The Department of Home Affairs says so, and clause 820.511 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 puts it in legal terms: the 820 is a temporary visa permitting the holder to travel to and enter Australia until they are notified that the subclass 801 application has been decided, or until it is withdrawn.
Three consequences follow. There is no travel facility to renew, because the permission runs for the life of the application. There is no limit on the number of trips or their length. And clause 820.6 attaches no conditions to the visa, so there is no re-entry restriction and nothing like condition 8503 on it.
That is the easy part. Almost everything that goes wrong with travel happens either before the 820 is granted or at the border on the way back in.
Before grant: a Bridging visa A does not let you travel
This is the single most expensive misunderstanding in the whole process.
A Bridging visa A permits the holder to remain in Australia. Clause 010.511 of Schedule 2 says exactly that, and it says nothing about travelling to and entering Australia. Section 82(8) of the Migration Act 1958 then closes the loop: a visa to remain in, but not re-enter, Australia that is granted to a non-citizen in Australia ceases to be in effect if the holder leaves Australia.
So if you board a flight out of Australia on a Bridging visa A, that visa is gone. You are outside Australia with no visa to return on. People in this position have been stranded by a funeral, a sick parent or a wedding they assumed they could attend.
The fix is a Bridging visa B, and it has to be granted before you go. Clause 020.212 of Schedule 2 sets the test: you must have made a valid onshore application that has not been finally determined, you must wish to leave and re-enter Australia during processing, and the Minister must be satisfied that your reasons for wishing to do so are substantial. A Bridging visa B then permits the holder to travel to and enter Australia until the time set in the visa.
Two practical points. "Substantial" is a real test, so the reasons go in the application with evidence. And the travel facility runs to a specified time; returning after it has passed is the second way people get stuck. See Bridging visa B and travel for the detail, and Bridging visa A for what the underlying visa does and does not do.
The New Zealand passport trap at the border
If you hold a New Zealand passport and a granted 820, the border is where you can lose the permanent visa without doing anything wrong.
New Zealand citizens are normally granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444) on arrival, as a matter of course, without anyone discussing it. Section 82(2) of the Migration Act 1958 says a substantive visa ceases to be in effect if another substantive visa comes into effect. A 444 and an 820 are both substantive visas, so grant of the 444 ends the 820.
The Department's own warning is blunt: grant of a subclass 444 visa will override your temporary Partner visa, which means you will not be eligible for the permanent Partner visa (subclass 801).
Watch out
If you hold a New Zealand passport and an 820, tell the border officer on every single entry that you hold a temporary Partner visa and do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444). Not the first time only. Every time.
Say it out loud at the counter, and carry a VEVO check showing the 820 so there is no argument about what you hold. The same logic is why the Department warns 820 holders not to get another visa at all: if you are granted any other visa, you are no longer eligible for the subclass 801. Applying for a visitor visa or an electronic travel authority while overseas, because a booking site suggested it, is the other version of this mistake. For the sponsor's side, see eligible New Zealand citizen sponsors.
Keep the Department informed, especially about your passport
Australian visas are digital and there is no label in your passport. The visa is linked to the passport details recorded on your departmental record, which is how airline check-in and border systems find it.
If you renew your passport, change your name on it, or move to a passport of another country, the Department needs the new details. It asks Partner visa holders and applicants to tell it when circumstances change, including passport details, and Form 929 is the change of address or passport details form. Do this before you book, then run a VEVO check to confirm the record shows the new document. See telling Home Affairs about changes.
Long absences and the permanent stage
Travelling is allowed, and so is living apart for long stretches. But the permanent subclass 801 is decided on whether the Department is satisfied about the relationship at that point, and a couple who spent much of the intervening period on different continents will be asked about it.
Nothing sets a maximum time apart, and nobody should cancel a trip on the strength of a guess. What matters is that the period is explained and evidenced: communication records, travel between you, joint finances that kept running, and the reason for the separation in plain terms. See relationship evidence and how much evidence to provide.
Where professional help matters here
The mistakes on this page are almost all irreversible. Leaving on a Bridging visa A, accepting a subclass 444, or being granted another visa while the 820 is on foot cannot be undone by explaining afterwards that you did not realise. Where travel has to happen during the wait, or where a New Zealand passport is involved, an application prepared by an Australian migration lawyer is more likely to succeed, because the whole question is whether the right visa is in place before you board. No one can promise an outcome.
What to do next
If you need to leave Australia before the 820 is granted, deal with Bridging visa B and travel first and do not book until it is granted. If the 820 is already granted, check your passport details are current, then read what the 820 visa lets you do and subclass 801 permanent visa for what comes next.
Common questions
Can I leave Australia and come back on an 820 visa?
Yes, as many times as you want. Clause 820.511 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 describes the subclass 820 as a temporary visa permitting the holder to travel to and enter Australia until they are notified that the subclass 801 application has been decided, or until that application is withdrawn. There is no travel facility to renew and no limit on the number of trips.
Can I travel on a Bridging visa A?
No. A Bridging visa A permits the holder to remain in Australia. It does not permit travel to and entry into Australia, and section 82(8) of the Migration Act 1958 means a visa to remain in but not re-enter Australia ceases if the holder leaves. If you leave on a Bridging visa A you cannot use it to come back. You need a Bridging visa B, granted before you go.
Why must a New Zealand passport holder refuse a subclass 444 at the border?
Because a Special Category visa (subclass 444) overrides a temporary Partner visa. Section 82(2) of the Migration Act 1958 means that when one substantive visa comes into effect, the other ceases. The Department of Home Affairs says grant of a subclass 444 will override your temporary Partner visa and you will then not be eligible for the permanent subclass 801. Tell the border officer you hold a temporary Partner visa and do not want a subclass 444, every time you enter.
What do I do if I get a new passport while my Partner visa is on foot?
Tell the Department. Australian visas are digital and are linked to the passport details held on your record, so a new passport number has to be recorded or your visa may not be found at the border or in VEVO. The Department asks visa holders and applicants to notify changes to passport details, and Form 929 is the change of address or passport details form.
Will travelling overseas hurt my 801 application?
A trip will not, by itself. Long or repeated periods living apart can raise questions, because the Department must still be satisfied about the relationship when the permanent stage is assessed. Keep evidence covering the time you spent apart, and be ready to explain why you were apart and how the relationship continued.
Sources
Keep reading
Work Rights on the 820 and Bridging Visa A
A granted 820 carries full work rights. Before grant, your bridging visa copies the work conditions from your old visa. How to check and how to lift them.
Read the guide →
Medicare on the 820 Visa
An 820 holder can apply for Medicare. How enrolment works, where bridging visa holders stand, and how to cover yourself for health care while you wait.
Read the guide →
Studying on the 820 Visa
You can study on an 820 visa, but the Department says there is no government support and costs are at your own expense. How fee status is decided.
Read the guide →