Partner visas · Subclass 820 · 801 · 309
Car finance on a partner visa.
Partner visa files are usually more workable than people expect, and the reason is simple: you are almost always in a household with someone settled here. Which stage you have reached — the temporary 820 or the permanent 801 — changes how the file reads, so that is where we start.
Start here
The partner visa comes in two stages. Know which one you're on.
This is the part most applicants have never had explained to them, and it is the most useful thing this page can give you. A partner visa is not one grant — it is a pathway with a temporary stage and a permanent stage, and you apply for both at the same time with a single application.
The subclass 820 is the temporary stage, granted if you applied while you were in Australia. The subclass 801 is the permanent stage that follows it, usually assessed a couple of years later once the Department is satisfied the relationship is continuing. If you applied from outside Australia the numbers differ but the logic is identical: the 309 is the temporary stage and the 100 is the permanent one.
Why this matters for finance: a lender is trying to work out how settled you are and how long you are likely to be here. Someone at the permanent stage is, on paper, in a materially different position from someone at the temporary stage — even though nothing about the person, the job or the household has changed. Telling us "I'm on a partner visa" is not enough. Telling us the subclass on your grant notice is.
| Subclass | Stage | Where you applied from | What it means day to day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 820 | Temporary | Onshore, in Australia | You can live, work and study here while the permanent stage is assessed. It has no fixed end date in the ordinary sense — it runs until the 801 is decided. |
| 801 | Permanent | Follows the 820 | Permanent residence. Same relationship, same household, but a settled status rather than a provisional one. |
| 309 | Temporary | Offshore, outside Australia | The offshore equivalent of the 820. Lets you enter and live here while the permanent stage is assessed. |
| 100 | Permanent | Follows the 309 | The offshore pathway's permanent stage. Covered in more detail on our subclass 100 page. |
Because the two stages come from one application, plenty of people hold an 820 for years without anything going wrong — the wait is normal, not a sign of a problem. If your 801 has been granted and you are still describing yourself as an 820 holder out of habit, correct it. You are a permanent resident, and that is a better place to be having a finance conversation from.
The assessment
What lenders look at.
Whether you can work, and do
An 820 holder generally has work rights, which removes the obstacle that sinks a lot of temporary visa applications before they start. From there the questions are ordinary ones: how long you have been in the role, whether the income is permanent, casual or contract, and whether it lands in a bank account consistently.
The household, not just you
If your partner applies with you, the assessment covers both of you — combined income, combined commitments, and both credit files. That cuts both ways. Their steady job helps; their car loan and card limits count against the same budget.
The usual ordinary things
Rent or mortgage, dependants, existing debts, what you have saved, and the vehicle itself — its age, its condition, and whether you are buying from a dealer or privately. None of this is visa-specific. It is simply the rest of the file.
The honest angle
Applying together with your Australian partner.
By definition, if you hold an 820 or a 309 you are partnered with an Australian citizen, a permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen. That is not a small detail. It means there is usually a second adult in the household whose position is entirely settled, and applying jointly is a common and sensible route worth putting on the table early.
We are careful about how we put this. It is a general possibility, not a promise — no arrangement makes an approval certain, and a joint application is still assessed on its merits like any other. But it is often the most straightforward option available to a partner visa household, and it gets discussed too late in our experience, usually after someone has already been declined applying alone.
Two things to be clear-eyed about before you go down that road:
- Joint means jointly and severally liable. You are each responsible for the whole debt, not half each. If one of you stops paying, the other owes the lot. That is the legal reality regardless of how the two of you split it at home.
- Both credit files come into view. A joint application brings your partner's history into the assessment alongside yours. That usually helps. Occasionally it does the opposite, and it is far better to find that out in a conversation with a broker than in a decline letter.
When applying alone makes more sense
Building your own Australian credit history has real value, particularly if you are heading toward a home loan later. If your own income comfortably services the repayment, there is a decent argument for the loan being yours alone. Whether that is the case here is worth ten minutes on the phone.
Get ready
What to have handy.
You don't need every item to start the conversation, only to finish it. On partner visa files the paperwork that most often holds things up is the visa evidence itself, so get that out of the drawer first.
Partner visa households are often mid-move — new job, new city, a wedding paid for, a second stage of an application still running. That is a lot of moving parts to hang a five or seven year commitment off. If the repayment only works on your best month, buy less car. We would rather talk you down a model than watch a file we wrote go sideways in year two.
Common questions
Partner visa car finance, answered.
What is the difference between the 820 and the 801?
They are two stages of the same application. The 820 is the temporary partner visa granted when you applied onshore, and it lets you live, work and study here. The 801 is the permanent stage that follows, usually assessed around two years later once the Department is satisfied the relationship is continuing. You do not lodge a second application for it. If you applied from overseas, the 309 and the 100 are the equivalent pair.
Does it matter which stage I'm at when I apply for finance?
Yes, and it is the reason we ask first. A permanent stage grant reads as settled residence; a temporary stage grant reads as provisional, even where the household is identical. We won't tell you what any given lender does with that, because policy differs and moves. What we can say is that the subclass on your grant notice shapes which lenders we approach, so getting it right at the start saves everyone time.
Can I apply jointly with my Australian partner?
Often, yes, and for many partner visa households it is the most sensible route. The assessment then looks at the household as a whole — both incomes, both sets of commitments, both credit files. It is worth understanding that a joint loan makes each of you liable for the entire debt rather than half of it. We'll talk that through properly before anything is lodged.
I've just arrived on a 309 and have no Australian credit history. Is that fatal?
No. An empty credit file is not a bad credit file, and lenders read the two very differently. With no history to look at, other evidence carries the weight — a job you have held for a while, savings that have visibly accumulated, clean bank statements, a deposit. Being new here is a normal starting point, not a black mark.
My 801 is still being assessed. Should I wait for it before buying a car?
Sometimes waiting is genuinely the better call, and sometimes the wait is measured in years and waiting makes no sense at all. It depends on how soon you actually need the vehicle, how comfortably the repayment fits your budget today, and how close the decision is. We will give you our honest read, including if that read is "not yet".
My partner has a poor credit history. Does that rule us out?
Not necessarily, and it is exactly the sort of thing to raise with a broker rather than discover partway through. Depending on the circumstances it may make more sense for you to apply in your own name, or to address the issue first. Either way it is better handled deliberately than by lodging an application and hoping.
What happens to the loan if the relationship ends?
The contract does not care about the relationship. If the loan is joint, both of you remain liable for the whole debt no matter what you agree between yourselves, and the vehicle remains security. It is an uncomfortable thing to think about at the start and a much worse thing to work out later. Worth a moment before you sign.
Does talking to you affect my credit score?
No. We check your circumstances against lender criteria before anything is formally submitted, so nothing is recorded on your file while we work out where you fit. That matters here — applying direct to a few lenders and collecting declines leaves a trail of enquiries that makes the next application harder than it needed to be.
Let's talk
Tell us your stage. We'll tell you where you stand.
No cost, no obligation, and no credit enquiry while we work it out. Send us the grant notice, tell us whether your partner is applying with you, and we'll come back with a real answer — including what would need to change if the answer today is no.
The Finance Team is a trading name of Online Showroom Pty Ltd and holds Australian Credit Licence 551493. We are a credit broker, not a lender, so nothing here is an offer of credit. Any amounts, repayments or examples discussed with you are estimates only, and every application depends on assessment and approval by the lender.
Prefer to get started now?
The online application takes a few minutes and gives a broker everything they need to check your position properly. Nothing goes to a lender until you say so.
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