On the visa · weddingGuide record · 3 October 2026

Getting married on a Prospective Marriage visa: the 300 visa wedding timeline, from the notice of intended marriage to marrying within the 300 visa period

Getting married on a Prospective Marriage visa means giving your celebrant the notice of intended marriage 1 to 18 months before the wedding (Marriage Act 1961 s 42) and marrying within the visa period, 9 to 15 months from grant.

Your grant letter sets two dates: the date you must first enter Australia by, and the date the visa ends (Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.611, cl 300.511).

The wedding must fall after that first entry and before the end date (conditions 8515 and 8519, Migration Regulations 1994, Compilation 288).

Your first step: choose a date before the end date and count back one month, because that is the last day for your celebrant to receive the notice (Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a)).

After the wedding, lodge the 820/801 partner visa in Australia before the 300 ends: the standard main-applicant charge is AUD 1,955 from 1 July 2026, or AUD 2,475 for an eligible former holder once the 300 has ceased (Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 1 item 1124B; Home Affairs 820 page).

A partner visa with Australian Migration Lawyers usually costs $14,000 plus GST in professional fees, separate from the Home Affairs visa application charges.

Prospective Marriage visa wedding timeline

Worked example—not your visa dates: grant on 3 October 2026 with no end date specified; actual first entry assumed to be 1 December 2026; wedding on 5 June 2027. The visa-end and notice dates below are calculated from Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511 and Marriage Act 1961 s 42.

Under Marriage Act 1961 s 50, the celebrant has up to 14 days to lodge with the registry, while Home Affairs says to lodge the 820/801 before the 300 expires: a wedding close to expiry leaves little time to obtain the registry certificate.

The legal-wedding steps in Australia

Notice received (s 42(1)(a)) → celebrant meets each of you separately, in person (s 42B) → each signs the declaration of no legal impediment (s 42(1)(c)) → ceremony before the celebrant and 2 witnesses over 18 (ss 41 and 44) → 3 certificates signed (s 50) → registry lodgement within 14 days (s 50). These are the Marriage Act 1961 steps; overseas ceremonies follow the recognition rules explained below.

Wedding-window dates to check

Use the rules below to check a proposed wedding date. Copy the first-entry deadline and visa end date from the grant letter; do not calculate a Minister-set date from the grant date.

Dates to have in front of you

• Grant date — date from the grant letter.
• First-entry date (arrive-by deadline) — date from the grant letter, under Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.611.
• Visa end date — date from the grant letter, under cl 300.511.
• No end date specified on the grant letter: clause 300.511(b) supplies 9 months from grant.
• Planned wedding date — the date you want to marry.

Date rules

Problems to check

• End date less than 9 or more than 15 months after grant: “The visa period is 9 to 15 months from grant (cl 300.511). Check the date on your letter.”
• Wedding on or after the end date: “Outside the visa period (condition 8519).”
• Wedding before the first-entry date entered: “Condition 8515: you must not marry before entering Australia on the 300.”
• Last notice date already passed: “Too late for 1 month's notice; only a shortening-of-time approval (Marriage Act s 42(5)) allows a wedding on this date in Australia.”
• Where subtracting one calendar month produces a day that does not exist, show the earlier date and: “Confirm the exact day with your celebrant.”

The first-entry field is an arrive-by deadline, not your actual arrival date. A wedding before that deadline is not necessarily a breach: condition 8515 of the Migration Regulations 1994 turns on whether you have actually entered Australia before marrying. Equally, a wedding after the entered deadline does not establish that you entered first.

These rules are a manual guide. This page does not calculate or store your dates.

Dates as at the rules on 3 October 2026. General information, not advice on your dates.

At a glance

These charge figures are the standard bands, not every applicant’s charge. Migration Regulations 1994 item 1124B also provides lower charges for eligible Pacific-regional passport holders; the former-holder band has eligibility conditions and is not an automatic option after expiry.

Important: Immigration assistance from someone who is neither registered nor exempt is unlawful under section 280 of the Migration Act 1958. A practising Australian lawyer must carry professional indemnity insurance, while an unregistered agent need not; if missed dates close a pathway, there may be no insurer to claim against.

When must you marry on a Prospective Marriage visa?

