What Documents Do I Need for Australia's 116 Carer Visa in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

You need five groups of documents for a Carer visa (subclass 116): proof of your identity, a Bupa Medical Visa Services certificate for the person who needs care, evidence that person has no reasonable access to care in Australia, character documents (only once the Department asks), and separate identity, relationship and dependency evidence for every family member applying with you. Four passport photos are required for each person included. This reflects the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Carer visa (Subclass 116) page as of July 2026.

The list is short, but the consequences of getting one part wrong are not. Below, each group is covered in the order you will actually deal with them, with the reason the Department wants it — because "why" is usually what decides whether you send the right version of a document. One caveat before the detail: this is general information about how the rules are written, not advice on your own circumstances, so confirm anything unusual against the Department's current page or a qualified professional before you lodge.

What happens if you cannot prove who you are?

This is the document group worth reading first, because the penalty is not just a delay. If you cannot prove your identity, the Department will refuse your application, and it might not grant you another visa for 10 years — and it might not grant a visa for 10 years to any family members you listed on the application either.

That is why identity is not treated as a formality. A strong relationship case and a completed Bupa assessment do not rescue an application where the applicant's own identity is unresolved. If your name has changed at any point and you cannot document the chain, that risk sits squarely on you, not on the rest of the file.

Which identity documents do you actually need?

Start with the pages of your current passport that show your photo, personal details, and the passport issue and expiry dates. On top of that, provide a national identity card if you have one, and proof of any change of name.

Documents that prove a change of name include:

a marriage or divorce certificate
change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
documents that show other names you have been known by

The point of the last item is continuity. The Department is trying to connect the person in the passport to the person in every other document, and a name that appears somewhere in your history with no paper trail breaks that chain. If you have ever been known by another name — including a name shown in an earlier passport, a marriage record, or a school or employment document — include evidence for it rather than assuming it will not be checked.

Why does the Bupa medical certificate have to start first?

Because the Department will not accept the application at all without it. Your relative, or their family member, must be assessed by and get a medical certificate from Bupa Medical Visa Services, and the certificate must include a statement that the person has a medical condition and requires a certain amount of care for it.

You do not have to wait for the assessment to finish before lodging. If the process has begun but the person has not yet been assessed, you can send a letter from Bupa Medical Visa Services confirming that, and forward the medical certificate as soon as you receive it. If you did not include the certificate when you applied, you should give it to the Department within 3 months of applying — and if it is not on file when the decision is made, the visa will not be granted.

There is a second, equally load-bearing document alongside it: written evidence that your Australian relative, or their family member, does not have reasonable access to care options in Australia. The medical condition and the absence of local care options are two separate findings, and one does not substitute for the other.

Do you need police certificates right now?

No. The Department's instruction is explicit: do not arrange for police certificates until you are asked to.

The character requirement itself still applies — you and family members aged 16 and over who apply with you must meet it, and the Department may ask other family members to as well. But the document is requested, not volunteered, so booking police checks early mostly produces certificates that expire before they are wanted.

What if your partner or children are applying with you?

Each of them carries their own document set, and each set has a distinct purpose.

Dependants under 18. For every dependent under 18 applying with you, provide identity documents, proof of your relationship with them (such as a birth certificate), and character documents, if applicable.

Dependants over 18. A child over 18 can only be included if they are over 18 but not yet 23 and dependent on you or your partner, or are over 23 and unable to earn a living to support themselves because of physical or cognitive limitations while remaining dependent on you or your partner. Beyond identity and character documents and any documents about their other relationships, you must provide proof of dependency:

proof of your relationship with them, such as a birth certificate or adoption papers
a completed Form 47a Details of a child or other dependent family member aged 18 years or over
proof of financial dependency, such as bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts

If the child is 23, or is likely to turn 23 while the application is being processed, you also need a report from a qualified medical practitioner stating they are dependent on you or your partner due to the total or partial loss of their bodily or mental functions. The turning-23 case is the one that catches families out: dependency has to be re-proven on medical grounds, and the trigger is processing time, not your lodgement date.

Partner. Provide identity documents, character documents, and documents about former relationships if applicable. Then provide either your current marriage certificate, or proof that you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply, except in limited circumstances. De facto evidence can include joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing your partner lives or has lived at the same address as you.

How do the photo requirements trip people up?

You need four recent passport-size photos (45mm x 35mm) for anyone included in the application. Every one of the following has to hold:

passport-size (45mm x 35mm)
less than 6 months old
good quality colour — laser copies are not accepted
a view of your full face
taken against a plain light-coloured background

Untinted prescription glasses are acceptable. If you wear a head covering for religious reasons, you may show only your face. Because photos must be under 6 months old, ordering them before the rest of the file is ready can mean re-shooting them; leave them until the application is otherwise complete.

How do you lodge, and what makes an application invalid?

The subclass 116 is a paper application, and you must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the decision is made. You submit:

a completed Form 47OF Application for migration to Australia by other family members
your documents
your sponsor's form with other documents

Forms must be completed in English. Pay before submitting, using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, and include evidence that the application is paid for. Then send everything by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, at the address on the form.

Two rules decide whether the package survives intake. First, if any of the steps above are incomplete, the application may be invalid, and the Department does not process invalid applications — it will notify you and, if requested, return the application. Second, do not send original documents: send certified copies only, and keep a copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your own records.

What happens after you post it?

The Department will let you know when it has received your application. After you get your acknowledgement letter you can import the application into ImmiAccount using your application ID, date of birth, and identity document number, which then lets you attach documents, view messages, update details, check status, apply for a bridging visa, or withdraw. Applications made outside Australia on or after 25 June 2020 can be imported.

A few things follow from there. If you did not send the Bupa certificate with the application, you have 3 months from applying to provide it. You pay the second instalment only when the Department invoices you, after all other requirements are met, and the visa will not be granted without it — though the Department may consider reducing it to nil if you show that paying would cause you or the person you are caring for severe financial hardship, on a written request (this reduction is not available for anyone applying with you). If you spot a mistake, notify the Department as soon as you can using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers.

You should also expect to wait. Other Family visas are subject to capping and queueing, demand exceeds the places available each year, and processing times can be lengthy; incomplete forms, missing documents, and slow verification all make it longer. Do not arrange travel to Australia until you are told in writing that the visa has been granted.

Two cost notes from the official page: the visa is paid in two instalments, and the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator shows the first instalment only — it excludes the second instalment and other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics. From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, based on the primary applicant holding a valid passport from a specified country; family members are eligible on the same basis.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I lodge the Carer visa (subclass 116) online?

No. This visa must be applied for on paper, using Form 47OF, and sent by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. You must also be outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made.

Should I send original documents or certified copies?

Send certified copies only — the Department states not to send original documents with a paper application. Keep a copy of the completed application and all supporting documents for your own records.

When should I get police certificates?

Only after the Department asks you to. The character requirement applies to you and to family members aged 16 and over applying with you, but the certificate itself is requested during processing, so arranging it early is not necessary.

How many photos do I need, and how old can they be?

Four recent passport-size photos (45mm x 35mm) for each person included in the application. They must be less than 6 months old, good quality colour (no laser copies), show the full face, and be taken against a plain light-coloured background.

What happens if the Bupa medical certificate is not ready when I apply?

You can still lodge if the assessment has begun, by sending a letter from Bupa Medical Visa Services confirming that. The certificate must then follow within 3 months of applying, and if the Department does not have it when it decides the application, the visa will not be granted.

Will I get a refund if my application is refused?

No. The Department states it will not refund the application fee if the application is refused. An application can also fail outright before assessment if it is incomplete, since invalid applications are not processed.