Can I Apply for the Australian Adoption Visa (Subclass 102) Online in 2026?
No. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Adoption visa (Subclass 102) page, you must apply for this visa on paper. There is no online lodgement option, and applications cannot be submitted in person either — posting or couriering the forms to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth is the only route.
Is ImmiAccount an online application route?
No. ImmiAccount enters the picture only after the paper application has already been lodged. Once you receive your acknowledgement letter, you can import the application into an ImmiAccount using the application ID, the applicant's date of birth, and the identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage). From there it works as a management tool: attaching supporting documents, reading messages, updating contact details, checking application status, applying for a Bridging Visa, or withdrawing the application.
Importing covers new and existing applications made in Australia, plus existing applications made outside Australia on or after 1 April 2020. Older offshore applications that predate that cutoff, if they cannot be imported, use a different channel for later documents: the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.
Who does this paper-only rule apply to?
It applies to every applicant for this visa, and the eligibility frame around it is narrow. The child must have been under 18 when adopted, must still be under 18 when applying and when the decision is made, and must be outside Australia both when the application is made and when it is decided. The child must also be adopted, or in the process of being adopted, by their sponsor parent.
What makes a paper application valid?
Validity turns on four things being right at the same time: the correct forms, the correct destination, payment made in advance, and complete supporting documents.
- Both forms must be sent together in one parcel: Form 47CH Application for migration to Australia by a child and Form 40CH Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia.
- The forms must be completed in English.
- The application charge must be paid before you post the application, and evidence of payment must go in the parcel.
- The parcel must go to the Perth processing centre and nowhere else.
If the application is submitted at any other office or in any other way, it is not a valid application and cannot be considered further. If any of the steps are incomplete, Home Affairs will notify you and, if requested, return the application; invalid applications are not processed. This article is general guidance only and is not tailored advice for your situation, so confirm the current requirements against Home Affairs' own page or with a suitably qualified adviser before you post anything.
Which Perth address do I use — post or courier?
Both go to the same processing centre, but the street form differs, and using the courier address for ordinary mail (or vice versa) is the kind of detail that gets parcels misrouted.
| Method | Address |
|---|---|
| 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 |
Pay first, or post first?
Pay first. The wording on the official page is explicit: you must pay the application charge before you post your application, the department will not process the application until the charge is paid, and the parcel should include evidence of payment along with the supporting documentation. Treat payment proof as a required document rather than a separate administrative step — anything missing at lodgement risks the application being treated as invalid.
What else needs to go in the parcel?
Beyond the two forms and the payment evidence, the document set is built around identity, the adoption itself, and character.
- Identity: the pages of the child's current passport showing photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates; a national identity card if they have one; proof of any change of name.
- Travel history: a certified copy of the passport or travel document used to enter Australia, plus any passports held since then.
- Photographs: four recent photos (45mm x 35mm) of the child and of any dependent child included, under six months old, colour rather than laser copies, full face against a plain light-coloured background.
- Adoption evidence: the child's adoption papers or adoption compliance certificate; where an Australian state or territory central authority found you suitable to adopt and you gave a written undertaking, evidence from the child's country's central authority that the child can leave for adoption in Australia or leave in your custody; a supporting letter where an Australian central adoption authority was involved.
- Character: children over 16 need police certificates from every country where they spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16 (Australian certificates must be AFP National Police Certificates applied for under Code 33 — Immigration/Citizenship), military service or discharge records where applicable, and completed Form 80.
- Dependants under 18: identity documents, travel documents, and proof of relationship such as a birth or marriage certificate.
- Representation: Form 956A to nominate someone to receive correspondence, or Form 956 to appoint someone to provide immigration assistance.
Send certified copies only, not originals, and keep a full copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your own records.
What happens after the parcel is received?
Home Affairs lets the applicant know once the application and documents have arrived, and the acknowledgement letter is what unlocks ImmiAccount importing. After that, the waiting period has few moving parts: the department does not provide progress updates within published global visa processing times and will contact you if anything further is needed. Health examinations and biometrics are requested when required rather than upfront. If you omitted documents, provide them as soon as you can; if you spot a mistake, notify them using Form 1023. A dependent child of the applicant can be added at any time before a decision is made.
One rule matters more than the rest while waiting: do not arrange for the child to travel to Australia until the department tells you in writing that the visa has been granted. When the decision comes, it arrives in writing and covers either the grant details — visa grant number, start date, any conditions, and the date by which the child must enter Australia — or the reasons for refusal and whether a review right exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I lodge a Subclass 102 application online at all?
No. The Adoption visa (Subclass 102) must be applied for on paper, and forms submitted any other way do not count as a valid application. ImmiAccount is available only after lodgement, once you have received your acknowledgement letter and import the application.
Can I hand the application in person at a Home Affairs office?
No. Applications for this visa cannot be submitted in person, regardless of where you or the child are located. The only accepted delivery methods are post with correct prepaid postage or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth.
What happens if I send it to the wrong office?
It will not be a valid application and cannot be considered further. Home Affairs will notify you if an application is invalid because steps are incomplete or it was sent elsewhere, and will return it if you request that.
Do I pay the fee before or after posting?
Before posting. The application charge must be paid first, evidence of payment must be included in the parcel, and processing does not begin until payment is received. The fee is not refunded if the application is refused.
Can I email extra documents after posting?
Not by ordinary email. If the application has been imported into ImmiAccount, upload additional documents there. If you cannot use ImmiAccount — including applications lodged outside Australia before 1 April 2020 — attach them to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.
Can the child travel to Australia while the application is pending?
No. Do not arrange travel until the department tells you in writing that the visa has been granted. If the visa is granted while the child is outside Australia, the written notice will state the date by which they must enter.
Do the forms have to be completed in English?
Yes, the forms must be completed in English. The required forms are Form 47CH for the child's migration application and Form 40CH for the sponsorship, and both must be sent together in the same parcel.