You must marry within the visa period: 9 to 15 months from grant, ending on the date specified in your grant letter, or 9 months after grant if no date was specified, under Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511, Compilation 288. Condition 8515 also requires the wedding to follow your first entry to Australia on the 300.

The Home Affairs Prospective Marriage visa page, updated 10 August 2026, says: “You must have married your prospective spouse before your Prospective Marriage visa expires.”

The period runs from grant, not arrival, under Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511. Nine months is the default when no end date is specified, not a fixed duration for every 300 visa.

For family members holding a 300 on secondary criteria, condition 8520 in Schedule 8 of the Migration Regulations 1994 ties their condition to the primary holder marrying within the same visa period.

If the first-entry deadline passes before you travel, the Home Affairs 300 page says travel is still allowed while the visa remains valid, but Home Affairs may cancel it before arrival or at the border. That first-entry deadline is not the visa expiry date.

For the sponsor, the Home Affairs 300 page says the sponsorship runs from grant until the 300 ceases.

Eligibility for the applicant and sponsor is explained on the Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) homepage; this page starts with the grant. For work, study and travel while arranging the legal wedding, see what you can do on a Prospective Marriage visa.

Deadline: Marry after your first entry and before the end date on your grant letter, with the notice of intended marriage in your celebrant’s hands at least 1 month before an Australian wedding, unless shortening of time is approved; the visa end date cannot be extended under Migration Regulations 1994 Part 300.

Giving the notice of intended marriage from overseas

For a wedding in Australia, you can complete the notice while overseas, according to the Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page. Work through these five steps.

1. Get the form. The Attorney-General’s Department’s notice publication page, last updated 22 December 2022, supplies PDF and DOCX versions; your celebrant can also supply it. The current form is dated 1 September 2021. Comparing it with Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2) shows two outdated details: it still requires physical presence for witnessing and omits Commissioners for Declarations from the Australian witness list.

2. Choose an authorised celebrant for the Australian ceremony. Under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a), the notice goes to the celebrant—not directly to a births, deaths and marriages registry. If marrying overseas, the Australian notice process is not a substitute for the requirements where the ceremony takes place.

3. Sign before the right witness. Under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)(d), a partner signing outside Australia uses an Australian Diplomatic or Consular Officer, a notary public, or an authorised Commonwealth or Austrade employee, who must also be outside Australia. Under s 42(2)(c), a partner signing in Australia uses an authorised celebrant, Commissioner for Declarations, justice of the peace, barrister or solicitor, medical practitioner or police officer, in Australia. The Attorney-General’s Department’s notice page confirms video witnessing has been allowed since 12 June 2024, but only Australia-to-Australia or outside-Australia-to-outside-Australia: a witness in Australia cannot witness remotely for someone overseas, and a celebrant cannot witness outside Australia.

4. Use the absent-party provision if needed. If one of you cannot sign in time, Marriage Act 1961 s 42(3) allows the other to sign and give the notice. The absent partner must sign under the observation of an authorised celebrant in Australia before the wedding.

5. Check receipt, not just sending. Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a) requires the celebrant to receive the notice at least 1 month before the wedding. Arrange the birth, identity and earlier-marriage evidence required by s 42(1)(b) and s 42(10), rather than treating the notice alone as the complete paperwork.

For every field and the witness table by country zone, read the separate guide to the Notice of Intended Marriage.

The one-month notice, and shortening of time

The celebrant must receive the notice no earlier than 18 months and no later than 1 month before the wedding, under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a), Compilation 34.

Worked example: a wedding on 5 June 2027 needs receipt between 5 December 2025 and 5 May 2027: subtract 18 calendar months for the earliest date and 1 calendar month for the last date. The earliest date can fall before the 300 grant; giving notice is not marrying, whereas marrying before decision ends 300 eligibility under the Home Affairs 300 page.

A prescribed authority, not the celebrant acting alone, may authorise less than 1 month’s notice under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(5). Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 72 and Schedule 3 list five circumstances:

1. Employment-related or other travel commitments.
2. Wedding or celebration arrangements, or religious considerations.
3. Medical reasons.
4. Legal proceedings.
5. An error in giving notice.

Under Marriage Act 1961 s 5, prescribed authorities are Commonwealth, state or territory officers or employees appointed by the Attorney-General, such as registry officers. The Attorney-General’s Department’s prescribed-authorities list contained 341 authorities when checked on 3 October 2026.

