Sponsoring a Partner From Guinea-Bissau

You can sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau if you are an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and you and your partner are married or in a genuine de facto relationship. The usual pathway to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau is the offshore Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 partner visa, lodged online while your partner is outside Australia.

That answer is the same for every country. What makes it different to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau is geography. Some relationships with Bissau-Guinean partners do not sit in one place. A partner may have been born and registered in Guinea-Bissau, studied or worked in Portugal or another country, and met the Australian sponsor while living there. The documents, police certificates and relationship evidence then come from two or three countries, mostly in Portuguese, and the application has to tie them together into one consistent story.

This guide is written for the Australian sponsor. It explains how to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau when the relationship crosses borders, which documents come from where, how Portuguese citizenship and residence affect the case, and how My Migration Lawyers prepares these applications. For a full explanation of every partner visa subclass, see the partner visa guide.

Can I sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau?

Yes. To sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, you must be an Australian citizen, an Australian permanent resident or an eligible New Zealand citizen, you must usually be at least 18, and you must not be prevented by a sponsorship limitation. Your partner's nationality does not change the legal test. The rules to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau are the same rules that apply to every partner visa sponsor.

The guide to who can sponsor a partner visa sets out the basic rules, and the guide to partner visa sponsor requirements explains them in detail. The sponsorship limitations cover sponsors who have sponsored two partners before, sponsors who sponsored a partner or were themselves sponsored as a partner within the last five years, and sponsors with certain convictions involving violence.

Sponsors of Bissau-Guinean background

Some Australians who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau were born in Guinea-Bissau or Portugal themselves and later became Australian citizens or permanent residents. That is entirely lawful, but the Department will compare the sponsor's own earlier visa and citizenship records with the new application. If the sponsor's name spelling, date of birth or marital history in those records differs from what appears now, explain the difference with the application. The guide to the partner visa sponsor who is a dual citizen and the guide to a sponsor with their own visa history problems explain these issues.

Sponsors who live outside Australia

Some Australians who want to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau live in Portugal or elsewhere in Europe themselves. An Australian citizen living overseas can still sponsor, but must show an intention to live in Australia with the partner. The guide to the partner visa sponsor living overseas and the answer on whether an Australian living overseas can sponsor a partner explain what evidence helps. A permanent resident living overseas needs to consider their own travel facility and residence position, explained in the guide to a sponsor returning to live in Australia.

Guinea-Bissau, Portugal and Australia: a relationship across three countries

When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, the Department looks at the whole relationship, wherever it took place. If the couple met in Lisbon, lived together in Portugal, and then moved between countries, each period needs evidence from the country where it happened.

Cross-border histories are a normal part of many applications to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, but they are also where applications go wrong. The sponsor may have strong evidence of a shared household in Portugal and very little from Guinea-Bissau, or the reverse. Some periods may be missing altogether. A useful first step is a relationship timeline that lists, for each period, where each partner lived, whether they lived together, and what documents exist. The guide to the partner visa relationship timeline explains how to build it, and the answer on how far back relationship evidence should go explains which periods matter most.

Once the timeline exists, it also tells you which police certificates are needed, which country's documents must be translated, and where the gaps in the evidence are. Couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau with a clear timeline usually find the rest of the application much easier to organise.

Which partner visa do you use to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau?

Most Australians who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau use the Subclass 309 visa, the temporary offshore partner visa, which leads to the permanent Subclass 100. The Bissau-Guinean partner must be outside Australia when the application is made and when the Subclass 309 is granted. The partner does not need to be in Guinea-Bissau. The application can be lodged while the partner lives in Portugal or another country.

The answer on the difference between the Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 explains the two stages, and the answer on being outside Australia when the Subclass 309 is granted explains why the partner must leave Australia at the time of grant if they are visiting.

The onshore Subclass 820

The Subclass 820 visa is lodged in Australia, so it is only available to a Bissau-Guinean partner who is already in Australia and able to make a valid application. The guide to the Subclass 820 partner visa sets out the requirements. Whether this is possible usually depends on the visa the partner holds and whether it carries a no further stay condition.

The Subclass 300 for engaged couples

Couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau before they marry can consider the Subclass 300 prospective marriage visa. The couple must have met in person, must intend to marry, and must marry within the visa period. The answer on the requirements for a prospective marriage visa explains the evidence needed.

Partners who also hold Portuguese citizenship

A Bissau-Guinean partner who also holds Portuguese citizenship has two nationalities, and both must be disclosed in every Australian application. When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau in that situation, decide early which passport the partner will use for the partner visa, and keep it consistent.

