The Department says concessions apply in limited circumstances, and that from 1 July 2026 a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application. That single charge covers both the temporary 820 and the permanent 801, and it is not refunded if the application is refused.
Additional Applicant Charges for Dependent Children
What it costs to include a child in an 820 partner visa application: the additional applicant charge, the different rate for under-18s, and adding a child later.
Read the guide →
The Hidden Costs: Medicals, Police Checks and Translations
The 820 partner visa costs that are not the visa application charge: medicals, police certificates, translations, certificates, registration and travel.
Read the guide →
Migration Lawyer Fees for Partner Visas
What a migration lawyer charges for an 820 partner visa, what the fee covers, what it does not, and how to check a lawyer before you pay.
Read the guide →
Paying and Refunding the 820 Visa Application Charge
How the 820 visa application charge is paid in ImmiAccount, the surcharge on some payment methods, and the narrow grounds for a refund under regulation 2.12F.
Read the guide →What is the visa application charge?
The visa application charge is the amount paid to the Department when the application is lodged. It is not a deposit, a bond or a fee for a service that is delivered only if the visa is granted. It is the charge for having the application considered, and the Department keeps it whichever way the decision goes.
Both figures above are quoted by the Department as "from" amounts. The base charge applies to the main applicant. Where children or other dependants are included, additional applicant charges apply on top — see additional applicant charges. Because the amount depends on who is applying, the Department directs people to its Visa Pricing Estimator rather than to a single published price. That is the only tool that gives you a figure for your own case, and it is the figure to budget from.
Key facts
As at 23 September 2026 the Department shows from A$11,710 for most applicants and from A$1,955 for subclass 300 holders. Concessions apply in limited circumstances. From 1 July 2026 a lower cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens. Charges move, so check the Visa Pricing Estimator before you lodge.
Does one charge really cover both the 820 and the 801?
Yes. The 820 and the 801 are not two separate visas you buy one after the other. They are two stages of one application, lodged at the same time on the same form, and one visa application charge covers both. The Department's own page for the permanent visa puts it plainly: you paid for that visa when you made your applications for the temporary and permanent Partner visas.
This matters when you compare the 820 with other options. The headline figure looks large because it buys two decisions — a temporary visa now and a permanent visa roughly two years later. The Department says you are eligible for consideration of the permanent Partner visa two years after you first applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas. There is no second application charge at that point, although there are usually fresh documents to obtain, and those cost money. How the two stages fit together is explained on how the 820 and 801 work together.
Who pays less than the standard charge?
Three groups are identified by the Department as at 23 September 2026.
- Subclass 300 holders. People who hold a Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) are shown a charge of from A$1,955. They have already paid a substantial charge for the subclass 300, and the reduced amount reflects that. If you are in that position, read moving from a subclass 300 visa.
- Eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens. The Department says that from 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application. Eligibility is set by the Department, not by the applicant, and the amount is not published on the subclass 820 overview page — use the Visa Pricing Estimator.
- Concessions in limited circumstances. The Department's wording is exactly that: concessions apply in limited circumstances. It does not list them on the overview page. If you think a concession might apply to you, confirm it before you lodge rather than assuming it.
Is the charge refunded if the visa is refused?
No. The Department's outcome step says it will not refund the application fee if it refuses your application. Refunds in other situations, such as withdrawal, are governed by separate rules and should not be assumed.
This single sentence is the most expensive fact on this page. A refused application means the money is gone, and the usual routes forward — a fresh application with a new charge, or an application for review — both cost more again. Deadlines for review are short. The consequences are set out on why 820 visas are refused. The narrower question of how the money is actually paid, and the rare situations in which any part of it comes back, is covered on paying and refunding the charge.
When does the charge change?
Visa application charges are usually indexed on 1 July each year. The charge that applies to you is the one in force on the day you lodge a valid application, not the one in force when you started gathering documents or when you first read about the visa.
For applications being prepared across a financial year boundary, that turns a paperwork delay into a money question. If an application is close to ready in May, lodging before the end of June may cost less than lodging in July — but only if the application is genuinely valid, because an application that is invalid buys you nothing at all. The most recent change is covered on the July 2026 fee change.
What else does the application cost?
The visa application charge is the largest single amount, but it is not the total. None of the following is paid to the Department as part of the charge, and each provider sets its own price, so the honest answer to "how much?" is always "check the current price with the provider".
