Form
888
Statutory declaration by a supporting
witness relating to a partner visa application
A full list of prescribed persons can be found in the Statutory
Declarations Regulations 1993, which is available through the
Attorney-General’s Department website
www.ag.gov.au/agd/WWW/agdhome.nsf/Page/Portfolio
A blank statutory declaration form is also available from the
same website.
If you are outside Australia and are unable to get an Australian
citizen or Australian permanent resident to complete a
statutory declaration in support of your relationship with your
partner, you may obtain statements from people who know
you and your sponsor. Such statements are not statutory
declarations under Australian law. However, in accordance
with policy, they should be witnessed or certified according to
the legal practices of the relevant country. Failing that, they
should be witnessed by a person whose occupation or
qualification is comparable to those listed above. This person
should sign, date and specify their occupation at the bottom
of the statement.
You should confirm the requirements with the nearest
Australian mission overseas when you lodge your application.
Contact details for Australian missions are available on the
department’s website
www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas/
Warning: Under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959, people
who intentionally make a false statement in a
statutory declaration are liable for punishment of
4 years imprisonment. In addition, the Migration
Act 1958 (the Act) provides penalties for providing
false or misleading statements of 12 months or a
fine of AUD12,000.
Important – Please read this information carefully before
completing this statutory declaration. Once you have
completed this declaration we strongly advise that you keep a
copy for your records.
When assessing a Partner class visa application the
Department of Immigration and Citizenship
(the department) is required to consider the social aspects of
the claimed relationship. Statements from persons who know
you and your sponsor may be provided to support your
claims.
The department’s policy is that these statements be provided
in the form of statutory declarations. This form is for this
purpose. It is also the department’s policy that the person
completing this statutory declaration form:
• know both the Partner class visa applicant and their sponsor
and the history of their relationship;
• be aged 18 years or over; and
• be an Australian citizen or Australian permanent resident.
Evidence of the person’s Australian citizenship or Australian
permanent resident status must be attached to this form (for
example, a certified copy of the birth certificate, Australian
passport or passport containing a permanent visa). Such
evidence must show the current name of the person making
the declaration.
A person completing this declaration may be required to
submit up to 3 separate declarations during the processing of
the application to remain permanently in Australia. They may
be contacted by the department for further comment and
interview in relation to the information given in this form.
Where there is insufficient space, please attach a
separate sheet showing which questions the
information refers to.
In Australia, statutory declarations must be witnessed by a
person prescribed by the Statutory Declarations Act 1959 and
Regulations. Any attachments to the Declaration must be
certified by a prescribed person. Prescribed persons include
those who are a:
• Justice of the Peace;
• medical practitioner;
• legal practitioner;
• civil marriage celebrant or registered minister of religion;
• dentist;
• nurse;
• optometrist;
• pharmacist;
• physiotherapist;
• full-time teacher;
• bank manager or bank officer with 5 or more continuous
years of service;
• postal manager or permanent employee of the Australian
Postal Commission with 5 or more continuous years of
service;
• police officer; or
• public servant with 5 or more continuous years of service.
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