Portuguese passport holders are among the passports eligible for an Electronic Travel Authority and an eVisitor, while Bissau-Guinean passport holders are not. In practice, this means a dual national partner may be able to visit Australia more easily on the Portuguese passport. The visit must still be genuine, and the partner must comply with the conditions of the visitor visa. The guide to visiting Australia during partner visa processing explains the risks of visiting while an application is pending.

Dual nationality also matters for identity when you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau. The names, dates of birth and places of birth in the Portuguese and Bissau-Guinean documents should match. If they do not, explain the difference with the application. The answer on different names or dates of birth in documents explains how the Department approaches these differences.

Partners who live in Portugal on a residence permit

A Bissau-Guinean partner who lives in Portugal as a resident, without Portuguese citizenship, can still be the applicant for a Subclass 309. The Subclass 309 requires the applicant to be outside Australia. It does not require the applicant to be in their country of citizenship.

When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau while your partner lives in Portugal, the Portuguese residence history becomes part of the case. Residence documents, employment records, leases and bank statements from Portugal can all be useful evidence of identity, residence and the relationship. If your partner has lived in Portugal for long enough, a Portuguese criminal record certificate will also be required, as explained later in this guide.

Living together in Portugal and the 12 month de facto rule

Time living together in Portugal or any other country counts towards the 12 month de facto requirement. If you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau as a de facto partner, you generally need to show that you lived as a couple in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months immediately before the application, unless an exception applies.

The answer on whether living together overseas counts towards the 12 months explains the position. The 12 month rule does not apply if the relationship is registered under a prescribed Australian State or Territory law, or if there are compelling and compassionate circumstances. The guide to the de facto partner visa and the 12 month rule explains the exceptions, and the answer on whether you can register a relationship when one partner lives overseas explains the registration route.

Couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau as de facto partners often have periods apart for work, study or visa reasons. Short periods apart do not necessarily break the 12 months, but long separations need explaining. The answer on whether time apart breaks the 12 month de facto requirement sets out how the Department looks at it.

Civil documents from Guinea-Bissau

Civil documents from Guinea-Bissau are issued in Portuguese, and the main records come from the Conservatória do Registo Civil. United States Department of State information records that certified copies of the birth certificate (certidão de nascimento) and the marriage certificate (certidão de casamento) are available from the Conservatória do Registo Civil, and that the identity card is issued by the civil identification section under the Ministry of Justice.

When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, the birth certificate establishes identity and parentage, and the marriage certificate establishes a spouse relationship if the couple married in Guinea-Bissau. To sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau with a clean identity record, ask for a certified copy, not a photocopy, and keep the original safe. The guide to the partner visa document checklist lists the other identity documents that are usually provided.

Identity documents and the passport

When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, provide the biodata page of the current passport and every previous passport the partner still holds, together with the national identity card. If the partner has held another nationality or travelled on another passport, that must be disclosed. The answer on using a different identity before explains why earlier identities must always be declared.

When a Bissau-Guinean record cannot be obtained

If a record from Guinea-Bissau cannot be obtained, the application should say so and explain why, with whatever alternative evidence exists. A missing record is not, by itself, a reason to refuse a partner visa, but an unexplained gap invites questions.

Couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau should start requesting records early, especially if the partner lives in Portugal and must arrange the request through family or a representative in Bissau. If a record cannot be found, ask the registry for written confirmation of that fact where possible. Older documents that record the same details, such as school records or earlier passports, can support identity.

The answer on what to do if you cannot get a birth or marriage certificate and the guide to partner visa missing documents explain how gaps are best presented.

Where to marry if you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau

You can marry in Guinea-Bissau, in Portugal, in Australia or in another country, and the marriage can support a spouse visa if it was valid under the law of the place where it took place and is not excluded by Australian law. The choice of place usually depends on where the couple and their families are.

For couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, a marriage in Portugal or Guinea-Bissau produces a Portuguese-language marriage certificate that must be translated. The guide to whether an overseas marriage is recognised in Australia explains the rules, and the answer on what makes a marriage valid for an Australian spouse visa explains the limits. A religious or traditional ceremony that was not a legally valid marriage where it took place cannot be relied on as a marriage, although the couple may still qualify as de facto partners.

