Document desk / Form 888
Form 888 for a partner visa: the supporting statement friends and family complete
As at October 2026: checked against Form 888, design date 08/26 (Home Affairs form listing updated 27 August 2026).
Two pages. Completed and signed by a supporter aged 18 or over who knows the couple. Attached by the applicant in ImmiAccount.
Published by Form 888 Australia · publisher and review details
Form 888 is the 2-page Home Affairs supporting statement (design date 08/26) in which a person who knows both partners says how they know them and whether, and why, they believe the relationship is genuine and continuing.
Home Affairs asks for statements from 2 witnesses aged 18 or over who know the couple and the history of their relationship, for a Partner (820/801, 309/100) or Prospective Marriage (300) visa application.
This guide is for the couple collecting statements and the friend or relative completing one.
From supporter to ImmiAccount
- The couple chooses supporters.
- Each supporter completes, signs and dates their own Form 888.
- The applicant (or their appointed representative) attaches it in ImmiAccount.
- The Department may contact a supporter for further comment or an interview.
These steps follow Form 888’s completion, signing and submission instructions.
What is Form 888 in Australia?
Form 888 in Australia is the Department of Home Affairs form titled “Supporting statement in relation to a Partner or Prospective Marriage visa application”: a 2-page statement, design date 08/26, in which someone who knows the couple describes how they know them and why they believe the relationship is genuine and continuing.
The couple asks friends or family for statements; each supporter writes and signs their own, and the applicant or their appointed representative attaches them in ImmiAccount. The supporter’s closing declaration in Form 888 cites section 234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958 and says they believe their statements are “true in every particular”.
Home Affairs’ Partner visa pages call these “statements from 2 witnesses” and say they “can be done by completing Form 888”. In this partner visa context, searches for a “partner visa witness statement”, the “888 form” or a “partner visa supporting statement” refer to this form—not a separate form that another person witnesses.
Get the current Form 888 (design date 08/26)
The current Form 888 is the edition with design date 08/26, available through the Home Affairs form listing updated 27 August 2026.
Download it from the Home Affairs form listing, where Form 888 is listed as “Updated 27 August 2026”.
Check that the footer of each page reads “888 (Design date 08/26)”.
Follow Form 888’s instructions to type answers in English or write them in pen in BLOCK LETTERS, then print and sign it, add the date and scan it in colour, following Home Affairs’ “Attach documents to your application” guidance and visa-page document instructions.
The guide to the Form 888 PDF explains downloading, typing, printing, signing, scanning and ImmiAccount upload.
What is the purpose of Form 888?
The purpose of Form 888 is to give the Department the views of people who know the couple: the form says Home Affairs “must consider the social aspects of the claimed relationship” and uses the statements, “among other things, to assess these aspects”.
The Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) identify “the opinion of the persons’ friends and acquaintances about the nature of the relationship” as a social aspect, in regulation 1.15A(3)(c)(ii) for spouses and regulation 1.09A(3)(c)(ii) for de facto partners. That is the legal connection between a supporter’s account and the Department’s assessment of the relationship.
There is an important distinction behind the form’s broad wording. For Partner visas 820, 801, 309 and 100, the Migration Regulations require these matters to be considered; for the Prospective Marriage visa 300, they may be considered. Home Affairs nevertheless asks subclass 300 applicants for statements from 2 witnesses.
Which visas use Form 888?
Form 888 is used for 5 visas: Home Affairs’ visa pages point to it for the onshore Partner visas 820 and 801, offshore Partner visas 309 and 100, and Prospective Marriage visa 300.
The table summarises those Home Affairs requests alongside the social-aspects rules in the Migration Regulations 1994.
| Visa (subclass) | Stage | What Home Affairs asks for | Social aspects in the regulations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partner (Temporary) 820, onshore | First stage | Statements from 2 witnesses | Must be considered |
| Partner (Residence) 801, onshore | Second (permanent) stage | Statements from 2 witnesses again | Must be considered |
| Partner (Provisional) 309, offshore | First stage | Statements from 2 witnesses | Must be considered |
| Partner (Migrant) 100, offshore | Second (permanent) stage | Statements from 2 witnesses again | Must be considered |
| Prospective Marriage 300 | Before marriage (fiancé(e)) | Statements from 2 witnesses | May be considered |
At the 801 or 100 stage, Home Affairs asks for statements from 2 witnesses again, with permanent-stage documents submitted “once two years have passed since you first applied”.
Form 888 itself names only “Partner or Prospective Marriage visa”; the subclass numbers come from the Home Affairs visa pages that point to it.
Spouses and de facto partners both use it, reflecting regulations 1.15A and 1.09A of the Migration Regulations 1994 respectively.
Choosing supporters and how many statements
Choosing supporters means asking at least 2 people who know the couple and their relationship history, because Home Affairs’ visa pages ask for statements from 2 witnesses.
Who to choose: Form 888 requires someone aged 18 or over who knows the visa applicant, their partner or fiancé(e) and the relationship history; it sets no Australian citizenship or permanent-residence condition.
How many statements: Home Affairs asks for statements from 2 witnesses, while Form 888 says each supporter may be asked for up to 3 separate statements during processing—these are different counts.
