Partner visa home loans: buying on an 820 or 309 visa

If you are buying together or adding an owner later, see our guide to adding your partner to the property title.

I’ve arranged loans where the citizen or permanent resident spouse is the only person on the property title and both spouses are on the loan. Some lenders can consider up to 95% of the property value with this setup. The full application and any mortgage insurer requirements still have to be met.

The title records who owns the home. The loan records who must repay it. Before you choose whose name goes where, we need to check the borrowing options and your solicitor needs to explain the ownership and duty costs.

You may be able to buy an established home together without foreign-investment approval, often called FIRB approval. Your spouse or de facto partner must be an Australian citizen, Australian permanent visa holder or eligible New Zealand citizen, and you must buy as joint tenants.

Joint tenants is a legal form of shared ownership. Ask your solicitor to confirm it meets the spouse exemption. Having both names on the loan, or buying as tenants in common, does not meet that ownership requirement. If the exemption applies, there is no separate FIRB application or fee.

Our mixed-visa couples guide explains the ownership options. If your partner is a New Zealand citizen, also read the subclass 444 guide.

If you buy alone on an 820 or 309 visa, the temporary-resident rules generally apply. Most purchases of established homes are restricted from 1 April 2025 to 30 June 2029. There are limited exceptions. New homes, off-the-plan properties and vacant land may be possible with approval and conditions.

Get any required approval before you buy, or ask your solicitor about a contract that makes the purchase conditional on approval. Some developers have an exemption certificate that can cover the purchase. For vacant land, check the deadline to build. Our FIRB guide explains these rules.

For 2026-27, the ordinary application fee for a new home worth $75,000 to $1 million is $15,600. Fees differ for other property values and application types. Approval can take longer than the usual decision period, so allow time before committing.

For the up-to-95% option described here, the citizen or permanent resident spouse must be the only person on title, and both spouses must be on the loan. It still needs lender approval, including accepted income, the property and any mortgage insurer rules. Do not assume the same limit applies if both of you want to own the home.

The loan as a percentage of the property value is called the loan-to-value ratio, or LVR. A 95% LVR means borrowing 95% and contributing 5% towards the price, before purchase costs. We also need to check whether any LMI premium must fit within that limit.

These figures show the deposit and loan amounts at each percentage. You still need to meet the lender’s rules and cover purchase costs. Above 80%, you will usually pay lenders mortgage insurance (LMI). It protects the lender. An LMI waiver may be available if you meet the lender’s conditions.

Our LMI calculator and deposit calculator can help with an initial budget. I’ll check the lender’s actual limit and how it treats LMI before we rely on a 5% deposit.

A gifted deposit, self-employment or overseas income does not automatically rule you out. We need a lender that accepts it and the right documents to support it. Tell us about credit issues early, before an application goes in.

Once we have checked which lenders accept your application, our lender reviews can help you compare their loan features and costs.

Still waiting for your partner visa while on a bridging visa? Read our bridging visa guide. Lenders need to assess the visa you hold now.

Queensland generally charges foreign buyers an extra 8% on their share of a home. This is called additional foreign acquirer duty, or AFAD. You can qualify for the FIRB spouse exemption and still owe this duty.

Ordinary stamp duty is separate. You may get a discount or exemption if you meet the rules.

The table assumes duty is based on the value shown and no AFAD exemption or relief applies. Ordinary stamp duty and other costs are extra.

For Queensland purchases entered into from 1 August 2026, each buyer must be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or specified foreign retiree to claim a home stamp duty concession. An 820 or 309 visa alone generally does not qualify, so that buyer's share generally pays standard duty plus 8% AFAD. An eligible co-owner can still claim a concession on their share if they meet the other rules. Our Queensland first home owners grant guide explains the grant and the duty rule.

Start with the Queensland stamp duty calculator and foreign buyer duty guide. Your solicitor should confirm the amount for each owner, including any concessions.

In NSW, an 820 or 309 holder may avoid the foreign buyer surcharge before getting permanent residency. One route requires you to have spent at least 200 days in Australia during the 12 months before the duty liability date, usually the contract date.

Another route may apply if you buy in your own name, rather than as a trustee, and live in the property as your main home for at least 200 days in a row within 12 months of the agreement or contract. Ask your solicitor to check the conditions in Revenue NSW’s guidance.

Other states have their own rules. The Queensland figures will not tell you what a NSW purchase costs.

Tell us both visa statuses, your deposit and where you plan to buy. We can check the lending options while your solicitor confirms ownership and duty requirements.

Yes. With the lending option we’ve used, the citizen or permanent resident spouse is the only registered owner and both spouses are responsible for the loan. The lender also checks that the spouse who is not on title benefits from the arrangement.

That spouse can owe the debt without being a registered owner. Your solicitor should explain their rights, any tax consequences and the cost of adding them to the title later.

If the citizen or permanent resident spouse is the sole owner, and no foreign person acquires an ownership interest, Queensland AFAD may not apply. Your solicitor needs to confirm this includes any ownership rights that are not recorded on the title. Our guide to different names on the title and loan covers the questions to ask.

Say one spouse holds an 820 visa and the other is an Australian citizen. They want to buy a $650k established home in Brisbane.

If they buy as joint tenants and meet the spouse exemption, they do not need a separate FIRB application. The visa holder’s half would attract $26k in Queensland AFAD at 8%. Ordinary stamp duty is extra, with each person’s concessions checked separately.

The other option is for the citizen spouse to own the home while both apply for the loan. I would check a lender that accepts this setup. Their solicitor would explain the visa holder’s rights and confirm whether it removes the AFAD cost before they decide.

The 820 and 309 are the temporary and provisional partner visas. The 801 and 100 are the permanent stage. You generally apply for the 820/801 pathway in Australia and the 309/100 pathway outside Australia.

You can usually be assessed for the permanent stage two years after the original application. Approval can take longer, and some applicants can be assessed earlier. Home Affairs or your migration adviser can explain your timing.

A permanent visa removes the need for federal residential foreign-investment approval and can give you more loan options. State duty still depends on when you buy, where you live and the relevant exemptions. Getting PR does not automatically refund duty you have already paid.

I’d compare the deposit, duty and loan options now with the likely costs after PR. Include the rent you would pay while waiting. Avoid basing the whole decision on a visa approval date that has not been confirmed.

The up-to-95% loan above is separate from the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme. A joint scheme loan cannot include an 820 or 309 holder as a temporary-resident borrower. Every borrower must qualify.

Eligible Australian citizens, permanent residents and New Zealand citizens holding a subclass 444 SCV can use the scheme. The property price cap, deposit, previous ownership, living-in-the-home rules and lender approval still matter. Our 5% Deposit Scheme guide explains them.

If the eligible partner applies alone, we need to check the scheme rules and whether they can qualify for the loan on that basis. We cannot add an ineligible partner as a joint borrower. State first home grants are separate and have their own rules.

Our first home buyer guide explains the process from deposit to settlement. The visa home loan hub covers other visa types. You can also use the visa buying checker as a starting point, then confirm the result for your situation.

If you still hold a student visa, read the student visa home loan guide for your current options.

Send us both visa details, your income and deposit figures, and the type of home you want to buy. We can check the loan options before you commit, or you can call 1300 088 065.