If you searched for the "Form 888 statutory declaration", here is the first thing to know: it isn't a statutory declaration anymore. The Department of Home Affairs redesigned Form 888, and its official title is now Supporting statement in relation to a Partner or Prospective Marriage visa application (design date 11/24).
That change matters practically — no more hunting for a JP — but the form's job is unchanged, and in more than 27 years of partner visa work I have read thousands of them. The difference between a Form 888 that helps and one that wastes a case officer's time is entirely in how it is written.
What Form 888 is
Form 888 is a written statement by someone who knows you and your partner, telling the Department what they have personally seen of your relationship. The Department must consider the social aspects of a claimed relationship when assessing partner and prospective marriage visas — how the relationship is seen by family and friends — and Form 888 is the standard evidence of it.
Download the current form only from the official source: Form 888 on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Who can complete Form 888
The current form states its own requirements plainly.
The person must know both the applicant and the partner or fiancé(e), and the history of the relationship, and be at least 18. They attach documentary evidence of their name, age and — where applicable — Australian citizenship or permanent residency: a copy of a birth certificate, Australian passport, or passport containing a permanent visa.
Family members can and routinely do complete Form 888 — parents, siblings, adult children. Unlike some Departmental forms, there is no exclusion of relatives; a parent who has watched the relationship from the beginning is often the most persuasive witness you have.
How many do you need? In practice, provide statements from at least two supporting witnesses who are Australian citizens or permanent residents — that is the long-standing expectation for the social evidence — and the current form itself notes you may be asked to submit up to three statements during processing. Beyond that, quality beats quantity: four detailed, specific statements outweigh eight vague ones.
Does Form 888 need to be certified or witnessed?
No — not anymore. This is the change that catches people relying on old guides. The previous version of Form 888 was a statutory declaration requiring an authorised witness. The current version is a signed statement — no JP, no pharmacist, no witnessing ceremony.
What replaced the formality is a criminal warning, and it deserves respect.
The person signs under an acknowledgement that, under s 234(1)(b) of the Migration Act 1958 (Cth), making a false statement in connection with a visa application is an offence — the form quotes penalties of 10 years' imprisonment or a fine of AUD313,000, or both. Tell your witnesses this plainly: they are not "just filling in a form"; they are making a statement with legal consequences, and the Department can contact them for comment or interview.
The witness's identity documents are attached as copies with the form. Keep a copy of everything — the form itself says so.
How to write a Form 888 that actually helps
The form asks two substantive questions, and the second is where most statements go wrong.
Question 3 asks how the witness knows the couple and how often they are in contact. Specifics win: "I met Priya in 2019 when we worked together at Westmead Hospital, and I have seen her and Daniel together at least monthly since 2022" tells a case officer something. "I have known them a long time" tells them nothing.
Question 4 is the heart of the form.
The witness must say whether they believe the relationship is genuine and continuing — the statutory language from the Migration Regulations 1994 (Cth) — and give reasons. The reasons are everything. What has the witness personally observed? The couple hosting family dinners, travelling together, supporting each other through a parent's illness, being introduced as partners at a wedding. First-hand observations, with approximate dates and places, in the witness's own voice.
What to avoid: identical wording across multiple statements (case officers notice), grand conclusions without observations, and statements written by the applicant for the witness to sign. Each statement should sound like the person who signed it.
How Form 888 fits into the application
The statements upload to ImmiAccount with the partner or prospective marriage application — alongside Form 47SP and the sponsor's Form 40SP — as part of the social evidence pillar, next to financial, household and commitment evidence. If a witness's details change, or the couple's circumstances change mid-application, that is Form 1022 territory.
I review clients' Form 888s before lodgement as a matter of course, because weak social evidence is one of the most common — and most fixable — soft spots in a partner application. If you want yours reviewed, or your witnesses are unsure what to write, book a $97 10-minute chat with me.
Frequently asked questions
Does Form 888 need to be certified or witnessed?
No. The current form (design date 11/24) is a supporting statement, not a statutory declaration — it is signed by the witness under a s 234 Migration Act 1958 (Cth) warning, with a copy of their identity document attached. No JP or authorised witness is required.
How many Form 888s are needed for a partner visa?
Provide at least two from supporting witnesses who are Australian citizens or permanent residents; the form notes up to three statements may be requested during processing. More can help if each adds genuine, first-hand detail.
Who can write a Form 888?
Anyone aged 18 or over who knows both partners and the history of the relationship — family members included. They must attach evidence of their name, age and, where applicable, citizenship or permanent residency.
Can someone overseas or a non-resident complete Form 888?
They can provide a supporting statement, but make sure at least two of your statements come from Australian citizens or permanent residents, since that is what the Department expects for the social evidence.
What should a Form 888 say?
How the witness knows the couple, how often they are in contact, whether they believe the relationship is genuine and continuing — and, critically, the first-hand observations that support that belief.
Is Form 888 still a statutory declaration?
No. It was redesigned as a supporting statement. Old templates and guides describing witnessing requirements are out of date.
Building your partner visa evidence? Get the social pillar right the first time. Book your $97 10-minute chat or engage me at myvisa.com.au/work.