Visa expiry is not itself one of the five circumstances listed in Marriage Regulations 2017 Schedule 3. Shortening the marriage notice does not change the visa period fixed by Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511.

The celebrant, the declaration and the 2 witnesses

1. The celebrant. Marriage Act 1961 ss 5 and 41 require an authorised celebrant physically present at the ceremony: a registered minister of religion of a recognised denomination, an authorised state or territory officer, a Commonwealth-registered marriage celebrant, or a religious marriage celebrant. Since 12 June 2024, s 42B has required the celebrant to meet each of you separately, in person, before the wedding. If the celebrant is in Australia and the overseas partner has not arrived, that partner’s meeting necessarily happens after arrival.

2. The declaration. Each of you signs the declaration of no legal impediment in the celebrant’s physical presence before the ceremony, under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(c). It records conjugal status, the belief that no legal impediment exists and, for someone aged 18 or older, that fact under Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 71. No impediment under Australian law is also tested at the 300 decision under Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.221A.

3. The ceremony. Marriage Act 1961 s 44 requires at least 2 witnesses who are, or appear to be, over 18. Sections 41, 44 and 45(2), and the Attorney-General’s Department’s explanation of the 2024 changes, require the celebrant, both parties and witnesses to be physically present: an Australian wedding cannot take place by video link.

For the full legal sequence and state registry table, read the separate guide to How to get married in Australia. The form’s statements are explained in the companion guide to the Declaration of no legal impediment to marriage.

If either of you was married before

An earlier marriage must be legally ended before this wedding, and Marriage Act 1961 s 42(10) prohibits the celebrant from marrying someone who declares they are divorced or widowed without evidence of the divorce or death. Separately, the Home Affairs 300 document list asks for divorce documents, death certificates, separation documents or statutory declarations about former relationships.

Separation documents for the visa application do not replace evidence that an existing marriage has legally ended for the ceremony under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(10).

If you are divorced

A pending divorce must take effect before the wedding, under Marriage Act 1961 s 42(10) and the official notice form. A late effective date pushes the possible wedding date later; it does not extend the visa period fixed by Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511.

If you are widowed

Give the celebrant evidence of the former spouse’s death, as required by Marriage Act 1961 s 42(10).

Marriage Act 1961 s 23B(1) makes a marriage void if either party is already married, and s 94 provides a penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment for bigamy. Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.221A tests the absence of an impediment again at the visa decision.

Legal consequence derived from the statutes: a void marriage does not establish “spouse” status for the 820/801 married route, because Migration Act 1958 s 5F(2)(a) requires a valid marriage. This does not determine any other possible visa route.

Can you marry overseas on a 300 visa?

Yes. The Home Affairs 300 page, updated 10 August 2026, says you can marry in any country if the marriage is valid under Australian law, and condition 8515 of the Migration Regulations 1994 means it must be after you first enter Australia on the 300.

There is no rule requiring the wedding itself to be in Australia: the Home Affairs 300 page expressly allows another country.

Valid under Australian law

Under Marriage Act 1961 s 88D, an overseas marriage is recognised if valid where it took place, unless an exclusion applies:

• A party was already married.
• A party domiciled in Australia was under marriageable age.
• The parties were within a prohibited relationship.
• A party’s consent was not real.

For visa purposes, Migration Act 1958 s 12 applies Part VA of the Marriage Act as though s 88E were omitted. The overseas marriage must therefore fit Part VA rather than relying on s 88E’s common-law recognition provision.

What changes for an overseas wedding

The Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page and Smartraveller’s marriage advice, updated 18 August 2026, say an Australian marriage celebrant cannot perform an overseas marriage and the marriage cannot be registered in Australia.

Some countries ask for a certificate of no impediment. Smartraveller’s CNI page, updated 1 October 2026, says at least one of you must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident; DFAT’s fee is AUD 181 from 1 January 2026, according to its notarial-services fee schedule.

An Australian ceremony cannot be conducted by video link under Marriage Act 1961 ss 41, 44 and 45(2); whether a foreign online or proxy ceremony qualifies for visa purposes is not resolved by the government guidance available here.

For that foreign-law question and the recognition requirements, read the separate guide to Getting married overseas and registering in Australia.

