New Form 888: which edition is current and what changed

Published by Form 888 Australia · Last checked 3 October 2026 · publisher and review details

General information, not legal advice. Form 888 Australia is not a law firm or migration practice.

As at October 2026: current edition design date 08/26 (Home Affairs listing updated 27 August 2026; last checked 3 October 2026).

The new Form 888 is the supporting-statement edition, first issued with design date 07/23 (mid-2023) to replace the statutory-declaration edition, and the current edition, design date 08/26 (listing updated 27 August 2026), has the same questions and rules as the 11/24 edition.

Editions up to 10/20 were statutory declarations signed before a prescribed witness in Australia by citizen or permanent-resident supporters, with an exception when an offshore applicant could not find one, and the 11/24 edition added phone and email fields and renumbered the identity question as Question 5.

These differences are recorded in archived Home Affairs Form 888 files, the current form and the Home Affairs form listing.

What changed in the Form 888 editions?

The Form 888 editions changed in substance twice: in mid-2023 (07/23), when the statutory declaration became a supporting statement, and in November 2024 (11/24), when contact fields were added and the questions renumbered; the 08/26 edition changed no questions or rules.

Form 888 editions found, as at October 2026.

Statement signed on a previous edition? An Australian migration lawyer can say whether to redo it.

The archive dates show copies found, not official release dates. The earliest edition found is 10/18; the table is not a complete release history. Copies archived throughout 2025 have design date 11/24.

What changed in mid-2023 (07/23)?

In mid-2023 the 07/23 edition changed four things. Comparing the archived Home Affairs forms shows:

1. Name and legal nature: “Statutory declaration by a supporting witness…” under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 became “Supporting statement…”, with a declaration under section 234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958.

2. Witness: Since 07/23 the form has no witness section; only the supporter signs and dates it. The current Home Affairs form does not require anyone else to witness or certify Form 888.

3. Supporter condition: The 07/23 edition removed the citizenship or permanent-residency requirement. Supporters still need to be at least 18 and know both partners and the relationship history.

4. Evidence: The 07/23 edition asked for “a copy of” identity evidence showing name and age, with status evidence “where applicable”, instead of certified copies. The previous identity question asked for citizenship or permanent-residency evidence.

The archived Home Affairs files also show that four pages became two in mid-2023 (design date 07/23).

What changed in November 2024 (11/24)?

In November 2024 the 11/24 edition changed three things. The Home Affairs form:

1. Added home phone, mobile and email fields; providing an email means agreeing to electronic contact.
2. Removed the number from the “any other matters” box.
3. Renumbered identity as Question 5 and the declaration as Question 6.

The archived Home Affairs file shows that 11/24 was live by 10 December 2024. The questions themselves did not change.

Is the 08/26 edition different from 11/24?

No. The 08/26 edition made no change to the questions or rules; the wording matches the November 2024 edition. Comparing the Home Affairs files shows only a new design date and copyright year, plus a technical fix to the fillable Question 5 tick box.

How do I check which Form 888 edition I have?

You check which Form 888 edition you have in three steps.

1. Read the footer of either page. The current Home Affairs form reads “888 (Design date 08/26) - Page 1”, with “Page 2” on the second page.

2. Read the title and count the pages. In the Home Affairs editions found, “Supporting statement…” on two pages identifies 07/23 or later; “Statutory declaration by a supporting witness…” on four pages identifies a previous edition.

3. Compare with the Home Affairs form listing. Its Form 888 entry shows “Updated 27 August 2026”; the current form’s footer shows design date 08/26.

Every edition found used the same Home Affairs file address. A filename such as 888.pdf says nothing about the edition: read the footer.

Getting the current Form 888 PDF for a partner visa, and printing, signing and scanning it, is covered on the PDF page.

What if a supporter signed a previous Form 888 edition?

If a supporter signed a previous Form 888 edition, take three steps.

1. Identify the edition using the footer and title check above.

2. For every new statement, use the current edition, design date 08/26, from the Home Affairs form listing.

3. Have an Australian migration lawyer check whether the earlier statement should be redone. Home Affairs does not say whether a statement signed on a previous edition still counts as a social-aspects statement. That uncertainty is not a rule accepting or rejecting it.

A statement signed on the 10/18–10/20 editions was a Form 888 statutory declaration made under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959; since 07/23, Home Affairs Form 888 is a supporting statement with a declaration under section 234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958.

For the separate two-statutory-declarations requirement, the Home Affairs subclass 820 page says: “The current and any previous versions of the Form 888 are not acceptable as they do not satisfy this requirement.” That statement concerns the separate requirement, not acceptance as social-aspects evidence.

Does a signed Form 888 expire?

No. A signed Form 888 has no stated expiry: the current form (08/26) sets no expiry date or validity period.

The six-week limit belongs to a different document. Under Schedule 1 item 1124B of the Migration Regulations 1994, some onshore applicants without a substantive visa must lodge two Commonwealth statutory declarations, each declared no more than 6 weeks before the day the application is made. The Attorney-General’s Department requires its approved form; this is different from any edition of Form 888. The Home Affairs subclass 820 page says no Form 888 edition counts towards that requirement. An Australian migration lawyer can confirm whether the rule applies to you.

The Home Affairs subclass 801 and 100 pages say to submit permanent-stage documents once two years have passed since the first application, not before. The subclass 820 page also asks applicants to update relationship evidence regularly because processing can be long.

No stated expiry for the 08/26 form does not resolve whether an earlier statement needs refreshing. Have a migration lawyer check its edition and content before deciding whether to keep or replace it.

Why do older Form 888 copies still circulate?

Older Form 888 copies still circulate for three reasons.

1. Copies outside Home Affairs: Previous-edition PDFs remain on other websites and document sites. A search result is not an edition check.

2. One file address for every edition: Archived Home Affairs copies share the same filename and address. A saved download does not reveal its edition until you read the footer, such as 08/26.

3. Long processing: The Home Affairs subclass 820 page says partner applications “can have long visa processing times”; the subclass 801 and 100 pages place permanent-stage documents two years after applying. A file can therefore contain statements signed on a previous edition.

The 10/18–10/20 Home Affairs files were encrypted PDFs; the current 08/26 file is not. Home Affairs’ “Attach documents to your application” page says ImmiAccount “does not accept encrypted or secured PDF files”.

Why a migration lawyer checks the edition of every statement

An edition check identifies which form and questions each supporter used. Home Affairs does not say whether a previous-edition statement still counts as social-aspects evidence, so an Australian migration lawyer can check each statement’s edition, compare its evidence with the rest of the file and advise case by case whether a supporter should sign a new 08/26 statement. You can ask how a migration lawyer compares Form 888 evidence before lodgement, including whether a supporter should sign a new statement on the current edition.

Whatever the edition, everything else about the current Form 888 for a partner visa is set out in the guide’s overview.

Source check for this page

Last checked 3 October 2026: the Home Affairs form listing showed “Updated 27 August 2026”, and the Form 888 PDF footer showed design date 08/26. The edition table below records the form editions and changes established from the cited sources.

Edition log

• 3 October 2026: Page published; current edition 08/26 (no change to questions or rules since 11/24).