Statement of [your full name] regarding my relationship with [partner's full name] [Date] How we met We met on [date] at [place / through whom]. [What happened, briefly and concretely.] We began a relationship on [approximate date]. Living together We began living together at [address] on [date]. The lease was in [whose name] and is attached. We moved to [second address] in [month, year] when [reason]. Financial arrangements [Describe honestly: joint account opened [date]; rent paid by [who] and reimbursed by [who]; car loan in joint names; how groceries and bills are divided. Attach the records referred to.] Household [Who does what — cooking, maintenance, care of children or pets, how decisions are made about money and moving.] Social recognition We were introduced to [partner]'s family on [date] at [event]. [Names of friends and family who know us as a couple, and occasions where we attended together.] Photographs from [dates] are attached. Time apart Between [dates] we were apart because [reason]. During that period we [how contact was maintained — calls, visits, transfers of money], and evidence is attached. Our commitment [Concrete steps taken: wills, beneficiary nominations, plans made together, and anything formalised.] I declare the above to be true and correct. [Signature] [Your full name]
⚠️ Important
This page contains a general example only. It is not legal advice, migration advice, or an approved template. Visa requirements and document expectations can change. Do not copy this example without personalising it for your circumstances. For advice specific to your situation, speak with a registered migration agent.
Visa Translation Hub · Letter Guide
Partner Visa Relationship Statement — guide and example
A relationship statement is a first-person account written by each partner in a partner visa application. It sets out how the relationship began and developed, how the couple manage money and their household, who knows them as a couple, and what commitments they have made to each other. Partner applications are assessed across those four dimensions, so a statement that only tells the emotional story usually leaves most of the assessment unaddressed.
Who May Need a Partner Visa Relationship Statement?
This letter is generally written by partner visa applicants and their sponsors describing their own relationship. The exact author and tone depend on the relationship to the applicant and the visa type involved.
- Applicants for a partner visa writing their own account of the relationship
- Australian sponsors writing their separate account of the same relationship
When May This Letter Be Used?
- Partner Visa (Subclass 820/801) onshore applications
- Partner Visa (Subclass 309/100) offshore applications
- Prospective Marriage Visa (Subclass 300) applications describing the relationship to date
- Where the Department of Home Affairs requests further detail about the history of the relationship
What a Partner Visa Relationship Statement Generally Includes
- How and when the couple met, with dates and places
- The financial aspects of the relationship — shared accounts, liabilities and how costs are divided
- The nature of the household — the address, the lease or mortgage, and how domestic responsibilities are shared
- The social context — who knows the couple as a couple, and events attended together
- The nature of the commitment — long-term plans and anything formalised such as wills or nominations
- Any periods spent apart and how the relationship was maintained during them
Requirements may vary. Check homeaffairs.gov.au or speak with a migration agent.
What to Avoid in This Letter
- Writing one joint statement when each partner is expected to give their own account
- Two statements that are identical in wording, which suggests one document written twice
- A purely emotional narrative that never addresses finances, household arrangements or social recognition
- Leaving a long period of separation unexplained instead of describing how contact was maintained
- Vague timing — 'we moved in together in 2022' where the lease shows a specific date that could have been cited
How a partner visa relationship statement is usually read
A relationship statement is assessed against four dimensions used for partner applications: the financial aspects of the relationship, the nature of the household, the social context of the relationship, and the nature of the couple's commitment to each other. Statements that read as a romantic narrative often cover only the last of those. The stronger approach is chronological and mundane — when you moved in, who paid what, whose name is on the lease, which friends and family knew and when, how you handled a period apart. Each partner normally writes their own statement, and small honest differences between two accounts of the same events read better than two documents that match word for word.
Documents that usually sit alongside this letter
- Joint financial material: shared accounts, joint liabilities, transfers between you, or evidence of how expenses are split
- Household evidence: a lease or mortgage naming both partners, utility accounts, mail to the same address
- Social evidence: photographs across the relationship's whole timeline, event invitations naming you as a couple, travel bookings together
- Commitment evidence: wills, superannuation or insurance nominations, powers of attorney, correspondence during time apart
- Statutory declarations from friends and family who have observed the relationship first-hand
Signing, witnessing and format
There is no prescribed form for the statement itself, though many applicants make it as a statutory declaration, in which case the witnessing rules for Commonwealth declarations apply. Each partner signs and dates their own statement. Where a statement is written in another language, it should be translated in full by a NAATI-certified translator rather than summarised, because the detail is the evidence.
Example Letter Structure
Example only — not a legal template. Replace bracketed placeholders with accurate, personal information.
Does Your Supporting Letter Need to Be Translated?
If your letter is written in a language other than English, it generally needs to be accompanied by a NAATI-certified English translation for Australian visa applications. Trans Lingo provides NAATI-certified translations from $59 per page, delivered within 24 hours.
Related Guides
Partner Visa Subclass 820/801
Related visa overview.
Partner Visas overview
Category guide and document list.
Partner Visas checklist
Documents commonly translated for this category.
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