
- Attach the documents required for the actual circumstances, not just a generic evidence list.
- Review the declarations, pay the application charge and keep the receipt, application ID and transaction reference number.
Connect the sponsor and manage the file
- The sponsor completes the online partner-sponsorship form using the applicant's transaction reference number or application ID.
- Upload sponsor identity and status evidence and any remaining applicant or relationship material through ImmiAccount.
- Follow the current health, character and biometric instructions that apply to the people included in the application.
- Monitor ImmiAccount and the nominated email address for requests and deadlines.
- Keep material facts and relationship evidence current while the temporary or provisional stage is processed and again when the permanent stage becomes relevant.
This sequence is a planning overview, not a universal lodgement checklist. Current visa status, application bars, no-further-stay conditions, Schedule 3, sponsor limits and character issues can change what should happen before submission. Start with the official onshore partner visa, offshore partner visa or prospective marriage visa instructions for the pathway you are considering.
Use focused tools for the work in front of you.
Free evidence checklist
Choose a pathway, work through core categories and save your planning status without uploading sensitive documents.
Open the checklist → ✍️Relationship Statement Studio
Guided prompts for both partners, shared-fact checks, evidence planning and export tools.
See Statement Studio → 📚Current guides
Read about evidence, Form 888, pathways, government charges and processing-time sources.
Browse the guides →DIY can save professional fees—not the government charge.
Preparing the application yourself does not remove the Department of Home Affairs application charge or situation-dependent costs such as health examinations, police certificates, translations and document preparation. What changes is the professional support you choose.
Free planning resources
You select the pathway, interpret the current requirements, prepare the forms and evidence, lodge the application and manage later requests. Salvo's checklist and guides provide general planning information, not legal advice.
Open the free checklist →Relationship Statement Studio
Use structured prompts, separate partner workspaces and shared-fact checks to prepare relationship statements. The tool does not select your visa pathway, lodge the application or provide an individual legal review.
Inspect Statement Studio →Lawyer-led representation
For couples who want an assessed pathway and an agreed preparation and representation scope. Professional fees are separate from government and third-party charges and are confirmed before engagement.
Compare published legal fees →For current figures and official source links, read the Australian partner visa cost guide. Confirm the applicable charge in ImmiAccount before lodging because charges and concessions can change.
Some facts deserve individual advice.
Consider advice before lodging if there are visa-condition or validity concerns, prior refusals, sponsor limitations, character issues, family violence, Schedule 3 questions, complicated relationship history or uncertainty about the correct pathway.
The free strategy call is for people genuinely considering Salvo Migration's legal service. It is not a document-review or advice appointment.
Common starting questions.
Can I apply for a partner visa without a lawyer?
Yes. Applicants can prepare and lodge their own applications. You remain responsible for choosing the correct pathway, satisfying the criteria and providing accurate information and evidence.
What evidence should I collect first?
Start with identity and relationship evidence across the financial, household, social and commitment areas. The suitable evidence depends on how your relationship actually operates.
Is the free checklist legal advice?
No. It is a planning resource and cannot determine eligibility, identify every issue or replace advice about your circumstances.
Can Salvo review an application I prepared myself?
Service availability and scope need to be confirmed with the team. A free strategy call is for people considering representation, not a free application review.
Build your partner visa evidence plan.
Open the free interactive checklist, choose your pathway and work through the core evidence categories.
General information only — not legal advice. Visa criteria, forms, charges and policy can change. Check current Home Affairs information and obtain advice for your circumstances where needed.