Back to Australia for the partner visa

The Home Affairs 820 page, updated 24 September 2026, requires you to be in Australia to apply; the Home Affairs 300 page says to apply after marrying and before the 300 expires.

The government material available here does not explain whether Home Affairs treats a holder who leaves after first entry and marries overseas differently beyond those general rules. Do not assume that permission to marry overseas settles every requirement of the later application.

Which marriage certificate Home Affairs wants

For the 820/801, the Home Affairs 820 page, updated 24 September 2026, asks for “your marriage certificate or other evidence that your marriage is valid in Australia”. For a couple who marry before the 300 decision, the Home Affairs 300 page asks for a registered marriage certificate issued by the relevant legal authority.

For an Australian wedding, Marriage Act 1961 s 50 provides for 3 certificates signed on the day. The certificate handed to you is Form 15, prescribed by Marriage Regulations 2017 reg 73: it is the ceremonial certificate, not the registry-issued certificate.

Of the two official certificates prepared by the celebrant, one goes to the state or territory registry with the paperwork within 14 days, and the celebrant retains the other under Marriage Act 1961 s 50. The Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page explains that you then apply to the registry for your official certificate.

The Queensland, Victoria, NSW and ACT registry guidance distinguishes the registry-issued certificate as official proof from the ceremonial certificate. Practical inference from that guidance: the registry-issued certificate is the safer document to prepare for lodgement; this is not an express Home Affairs rule that excludes the ceremonial certificate.

Home Affairs has not stated whether it accepts the celebrant’s ceremonial certificate for the 820/801. Nor does the available guidance say that you cannot lodge until the registry certificate arrives.

For the distinction and ordering steps, read the separate guide to Marriage certificate in Australia.

Married before the grant, a delayed wedding, or a cancelled one

1. Married before the grant. The Home Affairs 300 page says marrying before decision ends 300 eligibility and the 300 application will be refused if not withdrawn. Under Migration Regulations 1994 reg 2.08E, a valid marriage to the named prospective spouse, notified before decision, also creates a deemed 309/100 application when Home Affairs receives notice. The steps are explained in Married before the Prospective Marriage visa is granted.

2. A delayed wedding. Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511 fixes the visa period at grant, with no extension mechanism in Part 300; the Home Affairs Visa about to expire page, updated 24 September 2026, says staying longer requires a new visa. If the wedding slips beyond expiry, the available guidance does not establish a general 820/801 outcome. Read Prospective Marriage visa expiring before the wedding.

3. A cancelled wedding or an ended relationship. The Home Affairs 300 page directs holders to notify relationship cessation through ImmiAccount. Migration Regulations 1994 cl 820.211(7)–(9) provides conditional routes involving a sponsor’s death, family violence or specified child arrangements—not automatic eligibility whenever a wedding is cancelled. These distinctions are explained in 300 visa relationship ended.

After the wedding: lodge the partner visa before the 300 ends

1. Get your marriage evidence. The Home Affairs 820 page asks for the marriage certificate or other evidence that the marriage is valid in Australia; the certificate distinction is explained above.

2. Lodge while in Australia and before expiry. The Home Affairs 820 page, updated 24 September 2026, directs you to the combined 820/801 application in ImmiAccount: “Stage 1 – Partner or Prospective Marriage Visa”. Your spouse then lodges the sponsorship using your transaction reference number, or TRN.

3. Pay the applicable charge. From 1 July 2026, Migration Regulations 1994 Schedule 1 item 1124B sets the standard main-applicant charge at AUD 1,955 for a qualifying married 300 holder, compared with AUD 11,710 for most applicants. The eligible former-holder band is AUD 2,475; the calculated difference is AUD 2,475 − AUD 1,955 = AUD 520. Lower Pacific-regional passport bands also apply.

The former-holder route is not simply permission to wait: Migration Regulations 1994 cl 820.211(5) includes conditions such as having married before the substantive visa ceased, last entering on the 300, holding no substantive visa and being sponsored by the spouse.

According to the Home Affairs 820 page, a Bridging visa A granted following lodgement while holding the 300 starts when the 300 expires if the application remains undecided.

For the charge table, bridging visa and permanent-stage timing, see partner visa after prospective marriage.