Marrying in Australia

Some couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau prefer to marry in Australia. A Bissau-Guinean partner can only marry in Australia if they are in Australia on a visa. The couple must give a Notice of Intended Marriage at least one month before the wedding, as explained in the answer on the Notice of Intended Marriage. The answer on whether you can marry in Australia on a visitor visa explains why marrying is allowed but does not by itself allow an onshore partner visa application.

Proving a previous marriage ended

If either partner was married before, the application should include evidence that the earlier marriage ended before the current relationship became a marriage. When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, this may mean a divorce certificate from Guinea-Bissau, a Portuguese divorce record, or an Australian divorce order, depending on where the earlier marriage ended.

United States Department of State information records that the divorce certificate (certidão de divórcio) in Guinea-Bissau is available from the civil court (Vara Civil), and that court fees for the divorce proceedings must be paid before it is issued. A marriage entered into before an earlier divorce was final is not valid in Australia, and this issue can arise for couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau after a previous marriage in another country. The guide to a partner visa while still married explains the options in that situation, including whether the couple can apply as de facto partners.

The Guinea-Bissau criminal record certificate

The police certificate from Guinea-Bissau is the criminal record certificate (Registo Criminal). United States Department of State information records that it is available from the Ministry of Justice in Bissau, through its identification, registry and notarial directorate, that the applicant does not need to appear in person, and that a third party may request it if the purpose is stated. It records that urgent requests take about 24 hours and regular requests about one week.

Canadian government guidance describes the same document as the criminal record (casier judiciaire) and says it is applied for at the tribunal of the region where the person lives, with the national identity card. The two official sources describe the issuing office differently. When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, the partner should confirm the current process with the authority in Bissau before relying on either description.

The fact that a third party may request the certificate is useful for anyone who wants to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau when the partner lives in Portugal. A family member in Bissau may be able to make the request, with the partner's identity card and a written authority. Arrangements can change, so confirm them at the time of the request.

Timing the Bissau-Guinean certificate

Police certificates have a limited validity period for the Department's purposes. Requesting the certificate too early may mean it expires before the Department decides the case. The guide to partner visa expired police checks explains how timing is managed. Where a certificate genuinely cannot be obtained, the answer on what to do if you cannot get a police certificate explains the alternatives, which in some cases include a statutory declaration setting out the attempts made.

Police certificates from Portugal and every other country

A police certificate is generally required from every country where the applicant has lived for 12 months or more in total in the last 10 years since turning 16. For many couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, that includes Portugal.

The Portuguese certificate is the criminal record certificate (Certificado do Registo Criminal). Canadian government guidance records that it can be requested online with a Portuguese citizen card or Digital Mobile Key, in person at a court or citizen service office in Portugal, or from outside Portugal by sending the request form to the criminal identification services of the Directorate-General for the Administration of Justice. A resident who is not a Portuguese citizen should check which of these methods is available to them.

If the partner has also lived in Spain, France, Senegal or another country for the required period, each country's certificate is needed as well. The guide to partner visa overseas police certificates explains the general process, and the answer on whether you need a police check for a partner visa is a short summary. If a certificate shows a conviction, see the guide to partner visa overseas convictions before lodging.

Children from Guinea-Bissau included in the application

Dependent children of the Bissau-Guinean partner can usually be included in the partner visa application. When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau with children, each child needs a birth certificate showing both parents, a passport, and in most cases evidence that the other parent consents to the child migrating, or a court order allowing it.

Consent is often the hardest part. If the other parent lives in Guinea-Bissau, Portugal or elsewhere and cannot be found or will not consent, the application needs a clear explanation and, where possible, a custody order from a court with authority to make it. The answer on what happens if the other parent refuses consent explains the options, and the answer on whether a lawyer can help include children in a partner visa application explains the work involved.

Additional government charges apply for each child, as explained in the answer on how much extra it costs to include children. Children who are not migrating may still need to be declared, and in some cases examined, as the answer on health checks for non-migrating children explains. Children's documents from Guinea-Bissau are in Portuguese and need full English translations in the same way as the adults' records.

Portuguese documents and English translation

Every document that is not in English needs a full English translation when you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau. Records from Guinea-Bissau and Portugal will both be in Portuguese. Translations made in Australia should be prepared by a translator accredited by NAATI. Translations made outside Australia should identify the translator and their qualifications.

Using one translator for all the Portuguese documents helps anyone who wants to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, because it keeps names, places and dates consistent across the file. Translate stamps, seals and annotations as well as the main text. The guide to partner visa evidence translation explains which relationship evidence needs translation, and the answer on whether you need to translate a marriage certificate deals with the marriage record specifically.

