Prospective Marriage Visa (300) Eligibility Checklist 2026: Applicant, Sponsor, Family
According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official page for the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300), as at July 2026, eligibility is not one list you tick — it is three lists that must hold at the same time: what the applicant must meet, what the sponsor must meet, and what every family member included in the application must meet. The same page sets out the headline items, and the matching criteria sit in Part 300 of Schedule 2 to the Migration Regulations 1994 — clause 300.211 covers the intention to marry an Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, and clause 300.214 covers having met in person since both of you turned 18.
How do the applicant, sponsor and family requirements fit together?
The three lists overlap but they are not interchangeable. An applicant can satisfy every personal requirement and still fail because the sponsorship is not approved; a sponsor can be approvable and still be unable to sponsor if a sponsorship limit applies; and an otherwise strong couple can be refused because an included family member does not clear health or character. Under the Regulations, that last point is strict: if an included family member fails the public interest criteria, the application cannot succeed.
| Who | What must be true when you lodge | What must stay true through to the decision |
|---|---|---|
| Applicant | 18 or older; outside Australia; sponsorship in place; intends to marry the sponsor; met the sponsor in person since both turned 18 and known each other personally | Continues to meet the intention-to-marry, meeting and relationship criteria; can be in or outside Australia when the temporary visa is decided |
| Sponsor | Is your prospective spouse; 18 or older; Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen | Sponsorship approved and still in force at grant and while you hold the visa |
| Family member applying with you | Is your family member, applies in the same application, is outside Australia, and is covered by the sponsorship | Still your family member; meets health, character (16+) and values statement (18+), plus custody and best-interests rules if under 18 |
What does the applicant have to show?
Start with the items the Department lists as conditions of eligibility.
- Age. You and your sponsor must both be 18 or older when you apply (clause 300.212A and 300.213).
- Location at lodgement. You must be outside Australia when you apply, and any family applying with you must also be outside Australia. When the temporary visa is decided, you can be in or outside Australia.
- Intention to marry. You must intend to marry your prospective spouse, and the marriage must be intended to take place within the visa period (clause 300.215). The Regulations also require the Minister to be satisfied that the two of you genuinely intend to live together as spouses (clause 300.216).
- Having met. You and your prospective spouse must have met face to face as adults since turning 18 and must be known to each other personally at the time you apply (clause 300.214). Suppose an applicant and her sponsor have years of video calls and messages but have never been in the same room — on the published wording, electronic contact does not satisfy the meeting requirement, and thin personal knowledge can also weaken the assessment of whether you genuinely intend to live together as spouses.
- No legal impediment. At the decision, the marriage must not be blocked under Australian law (clause 300.221A); an earlier marriage that has not been legally dissolved is the common example in the Department's guidance.
- Health, character, debt and values. You must meet the health requirement; meet the character requirement; have no outstanding debt to the Australian Government, or have repaid it or arranged repayment; and, if you are 18 or older, sign the Australian Values Statement after reading or having explained the Life in Australia booklet.
- Immigration history. The Department considers your immigration history when deciding, so a cancelled visa or a refused application can affect eligibility even where the relationship evidence is strong. In some circumstances a person with a cancellation or refusal may still apply for a permanent visa, and the re-entry ban provisions are the place the Department points for that.
What does the sponsor have to show?
Your sponsor is your prospective spouse — not a parent, friend or employer. Three things have to line up.
First, status. In most cases your prospective spouse must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen; the relationship can be with someone of the same or different sex.
Second, approval. The Department must approve the sponsorship. The official page says the sponsor should apply to sponsor you as soon as possible after you lodge, and that you and anyone applying with you must have a sponsor both when you lodge and while you are on this visa. At the decision, clause 300.222 requires the sponsorship to be approved and still in force.
Third, no sponsorship bar. The Regulations and the Department's policy guidance describe limits that can prevent approval or require a waiver: regulation 1.20J (how many partner sponsorships a person can make, and whether a previous sponsorship is less than five years old), regulation 1.20KA (holders of some contributory parent visas), regulation 1.20KB (child sex offences, including unresolved charges) and regulation 1.20KC (certain serious offences). Clause 300.212 blocks sponsorship in a narrow case where the prospective spouse is a woman who was granted a Subclass 204 (Women at Risk) visa within the 5 years before the application and a previous spousal or de facto relationship with the applicant was not declared. These limits are summarised from the Regulations and policy guidance, so the current wording and any waiver tests should be confirmed against the official page before you rely on them.
