Head to head · Checked 30 October 2026
Registering the relationship vs Waiting out the 12 months
A de facto couple applying for a partner visa must show twelve months of the relationship before lodgement unless the relationship is registered under a state or territory law, which the Regulations accept in place of the twelve months. Registration is available in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, each with its own residence rule for the register, and not in Western Australia or the Northern Territory. A couple in a registering state who are short of the twelve months, and whose visa is about to end, register and lodge; a couple with the twelve months, or in a state without a register, show the twelve months. Registration does not replace the evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing; it replaces only the clock.
By Keshab Chapagain, registered migration agent (MARN 1576536) since 2015 · WIDEN, Sydney · Reviewed 30 October 2026
Keshab Chapagain · MARN 1576536 · Registered since 2015 - What it satisfies
- The 12-month de facto requirement · The 12-month de facto requirement
- Where available
- NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, each with its own residence rule · Everywhere
- Time
- Days to weeks for the register, including any cooling-off period · 12 months of the relationship before lodgement
- What it does not do
- Prove the relationship is genuine and continuing; that evidence is still required · Prove genuineness either; the same evidence applies
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About the CPD →Side by side
| Registering the relationship | Waiting out the 12 months | |
|---|---|---|
| What it satisfies | The 12-month de facto requirement | The 12-month de facto requirement |
| Where available | NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, each with its own residence rule | Everywhere |
| Time | Days to weeks for the register, including any cooling-off period | 12 months of the relationship before lodgement |
| What it does not do | Prove the relationship is genuine and continuing; that evidence is still required | Prove genuineness either; the same evidence applies |
| Cost | The register’s fee | None |
| Watch out | Must be registered before the decision; a register in a state you do not live in may not be open to you | A gap in cohabitation is read against the 12 months |
Charges are the current government application charges (from 1 July 2026, main applicant) — see the fee calculator for your family's total. Checked 30 October 2026.
The honest verdict
A de facto couple applying for a partner visa must show twelve months of the relationship before lodgement unless the relationship is registered under a state or territory law, which the Regulations accept in place of the twelve months. Registration is available in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, each with its own residence rule for the register, and not in Western Australia or the Northern Territory. A couple in a registering state who are short of the twelve months, and whose visa is about to end, register and lodge; a couple with the twelve months, or in a state without a register, show the twelve months. Registration does not replace the evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing; it replaces only the clock.
Which side of that line you fall on depends on facts a table cannot hold — your age, score, occupation's lists, and what evidence you can actually assemble. That is consultation territory, not guesswork territory.
More head-to-heads: 482 vs 494 · 190 vs 491 · 189 vs 190 · 482 vs 186
General information only, not migration advice. Settings shown are the general rules; exemptions and stream variations exist. Migration advice is provided by Keshab Chapagain (MARN 1576536) after a paid consultation under the Migration Agents Code of Conduct.
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Questions we get asked first
Registering the relationship or Waiting out the 12 months — which is better?
A de facto couple applying for a partner visa must show twelve months of the relationship before lodgement unless the relationship is registered under a state or territory law, which the Regulations accept in place of the twelve months. Registration is available in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory, each with its own residence rule for the register, and not in Western Australia or the Northern Territory. A couple in a registering state who are short of the twelve months, and whose visa is about to end, register and lodge; a couple with the twelve months, or in a state without a register, show the twelve months. Registration does not replace the evidence that the relationship is genuine and continuing; it replaces only the clock.
What is the main difference between the Registering the relationship and the Waiting out the 12 months?
What it satisfies: Registering the relationship — The 12-month de facto requirement; Waiting out the 12 months — The 12-month de facto requirement. Where available: Registering the relationship — NSW, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, each with its own residence rule; Waiting out the 12 months — Everywhere. Time: Registering the relationship — Days to weeks for the register, including any cooling-off period; Waiting out the 12 months — 12 months of the relationship before lodgement.
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