Health examinations
The applicant, and family members who apply, must meet the health requirement. That normally means a medical examination, and often a chest x-ray and blood tests, carried out by a panel clinic the Department nominates. You pay the clinic directly, at the price that clinic publishes. Costs differ between clinics and between countries, and they differ by age, because children are usually examined more briefly than adults. The Department says health assessment results are valid for 12 months and a health undertaking runs for six months, so timing matters as well as price — an examination done too early may have to be repeated, and repeating it means paying again. See health examinations.
Police certificates
Police certificates are needed from every country you have lived in for the relevant period, not only from your country of citizenship and not only from Australia. Each issuing authority charges its own fee, in its own currency, and some require fingerprints taken in person, courier fees or an agent in that country. Applicants with a long history of living in several countries can find this is the second-largest line in the budget after the visa charge itself.
The Department says police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue for immigration purposes, and that it may ask for them again if they expire before a decision is made — so it tells applicants to check processing times before getting them. Ordering all of them too early can mean paying for them twice. See police certificates and police certificates by country.
Translations and certified copies
Any document that is not in English generally needs an English translation, and the Department expects translations to be done to an accepted standard. Birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce decrees, police certificates, identity documents and relationship evidence from overseas can all fall into this. Translators charge per document or per page, so the cost scales with how much paperwork your relationship history involves. Certified copies, statutory declarations witnessed by an authorised person, and posting original documents add smaller amounts. See identity documents and translations.
Professional fees
Migration lawyers set their own fees, and those fees are separate from everything above. What a fee normally covers, and what it does not, is set out on migration lawyer fees.
A fuller list, including the small items that add up, is on the other costs of applying.
How to work out your own number
Work in this order. Get a figure from the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for your own combination of main applicant and dependants. Ask the panel clinic what it charges for the examinations your family will need. Add up the police certificate fees for every country on your list. Get a quote for translating the documents you know are not in English. Then decide whether you are engaging a professional, and ask for a written quote.
Do this before you lodge, not after. An application that stalls because the applicant cannot afford a police certificate from a third country is an application sitting at risk.
Getting the money side right
An application prepared by a migration lawyer is more likely to succeed, and on a cost page that is a financial point rather than a comfort. The charge is not refunded on refusal, so the cheapest version of this visa is the one granted the first time. The mistakes that cost money here are ordinary ones: lodging without realising a concession applied, ordering police certificates so early that they expire and must be bought again, or lodging an application that is invalid and losing the lodgement date entirely.
Next: if the charge is what you expected, the next question is what you actually have to do. Read how to apply for the 820 visa, then 820 visa document checklist so you know what you are paying to obtain.
Unregistered agents
An unregistered agent who gives immigration assistance is acting illegally (Migration Act 1958 s 280). They carry no professional indemnity insurance, so if their mistake costs you a refusal, your fees or your pathway, there is no insurer to claim against. A practising Australian lawyer must hold that insurance.
Common questions
How much is the 820 visa in 2026?
As at 23 September 2026 the Department of Home Affairs shows a visa application charge of from A$11,710 for most applicants, and from A$1,955 for people who hold a Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300). Concessions apply in limited circumstances, and from 1 July 2026 a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application. Charges change, so check the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for the current figure for your own case.
Do I have to pay again for the 801 permanent visa?
No. The Department says you paid for the permanent Partner visa when you made your applications for the temporary and permanent Partner visas. The 820 and the 801 are lodged together as one application and one visa application charge covers both stages. You may still have costs at the permanent stage, such as fresh police certificates or updated documents.
Do I get my money back if the 820 visa is refused?
No. The Department says it will not refund the application fee if it refuses your application. That is the main financial reason to lodge an application that is complete and well evidenced rather than one that is thin, because a refusal usually means paying a new charge for a fresh application or paying a review fee.
Does the 820 visa charge go up on 1 July?
Visa application charges are usually indexed on 1 July each year, so the figure that applies to you is the one in force on the day you lodge a valid application. The Department publishes current charges on its website and through the Visa Pricing Estimator. Check it immediately before you lodge rather than relying on a figure you read earlier in the year.
What other costs should I budget for besides the visa charge?
Health examinations for you and any family members applying with you, police certificates from every country you have lived in, translations and certified copies of documents not in English, and professional fees if you use an immigration lawyer. None of these are paid to the Department as part of the visa application charge, and each provider sets its own price.