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What Is the Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300)?
The Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) is an Australian visa that allows you to travel to Australia to marry your prospective spouse. It is sometimes called a fiancé visa or engagement visa, and both terms refer to the same visa subclass.
Unlike the Partner visa (Subclass 820/801) or the offshore Partner visa (Subclass 309/100), the Subclass 300 does not require you to already be married or in a de facto relationship. It is designed for couples who are genuinely committed and planning to marry, but who have not yet built a shared life together.
Once granted, the Subclass 300 gives you a fixed period to enter Australia, marry your sponsor, and lodge an onshore partner visa application (Subclass 820/801). It is a three-stage process overall, compared to the two stages of the 820/801 or 309/100 pathways.
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Who Can Apply for the Prospective Marriage Visa?
To be eligible for the Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300), you must meet the following requirements.
Applicant Requirements
- You must be at least 18 years of age
- You must be outside Australia at the time of application
- You must intend to marry your prospective spouse within the validity period of the visa
- You must have met your prospective spouse in person after you each turned 18
- You must intend to live together as spouses after marriage
- You must meet health and character requirements
Sponsor Requirements
Your prospective spouse is your sponsor. They must:
- Be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen
- Maging hindi bababa sa 18 taong gulang
- Pass the Department of Home Affairs character assessment, including a criminal history check
There are also limits on how many times a person can sponsor a partner visa applicant. A sponsor cannot be approved more than twice in their lifetime, and at least five years must have passed since any previous sponsorship. This limit applies across all partner visa subclasses, including the Subclass 300. Confirming your sponsor’s eligibility early is important.
Is the Prospective Marriage Visa Right for You?
The Subclass 300 suits couples who are genuinely committed to each other but are not yet in a position to satisfy the requirements of the Subclass 309/100 or Subclass 820/801.
It is a practical option for couples who:
- Are not yet married and have not lived together for 12 months
- Have met in person but have spent most of their relationship across distance
- Are engaged and have a genuine intention to marry, but cannot yet demonstrate the financial and household evidence a partner visa requires
The Subclass 300 has a lower evidentiary threshold than the Subclass 309 or 820 when it comes to de facto cohabitation. There is no requirement to prove 12 months of living together. However, you must still demonstrate that your relationship is genuine and that you have a real intention to marry. The overall evidentiary standard remains high.
What Evidence Do You Need?
Because you have not yet lived together, your evidence for a Subclass 300 application looks different to a standard partner visa application, but it covers similar ground.
You will generally need to provide:
- Evidence of how the relationship developed, including when and how you met and how it progressed over time
- Proof that you have met in person after you both turned 18, such as flight records, passport stamps, accommodation bookings, and photos from visits together
- Evidence of ongoing contact across the distance, including message and call history over a sustained period
- A Notice of Intention to Marry (NOIM) completed with a marriage celebrant, along with a celebrant letter confirming your intended marriage
- Evidence of wedding planning, such as venue enquiries, a guest list, or family communications about the wedding
- Evidence of your plans together after marriage, including where you intend to live
- Statutory declarations from people who know you as a couple
The Notice of Intention to Marry confirms you are planning a wedding. It does not, on its own, prove your relationship is genuine. The Department of Home Affairs will assess both.
How Much Does the Prospective Marriage Visa Cost?
The government application fee for the prospective marriage visa 300 is $11,710 for the primary applicant (effective 1 July 2026).
Additional applicants included in the same application attract further charges:
- $5,860 per additional applicant aged 18 or over
- $2,935 per additional applicant under 18
After the Subclass 300 is granted and you enter Australia, marry, and are ready to lodge the Subclass 820/801, a reduced government application fee applies at that stage. This reduced fee is significantly lower than the standard 820/801 charge because the primary fee was paid at the Subclass 300 stage. You can check the current reduced fee directly on the Department of Home Affairs current visa pricing page, or contact our registered migration agents for guidance.
You may also incur additional costs for health examinations, police clearances, and certified translations of non-English documents.
How Long Does the Prospective Marriage Visa Take?
Processing times for the Subclass 300 vary depending on the complexity of your application and the Department’s current caseload.
Based on Department of Home Affairs processing time data verified on 12 October 2026:
Subclass 300 (prospective marriage stage)
Most applications are decided within 14 months of lodgement. Applications at the longer end of the processing range can take up to 26 months.
