Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa: Who It's For and How It Works

The Subclass 300 Prospective Marriage Visa is the correct pathway for couples who are not yet married and want the overseas partner to travel to Australia specifically to marry. It is not a general purpose "come and see if you want to get married" visa — it is an offshore visa granted on the specific premise that both parties are genuinely engaged and intend to marry in Australia within the validity period.

Understanding whether the Subclass 300 is the right starting point for your situation requires knowing how it sits within the broader partner visa architecture, what it costs, and what happens after you marry.

Who the Subclass 300 Is For

The Subclass 300 is an offshore visa — you must apply from outside Australia and travel to Australia after it is granted. The core eligibility requirements are:

• You must be engaged to an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen
• Both parties must be free to marry (not currently married to each other or anyone else)
• The sponsor must be at least 18 years old
• You must intend to marry within the validity period of the visa
• The relationship must be genuine

The Subclass 300 is specifically useful for couples who are not de facto (and therefore cannot apply for the offshore Subclass 309 de facto pathway) and who want to avoid applying for the 309/100 as a married couple after a marriage ceremony organised offshore. Many couples prefer to have the wedding in Australia with Australian family present, and the Subclass 300 makes this possible without having to first marry overseas.

It is also an important pathway for couples from cultures where cohabitation before marriage is not practised. Because the Subclass 300 is available to engaged couples without a de facto history requirement, it bypasses the 12-month cohabitation rule that applies to the de facto partner visa pathway.

What the Subclass 300 Costs

The government visa application charge for the Subclass 300 is significantly lower than the main partner visa fee — AUD 9,365 as of 2026 for the primary onshore 820/801 application. The Subclass 300 itself carries a charge of AUD 9,365 as a separate visa, but this is not the full picture of the financial pathway.

Here is the critical detail: after marrying in Australia on the Subclass 300 visa, you do not simply "become permanent." You must then apply for the onshore partner visa — the Subclass 820/801 combined application. Because you hold the Subclass 300 as a substantive visa at the point of lodgement, the government visa application charge for transitioning into the 820 system is reduced to AUD 1,560 (as of 2026). This reduced fee reflects the fact that part of the application cost was already paid in the original 300 visa.

The practical financial pathway is therefore: Subclass 300 visa fee + AUD 1,560 (820/801 lodgement after marriage) + ancillary costs (medicals, police clearances, translation). Total costs are still substantial, but less than paying the full AUD 9,365 for the 820/801 as a married applicant who did not come through the 300 pathway.

Processing Time

The Subclass 300 is not processed quickly. The Department's published processing data shows that 75% of applications are decided within approximately 12 to 18 months. This is a significant waiting period during which the applicant remains offshore and cannot travel to Australia.

During this time, it is essential that the couple continues building their relationship evidence — not just for the Subclass 300 assessment, but for the subsequent 820/801 application. Evidence gathered during the processing period strengthens the 820/801 file.

The Subclass 300 Visa Conditions

Once granted, the Subclass 300 visa typically has a 9-month validity period from the grant date. You must travel to Australia and marry your sponsor before this period expires. If you do not marry within the validity period, the visa ceases, and you must depart and potentially re-apply.

The Subclass 300 is a single-entry visa in most cases. It does not provide work rights automatically, though some conditions may allow for this depending on the specifics of the grant. You should clarify work rights at the time of grant.

One practical consideration: if you need to travel between countries while holding a Subclass 300 and before the 820/801 has been lodged, re-entry conditions need to be checked carefully. The Subclass 300 is not a bridging visa and operates under standard visa conditions.

After the Wedding: Transitioning to the 820/801

After marrying in Australia, you lodge the combined Subclass 820/801 application through ImmiAccount. Because you now hold a substantive visa (the Subclass 300) at the point of lodgement, you receive a Bridging Visa A automatically upon lodgement, which allows you to remain in Australia legally while the 820 is being processed.

The 820/801 assessment follows the same process as any other onshore partner visa: the Department evaluates the Four Pillars of the relationship, and if satisfied, grants the Subclass 820 temporary visa. The Subclass 801 permanent visa is then assessed two years after the original 820/801 lodgement date.

One important point: the two-year clock for the 801 runs from the 820/801 lodgement date, not from the Subclass 300 lodgement date. The time you spent waiting for the Subclass 300 to be processed does not count toward the two-year requirement for permanent residency.

Sponsor Eligibility and Character Requirements

The same sponsor eligibility rules apply to the Subclass 300 as to the main partner visa. The sponsor must be an Australian citizen, PR, or eligible New Zealand citizen aged 18 or older. The sponsor is also subject to the same lifetime sponsorship limitations: maximum two partner sponsorships in a lifetime, with a five-year exclusion period between each.

Character requirements apply to both the applicant and the sponsor. The applicant must provide police clearances from every country where they have resided for 12 months or more cumulatively over the last 10 years since turning 16. The sponsor must declare any criminal history, and the Department specifically scrutinises offences involving violence, sexual offences, or offences against children.

Subclass 300 vs. Applying Married from Offshore

Some couples choose to marry offshore and then apply for the offshore Subclass 309/100 as a married couple, rather than coming to Australia on the Subclass 300 to marry. The decision between these pathways depends on:

• Whether the wedding can practically be held in Australia (family, venue, logistics)
• Whether either party has visa conditions that prevent the offshore party from travelling to Australia before a decision is made
• Processing time differences between the 300 and the 309 in the specific country concerned
• Whether the couple prefers the Australian context for their wedding

Both pathways are legitimate and lead to the same permanent residency outcome. The Subclass 300 is simply the route for those who want — or need — the overseas partner to be physically in Australia for the marriage ceremony.

If you are at the point of choosing between the Subclass 300 pathway, the de facto route, or another approach, the Australia Partner Visa (820/801) Guide maps out the decision tree, including how to structure the evidence for the Subclass 300 assessment and what to prepare for the 820/801 lodgement that follows the wedding.

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