Apostille authority — DFAT and the Passport Office network
Australia acceded to the Hague Apostille Convention on 16 March 1995. The Competent Authority is the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) Legalisations Section. Apostilles are processed at Australian Passport Offices in all capital cities (Sydney 26 Lee Street; Melbourne 2 Lonsdale Street; Brisbane 162 Ann Street; Perth Forrest Centre; Adelaide 55 Currie Street; Canberra 11 Cape Street; Hobart 188 Collins Street; Darwin 9-11 Cavenagh Street).
Standard fee: AUD 102/document, 1-3 business days in-person; postal service 5-10 days. Documents must be Australian-origin (federal, state, or territory issued, or notarised by an Australian Public Notary). Thai documents do NOT get an Australian Apostille — they receive the MFA Apostille in Bangkok before travelling to Australia for use.
- Federal documents (RBA records, AAT decisions, federal court orders, ABN extracts): DFAT direct
- State documents (Birth/Marriage/Death from BDM, state court orders, university transcripts): state Apostille via Passport Office
- Notarised documents (Statutory Declarations, Power of Attorney): notarised by Australian Public Notary first, then DFAT Apostille
- Thai-origin documents (Birth Certificate, Marriage, Police Clearance): MFA Apostille in Bangkok, NOT DFAT
Partner Visa — Subclass 820/801 (onshore) vs 309/100 (offshore)
Partner Visas come in pairs: a temporary visa (820 onshore / 309 offshore) followed by a permanent visa (801 / 100) typically granted 2 years later after relationship continuity is demonstrated. Application fee AUD 9,365 covers both stages. Sponsor must be 18+, Australian citizen / PR / eligible NZ citizen, and not in sponsorship cooling-off (5-year bar after 2 sponsorships or after own Partner Visa).
Thai-side documents always required: Thai Birth Certificate, Thai Marriage Certificate (or relationship registration / cohabitation evidence 12+ months for de facto), Thai prior divorce decrees, Royal Thai Police Clearance, Thai passport bio page. Each requires sworn EN translation → notarial attorney → MFA Apostille → NAATI re-translation in Australia (DHA rule).
- Onshore 820/801: applicant must be in Australia on a substantive visa (Visitor / Student / Work) at lodgement; receives Bridging Visa A with full work rights
- Offshore 309/100: lodge from outside Australia (Bangkok via VFS); decision typically 12-18 months; can travel to Australia on Visitor Visa during processing
- Relationship evidence: shared finances, household, social, commitment (4 statutory declarations preferred from family/friends — Form 888)
- Health: medical exam at panel doctor (Bumrungrad / Bangkok Hospital / IOM); valid 12 months
- Character: AFP National Police Check (AUD 42) + Royal Thai Police clearance + any country lived 12+ months in last 10 years
Skilled Migration — 189, 190, 491 and the points test
Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) is points-tested with no sponsor — invitation-only via SkillSelect. Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) requires state/territory nomination (+5 points). Subclass 491 (Skilled Work Regional) requires regional sponsorship (+15 points) and 3 years regional work before PR pathway via 191.
Points categories in 2026: Age 25-32 (30 points peak), English Superior IELTS 8.0+ each band (20 points), Skilled employment overseas 8+ years (15 points), Skilled Australian 8+ years (20 points), PhD (20 points) / Master's or Bachelor's (15 points), Australian study (5 points), STEM Master's/PhD (10 points), Partner skills (10 points). Invitation cut-offs vary by occupation — common ICT/engineering: 85-100 points; pro-rata occupations (accountants, auditors, software engineers) often need 95+.
- Skill Assessment authority by occupation: ACS (IT), Engineers Australia (engineering), VETASSESS (general professional), AHPRA (health), CPA Australia / CA ANZ / IPA (accounting), TRA (trades)
- ACS Skills Assessment: AUD 500-1,055 + RPL fee; assesses degree + work experience; valid 2 years
- English: IELTS / PTE / TOEFL iBT / OET / Cambridge — Competent 6.0 (eligibility), Proficient 7.0 (10 points), Superior 8.0 (20 points)
- EOI (Expression of Interest) submitted via SkillSelect — no fee; invitation rounds typically monthly
- Visa application fee post-invitation: AUD 4,640 (189) + AUD 2,320 secondary applicant 18+ + AUD 1,160 child
NAATI translation — the non-negotiable layer
The Department of Home Affairs mandates NAATI Certified Translator (CT) translations for any document originating in a non-English language when lodged from within Australia. The CT number is 10 digits (legacy 4-digit accreditation numbers are deprecated as of 2018). Each translated page must show: translator's full name, NAATI CT 10-digit number, language pair, date, signature, and translator's stamp.
Workflow for Partner Visa from Thailand: NYC produces sworn EN translation in Bangkok for the Thai-side MFA Apostille chain → applicant lands in Australia → NAATI Certified Translator (NYC partners with NAATI CT in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane) re-issues the translation with CT stamp for DHA lodgement. NYC's Online NAATI service ships PDF + hardcopy worldwide via DHL (2-3 business days to AU).
End-to-end workflow — Thailand to Australia grant
Week 1-2: Thai document collection (Birth/Marriage at Khet/Amphoe, Police Clearance at RTP HQ Soi Yawararj, university transcripts). Week 3-4: Sworn EN translation + notarial attorney + MFA Apostille (Chaeng Wattana). Week 5: NAATI Certified re-translation (NYC Online NAATI, PDF same-day + hardcopy DHL 3 days). Week 6: ImmiAccount creation, Form 47SP (Partner) or Skill Assessment submission, document upload. Week 7-8: visa application fee payment, biometrics at VFS Bangkok (Trendy Building Sukhumvit Soi 13).
Decision: 12-18 months Partner Offshore 309, 18-24 months Partner Onshore 820, 8-14 months Skilled 189/190. Grant notification by email — applicant lands within first-entry deadline. Total Thai-side cost via NYC: THB 18,000-32,000 (covers translation + notarial + MFA Apostille + NAATI bundle); plus DHA fees AUD 4,640-9,365 paid direct to Home Affairs.