These figures are based on recently decided applications and are not a guarantee. The Department of Home Affairs updates processing times monthly. You can check current figures directly on the Department of Home Affairs Global Visa Processing Times tool, or contact our registered migration agents for guidance on your specific situation.
What Happens After the Subclass 300 Is Granted?
Once your prospective marriage visa is granted, you will receive a visa grant letter confirming how long you have to complete the required steps. This validity period is generally between nine and fifteen months, though the exact period is determined by the Department at the time of grant.
Within that period you must:
- Enter Australia on the Subclass 300 to activate the visa
- Marry your sponsor
- Lodge a Subclass 820/801 partner visa application
You do not have to marry inside Australia. You can travel to another country to marry during the validity period, provided you return to Australia and lodge the 820/801 before the Subclass 300 expires. You must make at least one entry into Australia on the visa to activate it.
Once you lodge the Subclass 820/801, you will generally be issued a Bridging Visa A (BVA), which allows you to remain in Australia lawfully while the partner visa is processed.
What Rights Do You Have on the Subclass 300?
While you are in Australia on the Subclass 300, before lodging the 820/801, you can:
- Work in Australia without restriction
- Travel in and out of Australia during the validity period
- Study in Australia, though international student fees apply
What If You Do Not Marry in Time?
The Subclass 300 has a fixed validity period. If you do not marry and lodge the Subclass 820/801 before the visa expires, you lose your lawful basis to remain in Australia. There is no automatic extension. If you are approaching the expiry date and have not yet married, seek advice from a registered migration agent as soon as possible.
What If the Relationship Ends?
If your relationship ends while your Subclass 300 application is still being assessed, you are required to notify the Department of Home Affairs. In most cases this means withdrawing the application, as the basis for the visa no longer exists.
If your relationship ends after the Subclass 300 has been granted but before you have married and lodged the 820/801, you are still required to notify the Department. The visa was granted on the basis of your intention to marry a specific person, and a relationship breakdown at this stage can put the visa at risk of cancellation.
If this situation applies to you, seek advice from a registered migration agent promptly.
Common Reasons Prospective Marriage Visa Applications Are Refused
Applications for the australian prospective marriage visa can be refused, and most refusals relate to gaps in evidence rather than relationships found to be dishonest. Common reasons include:
- Being unable to prove that you and your sponsor met in person after you both turned 18, which is a strict legal requirement
- Relying too heavily on the Notice of Intention to Marry and the celebrant letter without providing broader evidence of a genuine relationship
- Inconsistencies between the applicant’s and sponsor’s accounts of the relationship
- Unresolved health or character matters
- Insufficient or poorly organised evidence overall
A lower evidentiary threshold for de facto cohabitation does not mean a lighter application overall. The evidence you provide must clearly demonstrate a genuine, continuing relationship and a real intention to marry.
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Paano Makakatulong ang Mga Ahente ng Migrasyon ng Australia
Choosing the right partner visa pathway matters. The Subclass 300 suits some couples well and is the wrong choice for others, and getting that assessment right before lodgement saves time, money, and stress.
Our registered migration agents (MARN 2217744) can assess your circumstances and advise whether the Prospective Marriage Visa or another partner visa pathway better fits your situation. We can also help you:
- Gather and organise relationship evidence appropriate to the Subclass 300
- Complete and lodge your application through ImmiAccount
- Respond to any requests for information from the Department of Home Affairs
- Prepare for the subsequent Subclass 820/801 application once you have married
To speak with a registered migration agent about your situation, contact Australian Migration Agents today.
Buod
The Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) is an offshore visa that allows you to travel to Australia to marry your prospective spouse and then apply for permanent residency through the partner visa pathway. It suits couples in genuine relationships who are not yet married and cannot satisfy the de facto cohabitation requirements of other partner visa subclasses.
The government application fee is $11,710 for the primary applicant, effective 1 July 2026. Processing times are currently 14 months for most applicants. Once granted, you generally have nine to fifteen months to enter Australia, marry, and lodge your Subclass 820/801 application.
The Subclass 300 involves significant documentation and strict evidentiary requirements. Working with a registered migration agent helps you assess the right pathway and prepare a well-organised application from the start.
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