Proving the Subclass 100 Stage in 2026: What Each Document Must Establish

Every document you upload for the permanent stage of the Partner (Migrant) visa (subclass 100) exists to prove one of four things: who you are, that you meet the character requirement, that you are still the spouse or de facto partner of the person who sponsored your subclass 309 visa, and what has changed for any family member still on the application. That structure comes from the Australian Department of Home Affairs official page for the Partner (Migrant) visa (Subclass 100). What follows is general reference only — it is not advice tailored to your circumstances, and where your situation is out of the ordinary, the current official page and a professional opinion should be your guides.

Do you have to prove anything at the subclass 100 stage?

Not always. If the permanent Partner visa (subclass 100) was granted immediately after your temporary Partner visa (subclass 309), the official page states that you do not have to provide these documents or do anything else. If it was not granted at that point, you need to provide further documents.

Everything below applies to the second situation: a 309 holder who is now being considered for the permanent visa.

When can the stage 2 documents be lodged?

You become eligible for consideration of the permanent visa two years after you applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas — both were lodged in the same application, so the clock runs from that single submission date. The date you lodged the application for both Partner visas is the reference point for this two-year period.

Do not attach the stage 2 documents before two years have passed. The official page also notes that applications with all required information can be processed faster, and that as a visa applicant you must prove your identity and provide true information with your application.

What must each document establish?

The permanent stage is not a second version of the 309 application. It asks a narrower set of questions, and each document group answers one of them.

Document	Requirement it answers	What it must establish
Pages of your most recent passport	Identity	Your photo, personal details, signature, and passport issue and expiry dates
Australian police certificate (AFP National Police Certificate, complete disclosure)	Character	Your criminal record position in Australia, checked within the last 12 months
Overseas police certificates	Character	Your record in any country, including your home country, where you spent 12 months or more since the 309 was granted
Relationship documents and supporting evidence of the relationship	Continuing relationship	That you continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of the same person who sponsored you
Family members' passports, documents showing changes to their situation, and police certificates for dependants aged 16 or over	Family unit	Which family members still hold a 309 or 445 visa, and their current circumstances

What do the identity documents have to show?

You provide a copy of the pages of your most recent passport. The pages must show your photo, personal details, signature, and the passport issue and expiry dates. A partial copy that omits the signature or the dates does not discharge the identity requirement, no matter how much other material you attach.

Which police certificates do you need, and how recent must they be?

For Australia, you may need to provide a current Australian police certificate. You usually need to provide one at the permanent stage if you did not attach one with your subclass 309 application. The department may also ask for a new certificate if your previous one has expired; for immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.

Only complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police are accepted. Standard disclosure certificates, and national police certificates issued by Australian state or territory police, are not accepted.

Separately, you need an overseas police certificate from any country — including your home country — where you spent a total of 12 months or more since the grant of your 309 visa. Assume, purely as an illustration of the rule, that an applicant lived in one country for 14 months after the 309 grant and spent three weeks visiting another: the 12-month threshold is met for the first country, not the second.

What does the relationship evidence have to prove?

One thing: that you continue to be the spouse or de facto partner of the same person who sponsored you for the temporary Partner visa. It is a continuity test, not a repeat of the original relationship assessment from scratch.

The official page groups the material you can provide into two categories — relationship documents, and supporting evidence of your relationship — without setting out a fixed list of examples. Because partner applications can have long processing times, the department advises updating documents and evidence of the relationship regularly rather than lodging once and waiting.

What has to be supplied for family members?

For every family member who currently holds a subclass 309 or 445 visa, provide copies of their passport, documents that show changes to their situation, and police certificates where applicable for dependants aged 16 years or older.

A dependent child can be added before a decision is made on the permanent application. The child can be in or outside Australia and must hold a Dependent Child visa (subclass 445), be a member of the family unit, meet the health requirement, and meet the character requirement if aged 16 or over.

What should you expect while the application waits?

The department asks applicants not to make contact while an application is within the current standard processing time, and says it cannot provide further progress updates in that period. The published global processing times are an estimated timeframe based on how long it has taken to process recently decided applications; they are not a guarantee that an application will be decided within that timeframe.

What if the relationship ends before the decision?

You might still be eligible for the permanent visa if your relationship ends or your partner dies, and all information you provide is confidential. If you are experiencing domestic and family violence, the department's family violence provisions page explains the circumstances in which you may still be eligible for the grant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to submit documents if my subclass 100 was granted with my 309?

No. The official page states that if the permanent visa was granted immediately after your temporary Partner visa, you do not have to provide these documents or do anything else. If it was not granted then, you do. Use VEVO to confirm which visa you currently hold before preparing anything.

Can I upload the stage 2 documents before the two-year mark?

No. You are eligible for consideration of the permanent visa two years after you applied for the temporary and permanent Partner visas, and the department says not to send the documents before that time. Your submission date is recorded in ImmiAccount, so check it there before you start attaching material.

Which police certificates does the permanent stage require?

You usually need a current Australian police certificate if you did not attach one with your subclass 309 application, and the department may ask for a new one if the previous certificate has expired, since certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date. Only complete disclosure National Police Certificates issued by the Australian Federal Police are accepted. You also need an overseas certificate from any country, including your home country, where you spent a total of 12 months or more since the 309 was granted.

Can I attach the same document twice if it proves two different things?

No. The department's instruction is to attach a document only once, even if you are using it to show more than one thing. Labelling documents clearly is what allows a single attachment to be counted in more than one place.

What happens if I hit the 100-document attachment limit?

The limit is 100 documents per person on the application and it cannot be increased. The department's suggested workaround is to attach further documents to other clients on the application, such as the sponsoring partner or a dependent, rather than to the applicant who has reached the cap.

Can I still be granted the permanent visa if the relationship ends?

Possibly. The official page says you might still be eligible for the permanent visa if your relationship ends or your partner dies, and that all information you provide is confidential. In these cases you may need to complete the Notification of Relationship Cessation form in ImmiAccount, and the family violence provisions may apply where domestic and family violence is involved.

Will I get my application fee back if the visa is refused?

No. The department states that it will not refund the application fee if the application is refused. A refusal notification will also tell you why the visa was refused and whether you have a right to a review of the decision.

Can I add a child to my application at the permanent stage?

Yes, before a decision is made on the permanent application, and the child can be in or outside Australia. The child must hold a Dependent Child visa (subclass 445), be a member of the family unit, meet the health requirement, and meet the character requirement if aged 16 or over. Form 1002 is then completed and attached in ImmiAccount.