Australian Prospective Marriage visa (subclass 300) condition 8520: marry within the visa period (2026)
Yes — condition 8520 requires the person who was granted a Subclass 300 (Prospective Marriage) visa on the primary criteria to enter into the marriage that visa was granted for, within the visa period of that visa. This comes from the Australian Government's Federal Register of Legislation page for the Migration Regulations 1994, Schedule 8, as of September 2026.
What does condition 8520 actually say?
The Schedule 8 text is short:
8520 The relevant person who holds a Subclass 300 visa on the basis of having satisfied the primary criteria must enter into the marriage in relation to which that visa was granted within the visa period of that visa.
Four things sit inside that sentence. The obligation falls on a specific person, not on the visa in the abstract. That person must hold a Subclass 300 visa granted on the primary criteria. The marriage has to be the one the visa was granted for — a different marriage does not discharge the condition. And the deadline is the visa period of that Subclass 300 visa. It is a timing condition: the text sets a deadline, and it contains no requirement about where the ceremony takes place.
Who exactly has to comply — the applicant, or the sponsor?
The wording deliberately narrows the obligation. Condition 8520 attaches to "the relevant person" who holds the Subclass 300 visa on the basis of having satisfied the primary criteria — in ordinary terms, the prospective marriage applicant who qualified in their own right. It is not written as an obligation on the sponsor, and it is not written as an obligation on every person holding a visa in the same application.
That wording is also what separates 8520 from the more general condition 8519, which reads: "The holder must enter into the marriage in relation to which the visa was granted within the visa period of the visa." Both impose the same core duty — marry, within the visa period — but 8519 is phrased for "the holder", while 8520 is phrased for the Subclass 300 primary-criteria holder.
How do 8520, 8519 and 8515 fit together?
Three Schedule 8 conditions are commonly read side by side on prospective marriage cases:
| Condition | Who it binds | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| 8515 | "The holder of the visa" | Must not marry or enter into a de facto relationship before entering Australia |
| 8519 | "The holder" | Must enter into the marriage the visa was granted for, within the visa period of the visa |
| 8520 | "The relevant person" who holds a Subclass 300 visa on the basis of having satisfied the primary criteria | Must enter into the marriage that visa was granted for, within the visa period of that visa |
Read together, they form a sequence rather than three separate traps. 8515 closes the period before entry: no marriage, and no de facto relationship, before the holder enters Australia. 8520 then governs what happens after: the marriage must actually occur, and it must occur inside the visa period.
Does 8520 say the wedding has to happen in Australia?
No — at least not in its own words. Condition 8520 is drafted as a deadline, not a location rule. What it requires is that the marriage happens within the visa period of the Subclass 300 visa and that it is the marriage the visa was granted for. Anyone trying to work out the practical answer for their own case has to read the condition alongside the rest of the regulatory framework, not 8520 in isolation.
What is "the visa period"?
The condition text itself does not spell out how the period is calculated; it simply measures the deadline against the visa period of that Subclass 300 visa. In practice that means the relevant window is the one attached to your own grant — the dates recorded with the visa determine when the period begins and ends. The condition does not create a separate countdown of its own, and it does not give a number of months.
What happens if the marriage does not happen in time?
The note attached to these conditions in Schedule 8 states that whether a visa of a particular class may be made subject to a condition depends on the relevant provision in Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994, and that cancellation for breaches of conditions is dealt with under the Migration Act 1958, sections 41 and 116 to 119. So a failure to marry inside the visa period is not a paperwork slip: it engages the cancellation provisions the Schedule 8 note points to.
Which conditions were actually imposed on a particular grant is a separate question from what each condition means. Schedule 8 defines the conditions; the relevant Schedule 2 provision determines whether a given visa class may be made subject to them.
A hypothetical to make it concrete
Suppose an applicant is granted a Subclass 300 visa on the primary criteria. Before entering Australia, condition 8515 means the marriage must not already have happened, and no de facto relationship should have been entered into. After entry, condition 8520 governs the clock: the marriage the visa was granted for must take place within the visa period of that visa. If the visa period ends without the marriage, the condition has not been met, and the Schedule 8 note points to the cancellation provisions of the Migration Act 1958. This is a hypothetical illustration of how the text operates, not a description of any real case.
One caveat worth stating plainly: this is general information about published legal text, not personalised advice about any individual situation, and grant-specific dates and conditions should be confirmed against official information or a qualified professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does condition 8520 require the wedding to take place in Australia?
No location requirement appears in the condition itself. Condition 8520 requires the marriage to be entered into within the visa period of the Subclass 300 visa, and to be the marriage the visa was granted for.
Who does condition 8520 apply to?
It applies to "the relevant person" who holds a Subclass 300 visa on the basis of having satisfied the primary criteria. The obligation is written for the primary-criteria holder, not for the sponsor or for every person covered by the application.
How long do I have to marry under condition 8520?
The deadline is the visa period of your Subclass 300 visa. The condition does not state a fixed number of months; the applicable window is the one recorded with your own grant.
What happens if the marriage does not occur within the visa period?
The condition would not have been met. The Schedule 8 note refers to the Migration Act 1958, sections 41 and 116 to 119, for cancellation consequences of breaching a visa condition.
Are conditions 8519 and 8520 the same thing?
They impose the same core duty — marry the person the visa was granted for, within the visa period — but they are worded differently. 8519 is addressed to "the holder", while 8520 is addressed to the Subclass 300 primary-criteria holder.
Can I marry before I enter Australia on a Subclass 300 visa?
Condition 8515 states that the holder of the visa must not marry or enter into a de facto relationship before entering Australia. Whether that condition applies to a particular visa depends on the relevant Schedule 2 provision.