What documents do I need for the Subclass 837 visa in 2026?
As of the August 2026 version of the Australian Department of Home Affairs page for the Orphan Relative visa (Subclass 837), the application is a paper lodgement built on two forms — Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia) — supported by documents in a short set of categories: the child's identity, the travel document used to enter Australia, photographs, evidence that no parent can care for the child, proof of the relationship to the Australian relative, and character documents for anyone aged over 16.
This article is general information only and is not personalised migration or legal advice; anything that turns on your own circumstances should be checked against the Department's current guidance or with a qualified professional.
Which documents go into a Subclass 837 application?
The table below is the whole checklist at a glance — what each group exists to prove, and where it normally comes from.
| Document group | What it proves | Where it usually comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Identity documents | Who the child is, and that the passport is current | The child's passport; national identity card; registry of births, deaths and marriages (or overseas equivalent) for a change of name |
| Travel documents | How the child entered Australia, and what travel documents followed | The passport or travel document used on arrival, plus any passports held since |
| Photographs | A current, usable image for the visa record | A photographer or photo booth; 4 copies each |
| Evidence no parent can care for the child | That the child meets the orphan relative test | Death certificates, medical reports, or records of the search for missing parents |
| Relationship to the Australian relative | The family link the sponsorship depends on | Birth, marriage or adoption certificates; an official family book or family status certificate |
| Character documents | That the child clears the character requirement | Police authorities in each relevant country; the Australian Federal Police; military authorities |
| Dependants under 18 | Who else is applying, and their link to the child | Same sources as above, per dependant |
Everything else — health examinations, biometrics, additional evidence — is requested after lodgement rather than sent with the application.
Which identity documents does the child need?
Provide the pages of the child's current passport showing their photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates. Step one of the Department's own guide is to check that passport is still valid, because an expired travel document weakens the identity evidence from the start.
Alongside it, three things may apply:
- a national identity card, if the child has one;
- proof of a change of name, if applicable — acceptable documents include change of name documents from an Australian registry of births, deaths and marriages, or from the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing other names the child has been known by;
- notification that someone is acting on the child's behalf, which is a question to answer on the forms rather than a separate certificate.
What proves how the child entered Australia, and why are only copies sent?
Provide a certified copy of the passport or travel document the child used to enter Australia, and copies of any passports the child has held since arriving. This establishes the travel history the Department expects to see between arrival and application.
The rule behind it matters: do not send original documents. Send certified copies only, and keep a complete copy of the finished application — forms and supporting documents alike — for your own records, since the paper file goes by post or courier and is not returned as a matter of course.
What photographs does the Department accept?
Provide 4 recent passport-size photographs (45mm x 35mm) of the child, and of every other dependant included in the application. They must be:
- passport-size (45mm x 35mm);
- less than 6 months old;
- good quality colour — laser copies are not accepted;
- a view of the full face;
- taken against a plain light-coloured background.
Untinted prescription glasses may be worn. If the child wears a head covering for religious reasons, only their face needs to be shown.
What evidence shows there is no parent able to care for the child?
This is the core of the case. The Migration Regulations 1994 set out the meaning of "orphan relative" — broadly, a child under 18 who is not married or in a de facto relationship and whose parents are dead, permanently incapable of caring for them, or of unknown whereabouts — and your evidence has to land on one of those grounds.
Provide:
- a death certificate or other official document;
- evidence such as a medical report showing why the parents are unable to care for the child.
If the parents cannot be found, provide evidence of:
- how long they have been missing;
- what efforts have been made to contact or find them.
One boundary is worth stating plainly: the visa will not be granted where the parents are capable of caring for the child but do not want to. No volume of relationship evidence substitutes for this group of documents. Where official records are genuinely unobtainable, expect to account for what you tried and to supply whatever reliable alternative evidence exists.
How is the child's relationship to the Australian relative proved?
Provide evidence of the child's relationship to the sponsor, such as:
- a birth certificate;
- a marriage certificate;
- an adoption certificate;
- a family status certificate or family book, if officially issued and maintained.
