The venue in Brunswick wants a deposit by Friday and a date next March. Your fiancée is in Manila, the subclass 300 was lodged in July, and nothing has come back yet. Do you sign? That is the decision point for almost every engaged couple on this visa. The Prospective Marriage visa gives you a fixed window to enter Australia and marry. However, the window opens on the day of grant, not the day you lodge. So the wedding date has to be chosen around a date you do not yet know. It can be done, and this is how we plan it.
Short answer: The Prospective Marriage visa is granted for a period of 9 to 15 months. The wedding must happen inside that period, after the applicant has entered Australia on the visa. Book the venue only once the grant letter shows the end date. Then lodge the 820 partner visa at $1,955 before that date passes.
What the window actually is
The Department sets the visa period at grant, somewhere between 9 and 15 months. Three things must happen inside it, in this order. First, the applicant enters Australia on the 300. Second, the couple marries, in Australia or overseas. Third, the applicant lodges the 820 partner visa from inside Australia. The 300 cannot be extended, so the order and the dates carry the whole plan. Consequently we treat the grant letter as the starting gun. Every non-refundable booking waits for it.
One rule surprises couples every year. You must enter Australia on the 300 before you marry, even if the wedding will be overseas. A marriage before first entry falls outside the visa. The reduced 820 charge is lost with it. The subclass 300 page sets out the five things the application must prove.
The calendar from lodgement to permanent residence
- Month 0Lodge the 300 from outside Australia with the celebrant’s letter or a Notice of Intended Marriage. Take refundable holds only.
- GrantThe letter states the date you must enter by and the date the visa ends. The window starts now. Confirm the venue today.
- First entryArrive before the initial entry date. Work rights begin on arrival. Enter before the wedding, whatever country the wedding is in.
- One month before an Australian weddingThe Notice of Intended Marriage must be with the celebrant at least one month before the ceremony. It stays valid for 18 months.
- The weddingInside the window, in Australia or overseas. Order the marriage certificate the same week.
- 820 lodgementBefore the 300 ends, at $1,955. A bridging visa keeps the applicant lawful and working once the 300 expires.
- Month 24 after the 820 was lodgedThe permanent 801 is assessed on evidence that the marriage is continuing. The 801 clock article explains what to collect in each year.
Applicant and sponsor: who does what
Your job is the passport, the dates and the entry. Keep the passport valid well past the visa end date, because the grant is tied to it. Book the first flight inside the initial entry period and keep the boarding pass. If the wedding is overseas, fly home only after you have entered Australia at least once. Do not marry, in any country, before the grant arrives. A 300 cannot be granted to a person who is already married. The application would need to be replaced by a 309 at $11,710. Finally, keep every message about the wedding. Those messages are relationship evidence for the 820.
You carry the venue, the celebrant and the calendar. Choose a celebrant early and ask for a letter confirming the planned date. That letter goes in the 300 application. Hold the venue with a refundable deposit until the grant letter lands. After grant, set the wedding no later than the midpoint of the visa period. That leaves months to obtain the certificate, gather the evidence and lodge the 820. Your police certificates and your sponsorship history are assessed on the 300, and again on the 820. The sponsor requirements page lists what the Department checks.
Choosing the date: the midpoint rule
We ask couples to plan the wedding inside the first half of the visa period. A grant of 12 months therefore means a wedding in month six at the latest. The reason is simple. Certificates take time to issue, overseas registries are slower, and the 820 needs the certificate plus fresh evidence. A wedding in month eleven leaves weeks, not months, to do all of that. In addition, a date in the first half absorbs the ordinary shocks of wedding planning. A relative falls ill, a venue closes, or a parent cannot get a visitor visa in time.
The wedding has to move. What are our options?
If the new date still sits inside the window, move it and update the Notice of Intended Marriage. If the new date falls after the visa ends, the visa will not stretch to meet it. The usual answer is a small legal ceremony inside the window, with the celebration held later. The legal marriage is what the 820 needs; the party is yours to time. If neither works, the applicant should leave before the visa ends. The couple then looks at the 309 from overseas at $11,710. Talk to us before the visa ends, not after.
What the pathway costs in government charges
Government charges only. Health examinations, police certificates and our fixed professional fee are separate. The reduced 820 charge applies only while the 300 is still in effect. That is the financial reason the window matters.
Compare $11,710 for a partner visa lodged without a 300. A couple who lets the 300 expire before lodging the 820 pays the full charge. They may also face the Schedule 3 criteria that apply to applicants without a visa. That is a $9,755 difference for a missed date.
Three ways couples fall out of the window
First, marrying before the grant. A quiet registry wedding while the 300 is pending feels harmless. It is not. The 300 cannot be granted, and the couple starts again with a 309. Second, marrying overseas before first entry. The applicant flies from Manila to a wedding in Singapore, then on to Melbourne. The marriage sits outside the visa, because Australia was never entered first. Third, letting the expiry pass while waiting for the perfect ceremony. The applicant becomes unlawful and the reduced charge is gone. The refusals and review page becomes relevant reading. Each of these is a calendar problem. Each is avoidable with the dates written down before the deposit is paid.
Before you pay the deposit
Government charges verified against Home Affairs visa pricing as at 1 July 2026. The one month notice and the 18 month validity come from section 42 of the Marriage Act 1961.
Frequently asked questions
Can we book the wedding before the 300 is granted?
Hold a date with a refundable deposit, but do not commit to a date that cannot move. The visa period starts on the grant date, which is not known in advance. The wedding must fall inside it.
Does the wedding have to be in Australia?
No. You can marry in Australia or overseas, as long as the marriage is valid under Australian law. It must happen inside the visa period. The applicant must enter Australia on the 300 at least once before the wedding.
What happens if we cannot marry before the visa ends?
The 300 cannot be extended. A small legal ceremony inside the window, with the celebration later, is the usual answer. Otherwise the applicant leaves before expiry and the couple considers a 309 partner visa at $11,710.
How soon after arrival can we marry?
As soon as the legal notice requirements are met. In Australia the Notice of Intended Marriage must reach the celebrant at least one month before the ceremony. Many couples lodge it before the applicant arrives.
When do we lodge the 820 and what does it cost?
After the wedding and before the 300 ends, from inside Australia, at the reduced charge of $1,955. A bridging visa then keeps the applicant lawful and working while the partner visa is decided.
General information as at 17 September 2026. Not legal advice. Visa periods and entry dates are set on your own grant letter. Obtain advice on your dates before paying for anything that cannot move.