What do accompanying family members have to show?
A family member does not get a separate, easier list — they get the applicant's list plus their own.
- They must be a member of your family unit and apply in the same application as you (clause 300.311); the official page only describes family who apply with you, so a relative added later is outside what that page covers.
- They must be outside Australia when the application is lodged.
- The sponsorship must cover them (clause 300.312), and at the decision the sponsorship must be approved and in force for them too.
- They must meet the health requirement. Anyone aged 16 or over must meet the character requirement. Anyone aged 18 or over must read or have explained the Life in Australia booklet and sign the Australian Values Statement.
- Any debt to the Australian Government must be repaid or arranged, including for family members who are not travelling with you.
- For a child under 18, the Regulations add custody and consent criteria (PIC 4017 and 4018), and the official page adds a separate gate: the visa might not be granted if it would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
One practical consequence worth reading twice: the Department may ask for health or character information about family members who are not coming to Australia with you. "Staying behind" does not take someone out of scope.
Where does the wedding date fit into the checklist?
The marriage is the point of the visa, so the date is part of eligibility rather than an afterthought. Clause 300.215(b) requires the marriage to be intended to take place within the visa period, and the official overview describes the visa period as 9 to 15 months from the date of grant. Guidance on the visa conditions adds two that follow from this: condition 8515 (do not marry before first entry to Australia) and condition 8519 (marry within the visa period). Once the marriage takes place, the usual next step described in the Migration Regulations 1994 and Department policy guidance is an onshore partner visa application (Subclass 820/801); treat the detail of that step as something to confirm on the official partner visa pages rather than assumed.
Everything above is published general criteria, not advice about your own circumstances — the official pages and, where the outcome matters, a registered professional are what should settle how these rules apply to you.
What if something changes while the application is pending?
The criteria are assessed again at the decision, not just at lodgement. Clause 300.221 requires the applicant to continue to satisfy the intention, meeting and relationship criteria, and clause 300.321 requires a family member to still be a family member of an applicant who holds the visa. Section 104 of the Migration Act 1958 also imposes a duty to notify the Department in writing of changes such as the relationship ending, a marriage taking place, or a change in family composition. Where the couple marries during processing, regulation 2.08E provides a mechanism for the application to be treated as a partner visa application instead; the practical steps for that should be confirmed against the official page.
Separately, clause 300.412(2) refers to a concession that allowed the visa to be granted onshore during defined COVID concession periods. Whether any such provision is still in force is not something the current official eligibility page addresses, so check the official page for the latest position.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to be outside Australia when I apply for subclass 300?
Yes. The Department's official page states that you must be outside Australia when you apply, and that family who apply with you must also be outside Australia. When the temporary visa is decided, you can be in or outside Australia.
Can we apply if we have only ever met online?
No, not on the strength of online contact alone. Clause 300.214 requires you and your prospective spouse to have met in person since each of you turned 18, and to be known to each other personally at the time you apply. Video calls and messages do not meet the "met in person" element.
Does my sponsor have to be an Australian citizen?
Not necessarily. In most cases the prospective spouse must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident, or an eligible New Zealand citizen. The sponsor must also be 18 or older and the sponsorship must be approved by the Department.
Do family members who are not coming to Australia still matter?
Yes, in two ways. The Department may ask for health or character information about family who are not travelling with you, and any debt they owe the Australian Government must be repaid or arranged for repayment.
We got married while the application was being processed — what happens?
Tell the Department, because there is a duty to notify changes in writing. Regulation 2.08E provides a mechanism for the application to be treated as a partner visa application rather than a prospective marriage application, but the exact process should be confirmed on the official pages.
Will a previous visa refusal or cancellation rule me out?
Not automatically, but it is taken into account. The Department says it considers your immigration history when deciding, and that you might not be eligible if you have had a visa cancelled or an application refused. In some circumstances a person in that position may still apply for a permanent visa.
How long do we have to marry once the visa is granted?
The official overview describes the visa period as 9 to 15 months from the date of grant, and clause 300.215(b) requires the marriage to be intended to take place within that period. Conditions commonly attached (8515 and 8519) also bar marrying before first entry and require the marriage to happen within the visa period.