The sponsorship itself travels on Form 40CH and must be approved before the visa can be granted. If the sponsor or their spouse or de facto partner has a pending registrable offence charge, the sponsorship and visa application will be refused; if there is a registrable offence conviction, approval is possible only in very limited circumstances.
Which character documents apply, and how recent must they be?
Character documents bite once the child is over 16. From that point:
- police certificates are required from every country where the child has spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years, since turning 16;
- for Australia, the Department only accepts a National Police Certificate applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship, issued by the Australian Federal Police. Standard disclosure certificates and certificates issued by state or territory police are not accepted;
- police certificates are treated as valid for 12 months from the issue date;
- anyone in the application who served in the armed forces of any country must provide military service records or discharge papers;
- children over 16 must complete and provide Form 80 (Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment).
The 12-month validity is the practical trap here: a certificate that was correct at lodgement can lapse during processing, and you may be asked for a fresh one.
What is needed for dependants under 18 applying with the child?
For every dependant under 18 applying together with the child, provide:
- identity documents, on the same basis as the child's;
- proof of the child's relationship to them, such as a birth certificate;
- character documents, if applicable.
Remember the photograph requirement is per person, so 4 photographs are needed for the child and 4 for each dependant.
Which forms carry all of this, and where does it go?
The full application is Form 47CH and Form 40CH, completed in English, sent together by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth:
- By post (with correct prepaid postage): Department of Home Affairs, Child and Other Family Processing Centre, Locked Bag 7, NORTHBRIDGE WA 6865.
- By courier: Department of Home Affairs, Child and Other Family Processing Centre, Wellington Central, 836 Wellington Street, WEST PERTH WA 6005.
The application charge must be paid before you post, and evidence of payment should be included; the Department does not begin processing until the charge is paid. There is no other route for this visa — it cannot be lodged online or in person, and an application sent to another office or by another method is not valid. Incomplete steps can also make the application invalid.
Two side forms may accompany the package: Form 956A to appoint someone to receive correspondence, and Form 956 to appoint someone to provide immigration assistance. Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person may provide immigration assistance; anyone may be appointed to receive documents.
What does the Department ask for after you lodge?
Health examinations are arranged when the Department tells you to arrange them; the same applies to biometrics, which may or may not be requested. Both the child and any dependent children applying with them must meet the health requirement.
You will not get progress updates while the application sits within normal processing times — the Department contacts you if it needs something. After an acknowledgement letter arrives, the paper application can be imported into ImmiAccount using the application ID, date of birth, and identity document number, which is how supporting documents are uploaded later.
What if something is missing?
Supplying missing documents late is possible, but it costs time. If you did not include everything at lodgement, provide it as soon as you can — through ImmiAccount if imported, or attached to the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form. Mistakes in answers are corrected with Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers). The dependent children of the child can be added to the application at any time before a decision is made.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I send original documents with a Subclass 837 application?
No. The Department asks for certified copies only, and you should keep a copy of the complete application — forms and supporting documents — for your own records. Original identity and relationship records stay with you.
How many photos are needed, and for whom?
Four recent passport-size photographs (45mm x 35mm) for the child, and four for each other dependant included in the application. They must be under 6 months old, good quality colour, full face, and taken against a plain light-coloured background.
At what age do police certificates become necessary?
Once the child is over 16, police certificates are required for every country where they have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, and they must also complete Form 80. Australian certificates must be AFP National Police Certificates obtained under Code 33.
How long does an Australian police certificate stay valid?
Twelve months from the issue date for immigration purposes. Because Subclass 837 decisions can take longer than that, a certificate that was valid at lodgement may need to be replaced during processing.
What proof is needed if the parents are missing rather than deceased?
Evidence of how long they have been missing and of what efforts have been made to contact or find them. Where the ground is incapacity rather than absence, the alternative is evidence such as a medical report showing why the parents are unable to care for the child.
What forms make up the application itself?
Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia), both completed in English and posted or couriered to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, alongside evidence that the application charge has already been paid.
Does the health examination happen before applying?
No. The Department tells you when to arrange the child's health examinations after lodgement. The same applies to biometrics, which are requested only if needed.