Should You Get Police Certificates Before Applying for Subclass 151 in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

No. On the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Former Resident visa (Subclass 151) page, the character documents section says directly: do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to. The same page puts health examinations and biometrics on the same footing — the Department tells you when they are needed. Ordering either before you lodge usually means paying for documents that sit in a folder, and possibly paying a second time once a case officer actually opens your file.

What exactly does the official page say about timing?

The instruction is unusually explicit, and it is repeated in two different places.

Police certificates: "Do not arrange for police certificates until we ask you to."
Health examinations: Step 1 notes you might need to get health examinations, and the post-lodgement section adds: "We will let you know when you need health examinations."
Biometrics: "We might ask for biometrics (fingerprints and photo). We will let you know if you need to provide them."

The notable exception inside the character documents group is military service: if anyone included in the application has served in the armed forces of any country, the page asks for certified copies of their military service record or discharge papers as part of the application.

Item	What the Department says	When it happens
Police certificates	Do not arrange them until asked	During processing, on request
Health examinations	We will let you know when you need them	During processing, on request
Biometrics	We will let you know if you need them	During processing, on request
Military service record or discharge papers	Provide certified copies	With the application, if applicable
Passport	Plan to get a new one before you apply	Before lodging

Why does "wait until asked" protect your money and your timeline?

A police certificate is a snapshot of a person's record in one country on the day an authority issues it. The Department asks for it at the point it assesses character, which is during processing rather than at lodgement. A certificate drawn months earlier can be stale by then, and re-issuing one usually means paying the overseas authority again and waiting for a new appointment or postal turnaround.

There is also a practical side effect: documents you send after lodging are not acknowledged. The page states plainly that it does not acknowledge receipt of documents sent after you have applied, so you cannot use a delivery receipt as proof that a certificate reached the right file. Waiting for the request means the document you pay for is the document the Department is actually expecting.

Does waiting weaken your character or health evidence?

No. It changes when you supply the evidence, not whether you have to. The eligibility section states that you and any family members aged 16 years or over must meet the character requirement, and that if you apply from outside Australia, family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet it. Health works the same way: you and any family members applying with you must meet the health requirement, and non-migrating family members might also have to if you apply from outside Australia.

The Migration Regulations 1994 and the Department's PAM3 guidance for this subclass add detail worth knowing but not worth acting on alone: offshore long residence applicants are assessed against public interest criterion 4005, while onshore applicants and defence service applicants fall under 4007, which can be waived. Family members are assessed on a "one fails, all fail" basis. Those criteria and their current wording should be confirmed against the Department's published health and character pages.

What can you usefully prepare while you wait?

Plenty — and none of it involves booking anything. The documents the page asks you to gather before lodging are:

Identity: the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, signature and issue and expiry dates; a national identity card if you have one; proof of change of name if applicable.
Long residence ties: arrival and departure dates, school attendance, business, cultural or personal ties, correspondence with relatives or friends in Australia, records of frequent visits, and proof of ongoing economic or business interests.
Partner and dependants: identity documents, character documents, a marriage certificate or evidence of a de facto relationship of at least 12 months, plus relationship proof such as a birth certificate for each dependant under 18.
Format: certified copies only, never originals, and keep your own complete copy of the application and everything sent with it.

One planning point: police certificates are generally expected to cover countries where an applicant has lived for 12 months or more over the past 10 years. Use that only to work out which countries you may eventually need to contact — the Department's character page remains the authority on what is required, and everything here is general information about published requirements rather than advice on any individual case. If your record, health history or military service is complicated, the official criteria and a qualified professional's assessment of your own circumstances should guide what you do.

How will the request reach you, and where do the documents go?

Subclass 151 is a paper-only application. All applicants apply together on Form 47SV and lodge it with the Sydney office by mail, paying the application charge before sending; it cannot be lodged in person or online. Because nothing is uploaded at lodgement, later documents have their own route.

After you receive your acknowledgement letter, you can import the paper application into ImmiAccount using your application ID, date of birth and identity document number. Once imported, you can attach supporting documents, view messages, update your details and check status. If you cannot use ImmiAccount, additional documents go with a completed Resident Return, Former Resident, Australian Declaratory and Transitional (permanent) visa processing centre form.

Two expectations from the same page are worth setting in advance: the Department does not acknowledge receipt of documents sent after you apply, and if your application is within standard processing times it asks you not to call or email for progress updates — you will be contacted if additional information is required.

Where waiting could still cost you time

Waiting for a request is not the same as waiting to lodge. Two things belong on your side of the line before you send the form:

Passport renewal. The page says that if you need a new passport, you should plan to get it before you apply, which is the opposite of the police certificate rule.
The age limit. A long residence applicant must be younger than 45 at the time of application. If you are near that boundary, the date you lodge is what counts, so do not hold the application back waiting for documents you have been told not to arrange.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a police certificate for Subclass 151 at all?

Yes, the character requirement applies — the question is only about timing. The Department of Home Affairs' Subclass 151 page says not to arrange police certificates until it asks you to. You and any family members aged 16 or over must meet the character requirement, so expect a request during processing rather than a waiver.

Why won't the Department accept certificates I arrange upfront?

The published instruction is about avoiding stale and wasted documents, not about rejecting evidence. A certificate is a snapshot of one country's records on its issue date, and character is assessed during processing. Arranging one early risks it being out of date by the time it is reviewed, which can mean paying to have it re-issued.

When will I be told to do health examinations, and who needs them?

The Department says it will let you know when you need health examinations, so there is no booking to make at lodgement. You and any family members applying with you must meet the health requirement, and if you apply from outside Australia, family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet it.

Do my partner and children need police certificates too?

Any family member aged 16 or over is covered by the character requirement, and the page lists character documents for partners, dependants under 18 (if applicable) and dependants aged 18 or over. The same "wait until asked" instruction applies to the whole application rather than just the main applicant.

Is biometrics part of the Subclass 151 process?

It may be. The page states the Department might ask for biometrics — fingerprints and a photo — and that it will let you know if you need to provide them. As with police certificates and health examinations, this is triggered by a request during processing, not by something you arrange in advance.

How will the Department contact me, and where do I send the documents?

Requests and updates come through the channels you gave with your paper application, and after acknowledgement you can import the application into ImmiAccount to view messages and attach documents. If you cannot use ImmiAccount, documents can be attached to the Resident Return, Former Resident, Australian Declaratory and Transitional (permanent) visa processing centre form.

Can I send documents I already have, just in case?

You can provide documents you did not include when you applied as soon as you can, but sending them does not replace a later request. The Department does not acknowledge receipt of documents sent after an application is lodged, and only certified copies should be sent — never originals.