Messages between the couple in Portuguese or any other language that are relied on as evidence should also be translated. Select representative samples rather than translating everything. The answer on whether messages in another language must be translated explains the practical approach.

Where Australia is represented for Guinea-Bissau

The Australian Embassy in Lisbon, Portugal, represents Australia in Guinea-Bissau. There is no Australian embassy in Bissau. For couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, this matters mainly for the sponsor's own travel and consular needs, not for the partner visa, which is lodged online through ImmiAccount.

If the Department needs biometrics or a health examination from a partner you sponsor, it will tell the partner where to go. Health examinations are done by a panel physician approved by the Department, and a partner who lives in Portugal will usually attend in Portugal. The guides to partner visa biometrics and partner visa health requirements explain these steps, and the guide to the partner visa online application through ImmiAccount explains how documents are uploaded.

Visiting Australia from Guinea-Bissau or Portugal

A partner travelling on a Bissau-Guinean passport needs a Visitor visa (Subclass 600) to visit Australia. Bissau-Guinean passports are not eligible for an Electronic Travel Authority or an eVisitor. A partner who also holds Portuguese citizenship may be eligible to apply on the Portuguese passport.

Either way, when you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau and your partner visits, the visit must be genuine and temporary. A visitor visa may carry condition 8503, which prevents most further applications in Australia, including the Subclass 820, unless waived. The guide to condition 8503 and the Subclass 820 explains the waiver test. The answer on whether to mention your partner on a visitor visa application explains why honesty protects the later partner visa, and the answer on whether you can visit Australia while a Subclass 309 is being processed covers visits after lodgement.

Relationship evidence across countries

The Department assesses the relationship across four aspects: the financial aspects, the nature of the household, the social aspects, and the nature of the commitment. When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau and the relationship moved between countries, the evidence for each aspect will come from different places and different periods.

Financial aspects

Joint accounts, shared bills, money transfers and shared expenses are all relevant when you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau. Bank records from Portugal, transfers to Guinea-Bissau, and Australian accounts can all be combined. The guide to partner visa financial evidence explains what counts, and the guide to a partner visa without a joint bank account explains how couples with separate finances present their case.

Nature of the household

If the couple lived together in Portugal before deciding to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, a lease, utility accounts, mail at the shared address and a residence record are strong household evidence. The guide to partner visa household evidence explains which records carry weight. If the couple have not yet lived together, explain why and describe the plans for a shared home in Australia.

Social aspects

Evidence that friends and family in Australia, Portugal and Guinea-Bissau know the couple as a couple is relevant. Photographs at family events, invitations and travel together all help. The guide to partner visa social evidence explains the options. Form 888 statements must be made by Australian citizens or permanent residents, as explained in the guide to Form 888 witness statements. Family members in Portugal or Guinea-Bissau can still provide ordinary signed letters, translated into English.

Nature of the commitment

Commitment is shown by the length of the relationship, plans for the future, knowledge of each other's circumstances, and support during difficult periods. The guide to partner visa commitment evidence and the guide to future plans in a relationship statement explain how to present it.

One relationship statement

The couple prepare one relationship statement. When you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, the statement should follow the timeline country by country, explaining where you each lived, when you lived together, why you were apart, and how you stayed connected. The guide to the partner visa relationship statement explains how to write it.

What the Tribunal has said about evidence across distance

Recent Tribunal decisions show the kinds of evidence that matter for couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau and live in different countries. In Feng (Migration) [2025] ARTA 2425, a Subclass 309 case, the reported issues were joint bank statements, evidence of communication and periods of cohabitation. In Popov (Migration) [2025] ARTA 2388, also a Subclass 309 case, the reported issues were money transfers, joint bank accounts and shared expenses. The Tribunal remitted both matters to the Department.

In Tang (Migration) [2026] ARTA 374, an onshore Subclass 820 case, the reported issues were a marriage in the home country, a previous refused application, the sponsor's regular visits and the applicant's arrival on a visitor visa. The Tribunal remitted that matter as well. Together, these decisions show that financial records, communication, visits and periods of living together are the core of a cross-border case, and that a previous refusal does not end the possibility of a later grant. The guide to partner visa ART evidence explains how evidence is presented on review.

What does it cost to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau?

