What partner documents does a Subclass 407 application require in 2026?

A Subclass 407 (Training visa) application asks for four things about your partner: identity documents, character documents, a marriage certificate, and documents about other relationships where they apply. On top of that, a de facto partner has to show either that the relationship is registered by an Australian State or Territory, or enough documents to prove the relationship existed for at least 12 months before you apply — and married and de facto partners alike must show the relationship is genuine and continuing. That is the whole partner document list published on the Department of Home Affairs Training visa (subclass 407) official page, as published in August 2026. It is a description of the published document list for general reference, not advice on any individual case, and the current official wording should always be treated as the authority.

What exactly is on the partner document list?

The list is short but each item carries weight, because a partner is assessed as a separate applicant attached to your file rather than as a footnote to it.

Document group	What the official page asks for
Identity	Your partner's identity documents
Character	Your partner's character documents
Relationship status	Marriage certificate
Other relationships	Documents about other relationships, if applicable
De facto only	Registration by an Australian State or Territory, or enough documents proving at least 12 months of de facto relationship before applying
All partners	Evidence the relationship is genuine and continuing

Who counts as a partner for this visa, and can one be added later?

The visa page lets you include members of the family unit in your application when you apply, and it treats partners in two categories for document purposes: married and de facto. Under Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994, a secondary applicant must be a member of the family unit of a person who holds or has been granted a Subclass 407 visa (clause 407.311), and the sponsor must have agreed in writing to sponsor them (clause 407.312); clause numbering and commencement should be checked against the current text on the legislation register.

Timing matters more than most applicants expect. You cannot add members of the family unit to your application after you apply but before the department decides, with one exception: a child born after you apply and before the decision is taken to have made the same application. A partner who does not apply with you may instead be able to come later as a subsequent entrant, using the Temporary Work and Activity Visa (Subsequent Entrant) (403, 407, 408) form in ImmiAccount; such applicants should be listed on the nomination form where the sponsor is not a Commonwealth Government agency, and should provide a letter from the primary applicant's sponsor confirming it has agreed to sponsor them.

What identity documents does a partner need?

Identity proof follows the same standard as for the main applicant: the pages of the current passport showing the photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates, plus a national identity card if your partner has one, and proof of change of name where relevant — a marriage or divorce certificate, change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing other names they have been known by.

The consequences of weak identity evidence are set out bluntly on the official page. If identity cannot be proved, the application will be refused, another visa might not be granted for 10 years, and any family members listed on the application might also not be granted a visa for 10 years. That is why identity documents are not a formality to be tidied up later if the department asks.

What character documents does a partner have to provide?

The character requirement applies to family members aged 16 and over who apply with you, and the department may also ask other family members to meet it. The partner document list nonetheless asks for character documents as a standing item, so the practical approach is to prepare them rather than wait to be asked.

Content depends on history, not on status. An Australian police certificate is required where the person has spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, and only complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police are accepted; standard disclosure certificates and certificates issued by state or territory police are not. Military service records or discharge papers are required if your partner served in the armed forces of any country. Depending on circumstances, the department may also ask for an overseas police certificate from every country — including the home country — where the person spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. Two forms are also required: Form 80 (Personal particulars for character assessment) and Form 1221 (Additional personal particulars information).

Why does it ask for a marriage certificate and "documents about other relationships"?

For married partners, the marriage certificate is what establishes the relationship category the application is claiming. For de facto partners there is no certificate to produce, which is why the list shifts the burden onto registration or relationship history.

The line about "documents about other relationships, if applicable" is the least specified item on the list — the official page does not name the documents it means. Read as evidence, it points to paperwork about a partner's earlier relationships, such as a previous marriage or divorce record, where that history forms part of the relationship record being examined. Because the wording leaves scope open, what is "applicable" is best judged against your partner's own documented history rather than guessed at.

Registered relationship or 12 months of evidence — which route applies?

De facto partners are given two alternatives, and only one has to be satisfied. Either provide evidence that the relationship is registered by an Australian State or Territory, or provide enough documents to prove the relationship has existed for at least 12 months before the application is made. Registration therefore functions as an alternative to the 12-month documentary route, not an addition to it.

The 12-month option is measured backwards from the application date, so documents dated after lodgement do not help establish it. Where a couple has lived together for a shorter period but holds a registration, the registration route is the one the list provides for.

What counts as evidence of a genuine and continuing relationship?

Both married and de facto applicants must provide this, and the official examples are household and financial in character:

joint bank account statements
billing accounts in joint names
joint leases or mortgages
documents showing your partner has lived at the same address as you

The page states these are examples that evidence "can include but is not limited to", so the categories matter more than the specific documents. Joint finances, shared household commitments and a shared address each test a different dimension of the relationship, and a file that covers only one of them leaves the other dimensions unevidenced.

How much evidence is "enough"?

The official page sets no number of documents, no minimum set and no weighting between categories; it asks for "enough documents". That framing is a sufficiency test rather than a checklist test, which is the only sensible way to read a list that says "can include but is not limited to".

Two structural facts shape what sufficiency means in practice. First, the department says an application might take longer to process if it is not filled in correctly, if documents are missing, or if information has to be verified — so gaps turn into delay rather than into a request you can plan around. Second, a partner who applies with you must also meet the health requirement, you must be able to financially support accompanying family members, and you must provide evidence of adequate health insurance for your family members for the whole stay. Relationship evidence sitting alongside a missing health insurance document is still an incomplete file.

What if the relationship changes during the process?

Relationship status is one of the changes the department requires you to report, both after the visa is granted and while an application is on foot. A relationship that ends, or a new partner acquired after lodgement, is not something to disclose only at decision time. Because partners cannot be added to a pending application, a new partner after lodgement generally falls to the subsequent entrant route after grant, subject to the nomination listing and sponsor letter requirements described above.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my partner need their own police certificate?

Character documents are a standing item on the partner document list, separate from any request the department may later make. An Australian Federal Police complete disclosure National Police Certificate is required where your partner has spent 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, and overseas police certificates may be requested for any country where they spent 12 months or more in that same period.

Do we have to be married for my partner to be included?

No. The official page gives instructions for both married and de facto partners, with different evidence for each: a marriage certificate for married partners, and registration or 12 months of relationship evidence for de facto partners.

Can a registered de facto relationship replace the 12-month evidence?

The list says de facto partners provide either evidence of registration by an Australian State or Territory or enough documents proving at least 12 months of de facto relationship before applying. On that wording, registration is an alternative to the 12-month documentary route, not an extra requirement.

Which documents show a genuine and continuing relationship?

The official examples are joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing your partner has lived at the same address as you. The list is expressly non-exhaustive, so documents of the same kind from your own circumstances are not excluded.

Can I add my partner after I have lodged the application?

No, members of the family unit cannot be added after you apply and before the decision, the only exception being a child born in that window. A partner who did not apply with you may be able to apply later as a subsequent entrant using the Temporary Work and Activity Visa (Subsequent Entrant) (403, 407, 408) form.

Does my partner have to meet the health requirement too?

Yes. Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet the health requirement, and if you apply from outside Australia, family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet it. Evidence of adequate health insurance for family members for the duration of the stay is a separate document requirement.

Is there an extra charge for including a partner?

The official page states there is a charge for each family member who applies with you, and directs applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator to work out the cost. It publishes no fixed amount on the visa page, so the amount should be confirmed through the estimator or the current official charges information.