The visa application charge is the largest single amount in a subclass 820 application, but it is not the total, and the Department of Home Affairs says the cost it publishes does not include other costs. Everything on this page is paid to someone other than the Department — a clinic, a police authority, a translator, a registry, an airline — and each provider sets and publishes its own price. So no honest page can give you a total. What it can do is say what each item is for, who charges it, where the current amount is published, and when to buy it. The charge itself is on 820 visa cost.
The costs at a glance
| Cost | Who charges it | Where the current price is published |
|---|---|---|
| Health examinations | The clinic the Department nominates | The clinic's own fee schedule, given when you book |
| Police certificates | The police or justice authority of each country | That authority's own website, in its own currency |
| Translations and certified copies | Translators, and the person certifying copies | The translator's quote, usually per page or per document |
| Birth, marriage and divorce certificates | State, territory or overseas registries and courts | The registry's own website |
| Relationship registration | A state or territory registry of births, deaths and marriages | That registry's fee page |
| Travel to appointments | Airlines, transport operators, accommodation | Ordinary commercial prices |
| Professional fees | A migration lawyer | A written quote, before work starts |
Health examinations
The applicant and any family members who apply must meet the health requirement. In practice that means an examination by a clinic the Department nominates — usually a general medical examination and often a chest x-ray, with blood tests for some applicants. You pay the clinic, not the Department, and you pay whether or not the visa is granted.
Prices differ between clinics, countries and applicants, because the tests required are not the same for everybody. Ask for the current price when you book. The Department says health assessment results are valid for 12 months, and a health undertaking runs for six months. See health examinations.
Police certificates
Police certificates are the evidence behind the character requirement. They are needed from every country in which you have lived for the relevant period — not only your country of citizenship, and not only Australia. Each issuing authority charges its own fee, in its own currency, and the process differs wildly: some issue online within days, some require fingerprints in person, some require an authorised representative in that country, and some add courier costs.
For an applicant who has lived in three or four countries this is often the second-largest line in the budget. 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. See police certificates and police certificates by country.
Watch out
Police certificates and health results are both valid for 12 months, and partner visa processing can run well past that. Ordering everything the week you start preparing, rather than close to lodgement, is one of the most common ways applicants pay for the same document twice. Check the Department's visa processing time guide tool first.
Translations and certified copies
Any document that is not in English generally needs an English translation done to the standard the Department's document guidance sets — it is not enough for a bilingual friend to type it out. Translators charge per document or per page, so the cost scales with how much of your relationship history is in another language: birth and marriage certificates, divorce decrees, police certificates, identity documents, leases, bank records and letters of support can all fall into this.
Certified copies are cheaper but not free. Certifying copies, having statutory declarations witnessed by an authorised person, and couriering originals add smaller amounts that accumulate across a family application. See identity documents and translations.
Birth, marriage and divorce certificates
Most applicants need at least one official certificate. A full birth certificate proves identity and, for children, proves the relationship. A marriage certificate proves a married relationship — and for a marriage in Australia the decorative certificate given on the day is not the official one; the registry certificate is. Divorce documents matter where a previous marriage has to be shown to have ended before the current one began.
In Australia these come from the state or territory registry of births, deaths and marriages, each of which publishes its own fees and turnaround times, usually with a premium for urgent processing. Overseas certificates come from that country's registry or courts and may need translating on top.
Relationship registration, where it applies
De facto couples sometimes register their relationship with a state or territory registry. It is optional, it is only available in some states and territories, and the registry charges a fee it publishes on its own website. It matters because a registered relationship can remove the need to show 12 months of de facto relationship before applying — see registering your relationship and exemptions from the 12-month rule. Married couples do not need it.
Travel to appointments
Nominated clinics and fingerprinting services are concentrated in capital cities. An applicant in a regional area may need flights, a night's accommodation and a day of unpaid leave for a medical, and the same again if a police authority requires fingerprints in person. Couples asked to attend a partner visa interview can face the same. Build it in.
Professional fees
Migration lawyers set their own fees, separate from every cost above and from the visa application charge. A proper quote is in writing before work starts and says which amounts are the professional fee and which are third-party costs you pay yourself. See migration lawyer fees.
An application prepared by an immigration lawyer is more likely to succeed, and here the reason is sequencing rather than argument. Knowing which documents to order first, which to leave until the file is nearly ready, and which are not needed at all is the difference between buying police certificates once and buying them twice.
Next: work through the 820 visa document checklist so you know what you are paying to obtain, then read paying and refunding the charge before you lodge.
Common questions
What costs are not included in the 820 visa application charge?
Health examinations, police certificates from each country you have lived in, translations and certified copies of documents, replacement birth and marriage certificates, relationship registration where you use it, travel to a panel clinic or fingerprinting appointment, and any professional fees. None of these are paid to the Department of Home Affairs as part of the visa application charge. Each provider sets its own price and publishes it, so the only accurate total is one you build yourself from current quotes.
How much is the medical for a partner visa?
There is no single price. The examination is done by a clinic the Department nominates, you pay that clinic directly, and clinics publish their own fees. The cost differs by country, by clinic, by age, and by how many tests are needed, because some applicants require a chest x-ray or blood tests and others do not. Ask the clinic for its current price list when you book.
How long are police certificates and medicals valid?
The Department says police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue for immigration purposes, and that health assessment results are valid for 12 months. A health undertaking runs for six months. If they expire before a decision is made the Department may ask for them again, which means paying again, so check current processing times before you order anything.
Do I have to pay to register my relationship?
Only if you choose to, and only in a state or territory that offers registration. Registries of births, deaths and marriages charge their own fee for registering a relationship and publish it on their websites. Registration matters mainly for de facto couples who want to rely on the exemption from the 12-month cohabitation rule, not for married couples.
Does everything have to be translated?
Any document that is not in English generally needs an English translation done to the standard the Department accepts. That covers birth certificates, marriage certificates, divorce documents, police certificates, identity documents and relationship evidence from overseas. Translators charge per document or per page, so the cost scales with how much of your paperwork is in another language.
Sources
Keep reading
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 →
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 →