At the time of writing, the government visa application charge for the main applicant for a Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 partner visa is AUD 11,710. The same charge applies to the onshore Subclass 820 and Subclass 801. Further charges apply for dependent children. Charges usually change on 1 July, so confirm the current figure on the Department of Home Affairs website before you lodge.

Other costs to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau include translations, certificates from Guinea-Bissau and Portugal, health examinations, biometrics where requested, and travel. The guide to partner visa cost explains each item.

What if the partner visa is refused?

If a Subclass 309 application is refused, the Bissau-Guinean partner can usually apply to the Administrative Review Tribunal. The review is applied for by the visa applicant in their own name, and it can be lodged from outside Australia. The time limit is short and strictly applied, and it runs from when the refusal is taken to have been received.

For an onshore Subclass 820 refusal, the review application must be lodged within 28 days of notification. At the time of writing, the Tribunal application fee for a partner visa review is AUD 3,727. The guide to partner visa refusals, the guide to partner visa refusal reasons and the guide to how to appeal a partner visa refusal explain the process. The guide to reapplying after a refusal explains when a new application may be the better course.

Responding to the Department before a decision

Before refusing, the Department often asks for more information or invites comment. Couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau may receive requests for missing certificates or translations. Respond fully and on time. The guides to the section 56 request and the answer on how long you have to respond to a section 57 letter explain these steps.

A step-by-step plan to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau

A written plan keeps a cross-border application on track. Couples who sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau usually work through these steps in order.

• Confirm that the sponsor is eligible and not subject to a sponsorship limitation.
• Decide whether to apply as spouses or de facto partners, and whether the Subclass 309, Subclass 820 or Subclass 300 fits.
• Build the relationship timeline across every country where either partner lived.
• Request civil records from the Conservatória do Registo Civil in Guinea-Bissau and any Portuguese records.
• List every country of residence and request each police certificate, timed to remain valid.
• Arrange English translations of all Portuguese documents by one translator.
• Collect relationship evidence for each of the four aspects, period by period.
• Prepare one relationship statement and any Form 888 statements.
• Lodge online through ImmiAccount, then keep the Department informed of changes in address, passport or circumstances.

The partner visa evidence organisation guide explains how to index the documents, and the guide to partner visa evidence after lodgement explains what to upload while the case is pending.

Mistakes to avoid when you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau

The most common mistakes when you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau come from the cross-border nature of the relationship rather than from Guinea-Bissau itself.

• Forgetting the Portuguese police certificate, or the certificate from another country of residence.
• Translating some Portuguese documents and not others, or using different spellings of names in different translations.
• Not disclosing Portuguese citizenship, or using different passports in different applications without explanation.
• Applying as de facto partners without enough evidence of 12 months living together, when marriage or registration would have avoided the issue.
• Lodging with evidence from one country only, leaving long periods of the relationship undocumented.
• Assuming a religious or traditional ceremony is a legal marriage without checking.

A partner visa application review before lodgement is a practical way to catch these problems. The guide to weak partner visa evidence explains how to strengthen a thin file.

How My Migration Lawyers helps you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau

My Migration Lawyers acts in complex partner visa cases, including many where an Australian sponsor brings a partner from overseas and the relationship has been lived across several countries. The firm acts for sponsors and partners from Portuguese-speaking and West African backgrounds and is capable of handling the document, police certificate and evidence issues that arise when you sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau.

On these matters, the firm's work typically includes:

• building the relationship timeline across Guinea-Bissau, Portugal and Australia, and identifying the documents and police certificates each period requires;
• reviewing Bissau-Guinean and Portuguese civil records and their translations for consistency of names and dates;
• advising on dual Portuguese nationality, which passport to use, and how visits to Australia affect the case;
• advising whether to apply as spouses or de facto partners, including the 12 month rule and the registration exception;
• choosing between the Subclass 309, the Subclass 820 and the Subclass 300;
• presenting the four aspects of the relationship with one clear relationship statement;
• responding to section 56 requests and section 57 invitations to comment, and acting in Administrative Review Tribunal reviews.

The firm's work is led by Weiwei Zhang, Principal Lawyer. More about the practice is on the About page and on the partner visa lawyer guide. Because consultations are by video, sponsors in every state can get advice, including clients of the partner visa lawyers in Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, the Gold Coast and Parramatta. The guide to working with a partner visa lawyer online explains how this works, and the answer on who can help with an offshore Subclass 309 and Subclass 100 describes the offshore work.

If you want to sponsor partner from Guinea-Bissau, book a consultation with My Migration Lawyers before you lodge. You can also call 1300 040 300.