Common mistakes

• Marrying before actual first entry breaches condition 8515; separately, the Home Affairs visa-conditions page, checked 3 October 2026, warns of possible cancellation where a pre-grant marriage was not disclosed.
• Counting from arrival, or assuming 9 months despite another end date on the grant letter, conflicts with Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511.
• Giving less than 1 month’s notice without approval misses Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a), subject to the shortening provision in s 42(5).
• Having an overseas partner’s signature witnessed by video from Australia does not meet Marriage Act 1961 s 42(2)(d), as explained on the Attorney-General’s Department’s notice page.
• Leaving a pending divorce to take effect too close to the wedding risks missing the legal sequence required by Marriage Act 1961 s 42(10).
• Lodging after expiry misses the standard AUD 1,955 holder band in favour of AUD 2,475 only if former-holder requirements are met, while lodging from overseas fails the Australian-location requirement in the Home Affairs 820 page; those charges apply from 1 July 2026 under item 1124B.

Marrying within the 300 visa period: what an Australian migration lawyer checks about the dates

An Australian migration lawyer can compare your grant letter, Marriage Act paperwork and Migration Regulations requirements before the ceremony and partner visa lodgement. The concrete benefit is identifying date conflicts, missing evidence and inconsistent documents—not predicting an approval.

1. The entry, notice and expiry dates. A lawyer can distinguish the first-entry deadline from actual arrival, check the celebrant’s receipt date against the notice month, and check the planned wedding and lodgement against expiry. Marriage Act 1961 s 42(5) allows shortening of notice in specified circumstances; it does not extend the 300 period fixed by Migration Regulations 1994 cl 300.511.

2. The marriage’s legal validity. For an overseas ceremony, a lawyer can check the Part VA recognition requirements before the wedding, including Migration Act 1958 s 12’s omission of Marriage Act s 88E. Migration Regulations 1994 cl 820.211(6) requires a marriage recognised as valid for the married 300-holder route.

3. The partner visa lodgement and charge. A lawyer can check the applicable holder band and the planned Australian lodgement date. From 1 July 2026, item 1124B sets the standard holder charge at AUD 1,955: AUD 2,475 − AUD 1,955 = AUD 520 less than the eligible former-holder band. Lodging while the 300 is still valid means you still hold that substantive visa at lodgement; it does not extend it.

Migration Act 1958 s 280(3) permits an Australian legal practitioner to give this immigration assistance in connection with legal practice. No one can promise a visa grant, as Home Affairs explains on its legal-practitioner guidance page.

If you need the dates checked

Have your grant date, first-entry deadline, actual entry date, visa end date, proposed wedding date, notice receipt date and planned 820/801 lodgement date ready for an Australian migration lawyer. The shared enquiry page can send a private question to Australian Migration Lawyers. If a deadline is close, contact an Australian migration lawyer directly; viewing this page does not lodge an application or pause a deadline.

Frequently asked questions

Is a notice of intended marriage required for the 300 application?

No—the Home Affairs 300 document list, updated 10 August 2026, does not name it as a required document. It asks for evidence of intention to marry, “such as a letter” from the person who will officiate; that is separate from the notice required for an Australian ceremony under Marriage Act 1961 s 42.

How soon after arriving can we marry?

Any day after first entry, provided the ceremony falls within the visa period and the legal steps are complete: condition 8515 requires entry first, Marriage Act 1961 s 42(1)(a) ordinarily requires at least 1 month’s notice, and s 42B requires separate in-person celebrant meetings. Completing the notice from overseas before travelling makes an early wedding date possible, according to the Attorney-General’s Department’s Get married page.

Can a minister of religion marry us?

Yes, if they are an authorised celebrant under Marriage Act 1961 s 5—for example, a registered minister of religion of a recognised denomination or a religious marriage celebrant—and physically present as required by s 41.

Can I get PR in Australia in 2 years?

Two years is ordinarily the threshold for 801 assessment after the combined 820/801 application, not a guaranteed grant date and not 2 years after the wedding or 820 grant, under Migration Regulations 1994 cl 801.221(2)(d). Clause 801.221(6A) provides an earlier-assessment exception for a qualifying long-term partner relationship at application: 3 years, or 2 years with a dependent child of both.

Ask an Australian migration lawyer

An Australian migration lawyer can map the wedding steps to your visa dates and check the deadlines. The page on subclass 300 legal help explains how that help works, and the enquiry page is where to put your question to Australian Migration Lawyers.