Does the Subclass 151 Fee Cover Health Checks and Police Certificates in 2026?
No. The visa application charge for the Former Resident visa (Subclass 151) pays for the Department's assessment of the application itself, not for the health checks or police certificates that may go with it. The Australian Department of Home Affairs states on its official "Former Resident visa (Subclass 151)" page that you might also have to pay for other costs for health checks or police certificates, and that it will advise you if this is required — as at the August 2026 version of that page. Everything below follows that page's wording.
What is actually inside the Subclass 151 application charge?
The charge is set for the main applicant, concessions apply in limited circumstances, and there is a further fee for each family member who applies for the visa with you. That is the whole structure: one charge for the main applicant, one per accompanying family member. The page does not present this as covering anything beyond the application itself.
The amounts published by Home Affairs move over time, and the correct amount is the one in force when you lodge, so read the current figure on the official page or through the Visa Pricing Estimator before you pay. What matters for budgeting is the boundary, which does not move: the application charge buys the decision, and everything else is billed on its own.
Which costs sit outside the application charge?
| Item | Inside the charge? | When it arises | Who triggers it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main applicant's application charge | Yes — this is the charge | Before you send the paper form | You, at lodgement |
| Charge for each family member applying with you | Yes — charged separately per person | At lodgement, or later if you add someone | You, via Form 1436 if later |
| Health examinations | No | After Home Affairs asks | Home Affairs notifies you |
| Police certificates | No | Only after you are asked | Home Affairs notifies you |
| A replacement passport, if yours needs renewing | No | Before you apply | You, at the passport office |
| Certified copies of supporting documents | No | While gathering documents | You, whoever certifies them |
Two details are worth reading closely. On police certificates the instruction is explicit: do not arrange them until you are asked. Anyone who pays for certificates upfront is spending money they may not have needed to spend, because the request only comes if it is required for that applicant. On health examinations, the official guidance lists them as something to be aware of early, then confirms elsewhere that Home Affairs will tell you when examinations are needed — so budget for the possibility, but wait for the request before you book.
Why does the Visa Pricing Estimator not show these costs?
Because it is built to price the visa application charge only. The same page says plainly that the estimator does not take into account the other costs. Its output is therefore a floor for your budget, not a total: whatever figure it returns, add a separate allowance for health examinations and police certificates.
One practical trap. The estimator link published on the Subclass 151 page opens with a different visa subclass pre-selected in its parameters, so confirm that Subclass 151 is the subclass shown before you read any figure off it.
When do these separate costs actually become payable?
They come later in the process, and only when triggered. Health requirements and character requirements are conditions each applicant must meet, and for family members the page confirms these apply to them individually. If you apply for this visa from outside Australia, family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet both. Home Affairs contacts you when health examinations are needed, tells you if biometrics are needed, and asks for police certificates only where required.
Because Subclass 151 is a paper application lodged on Form 47SV with the Sydney office, and because the charge must be paid online in ImmiAccount before you send it, the cash-flow pattern is distinctive: you pay the application charge in full before you send the form, and any health examination or police certificate costs arise only if Home Affairs later asks for them.
If anyone included has served in the armed forces of any country, certified copies of military service records or discharge papers are also needed — a document-cost item that belongs in the same "outside the charge" column.
What happens when family members are included?
Each family member carries their own application charge, and because each must independently meet health and character requirements, each also carries their own potential examination and certificate costs. The out-of-pocket side of a family application scales per person, not per application.
Assume an applicant lodges with a partner and one adult dependant. The application charge is the main applicant's charge plus one charge for each of the other two. If Home Affairs later asks all three for police certificates, that is three separate certificate payments on top, none of which appeared in the estimator figure.
Adding someone after lodgement works the same way: Form 1436 is submitted before the decision is made, and the additional application charge must be paid.
Is paying the wrong charge the same risk as these other costs?
No. The hard rule attaches only to the application charge. Home Affairs cannot process the application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge, will notify you if that happens, and will return the application if necessary. The other costs do not gate validity in that way — they are later requests, and the risk they create is budget risk, not refusal-to-accept risk.
Does anything reduce the charge itself in 2026?
A lower visa cost applies from 1 July 2026 to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid application, recognised through a valid passport issued by one of the countries specified on the official page; the primary applicant must hold one. That concession reduces the visa application cost itself. It does not convert health checks or police certificates into items covered by the charge, so a concession-eligible applicant still budgets separately for them.
None of the above should be read as advice about your own circumstances. This is general information about how the published rules fit together, and the amounts, requirements and effective dates that apply to you depend on your situation and on the Home Affairs page as it stands when you lodge; check the current official wording, or ask someone permitted to give immigration assistance, before committing money.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Subclass 151 application charge include health checks?
No. The charge covers the assessment of the application for the main applicant, plus a separate charge for each family member included. Home Affairs lists health checks among the other costs you might have to pay and advises you if they are required.
Should I book my health examination and police certificate before I apply?
Arrange neither preemptively. The official guidance says explicitly not to arrange police certificates until you are asked, and says Home Affairs will tell you when health examinations are needed. Booking early risks paying for something that is later not required.
Why does my Visa Pricing Estimator result look smaller than my real budget?
The estimator prices the visa application charge and, by design, excludes the other costs. Treat its figure as the amount payable to Home Affairs at lodgement, then add separate allowances for health examinations and police certificates.
Do children and other family members have their own costs?
Yes, in two ways. Each family member adds an application charge to the total, and each must independently meet health and character requirements, so any examination or certificate applies per person rather than once per application.
What happens if I pay the wrong application charge?
Home Affairs cannot process the application until the correct charge is paid. It will notify you of the incorrect charge and return the application if necessary, which is why confirming the current amount before you pay matters.
If the application is refused, do I get any of this money back?
The official page states that the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused. It makes no statement about recovering money already spent on third-party costs such as examinations or certificates, so treat those as spent rather than recoverable.