The guide to who can complete Form 888 explains supporter eligibility, how many statements are needed and the identity evidence each supporter attaches.
What to write on Form 888?
What to write on Form 888 comes down to 3 boxes in the current Home Affairs form.
Question 3: How you know the applicant and their partner or fiancé(e), and how often you are in contact.
Question 4: Whether you believe the relationship is genuine and continuing, and your reasons.
The unnumbered box: Any other matters you wish to add in support of the visa application.
Follow Form 888’s instructions to answer in English, typed or in BLOCK LETTERS; use your own words and specific, first-hand knowledge because Question 6 asks you to declare the statements “true in every particular”.
The guide to Form 888 example answers uses weak-versus-strong illustrations and explains common errors, rather than providing wording to copy.
Is Form 888 mandatory for partner visa?
Yes, witness statements are mandatory for a partner visa, and Form 888 is how Home Affairs asks for them: its Partner visa pages say “You must provide statements from 2 witnesses” and that these “can be done by completing Form 888”.
The Home Affairs Prospective Marriage visa page makes the same request: “You must provide statements from 2 witnesses”.
In short, Home Affairs asks for witness statements on Form 888.
How did Form 888 change in mid-2023?
Form 888 changed from a statutory declaration to a supporting statement in mid-2023, with the Home Affairs edition dated 07/23, and 3 things follow from that today.
No witness, JP or certified copies
No witness or JP is needed for the current Form 888, and online attachments do not need certification: the form has no witness section, only the supporter signs and dates it, and Home Affairs’ visa pages say “You do not need to have any documents certified”.
Previous statutory-declaration editions required a prescribed witness such as a JP; Home Affairs still calls today’s supporter a “supporting witness”, but nobody else signs, a clear colour copy of their ID is enough online, and certified copies are a paper-application rule.
The guide to Form 888 witness, JP and certified copies separates the current signing requirements from previous-edition instructions.
No longer a statutory declaration
No, Form 888 is no longer a statutory declaration: Home Affairs’ subclass 820 page expressly says it “is not a statutory declaration”, and the supporter’s declaration cites section 234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958 instead.
Until mid-2023, Home Affairs titled it “Statutory declaration by a supporting witness in relation to a Partner or Prospective Marriage visa application”.
The guide to Form 888 vs statutory declaration explains that distinction and the declaration the supporter now signs.
Which edition is current
The current edition is design date 08/26, with the Home Affairs form listing updated 27 August 2026, and it has the same questions and rules as the November 2024 edition, design date 11/24.
Home Affairs’ 11/24 edition added phone, mobile and email fields, removed the number from the “other matters” box and renumbered identity to Question 5 and the declaration to Question 6.
Use the 08/26 edition for any statement not yet signed; the guide to the new Form 888 explains the dated changes without assuming that a previously signed statement is accepted or rejected.
Getting your Form 888s checked by a migration lawyer
A migration lawyer checks each Form 888 against the couple’s own evidence before lodgement and flags vague or contradictory statements while changes can still be made; Home Affairs says in Form 888 that it uses these statements to assess the social aspects of the relationship.
The review means reading every supporter’s account alongside the couple’s evidence while gaps can still be fixed, because Home Affairs’ “Attach documents to your application” page says documents cannot be removed once the application is submitted.
Before lodging, you can Ask an Australian migration lawyer through the site’s enquiry form about checking evidence consistency, missing information and completion requirements. Enquiries go to an Australian migration lawyer; this is a document-review process, not a prediction about the visa decision.
Warning about unregistered assistance
Outside the statutory exceptions, section 280 of the Migration Act 1958 prohibits immigration assistance by someone who is neither registered nor an Australian legal practitioner; the offence is strict liability and carries 60 penalty units.
Professional indemnity cover for an unregistered agent is not established here, so do not assume an insurer is available to compensate you for a mistake.
Other statements in a partner visa application
Other statements in a partner visa application sit beside the Form 888s, and 2 of them are easy to confuse with it.
Commonwealth statutory declarations: The Home Affairs subclass 820 page and Schedule 1 item 1124B of the Migration Regulations 1994 require some onshore applicants without a substantive visa to lodge 2 Commonwealth statutory declarations from Australian citizens, permanent residents or eligible New Zealand citizens—not the partner—made within 6 weeks before lodging; a migration lawyer confirms whether this applies. No version of Form 888 counts towards that requirement, and Home Affairs also asks the sponsor for a Commonwealth statutory declaration at the 801 or 100 stage. The guide to partner visa statutory declarations explains these separate requirements.
The couple’s own relationship statement: The Home Affairs 820 and 309 pages ask the applicant to “Tell us in writing” about the relationship history; compare the supporters’ Form 888s with that account for consistency on dates and events. The guide to the partner visa relationship statement explains how the couple’s account differs from a supporter’s statement.
This guide’s Form 888 facts are dated as at October 2026, design date 08/26; read about who publishes Form 888 Australia for the publisher and sources.
General information only, not legal advice. Form 888 Australia is an information publisher, not a law firm or migration practice. Enquiries go to an Australian migration lawyer.