Subclass 200 photos and identity documents: what are the rules in 2026?
Subclass 200 (Refugee visa) asks for two recent photographs at 45 mm × 35 mm, taken full face against a plain background, with your name printed on the back of each. On identity, you provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details and the passport issue and expiry dates, plus a national identity card if you have one, plus proof of any change of name; if you cannot provide those items, you provide a statement explaining why you have no travel or identity documents. These are the requirements published on the Australian Department of Home Affairs official page for Refugee category visas (Subclass 200, 201, 203 and 204), as of the August 2026 version of that page; the Migration Regulations 1994 set out the visa criteria these documents support. What follows is a general explanation of published document rules, not advice about an individual case — where your situation is unusual, the official page and the current legislative text remain the reference points.
What does the 45 mm × 35 mm photo rule actually require?
The official page states three things about the photograph itself and one thing about handling it:
- Quantity: 2 photographs.
- Size: 45 mm × 35 mm.
- Recency and framing: recent photographs, showing the full face against a plain background.
- Labelling: print your name on the back of each photograph.
That is the full published specification. The page does not go further into head size, lighting, headwear or glasses, so the safest reading is to match exactly what is written — recent, correct dimensions, full face, plain background, named on the reverse — and treat anything more specific as something to confirm against the official page rather than assume.
Does every person in the application need photos?
Yes. The requirement is written for the main applicant and then repeated by cross-reference for everyone else included:
| Who | Photographs | Identity documents listed |
|---|---|---|
| Main applicant | 2, as specified above | Passport pages, national identity card if held, change-of-name proof |
| Partner | 2, as described for the main applicant | Identity, character, other-relationship and visa/residence documents; marriage certificate or 12-month de facto proof |
| Dependant under 18 | 2, as described for the main applicant | Identity documents or a statement explaining why they have none; proof of relationship such as a birth or marriage certificate |
| Dependant aged 18 or over | 2, as described for the main applicant | Identity documents, character documents, other-relationship documents if applicable, visas or residence permits held |
Because each person needs their own set of two, a group application multiplies quickly: one set of two per person, each set meeting the same 45 mm × 35 mm, full-face, plain-background, name-on-back standard.
Which identity documents go with the photographs?
For the main applicant, the official page asks for the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and the issue and expiry dates. Alongside those, it asks for a national identity card, if you have one, and proof of 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, and documents showing other names you have been known by.
Two related items sit in neighbouring sections of the same checklist: certified copies of any visas or residence permits you hold, and certified copies of marriage certificates or relationship registrations for you and anyone else included in the application — even where that person is not joining you in Australia. The page also requires military service records or discharge papers if you served in the armed forces of any country, which is filed under character rather than identity but is collected in the same document-gathering step.
What if you genuinely have no travel or identity documents?
This is the question the Subclass 200 checklist answers directly rather than leaving open: if you cannot provide the passport pages, national identity card or change-of-name documents, you provide a statement explaining why you have no travel or identity documents. The same fallback is written explicitly for dependants under 18 — identity documents, or a statement explaining why they have none.
The statement route sits inside the department's broader "provide accurate information" requirement, and there is a separate departmental page on what happens if you cannot prove your identity or do not provide true information. In practice, that makes the statement an explanation of a gap, not a substitute you choose for convenience: it has to account for why the documents do not exist or cannot be obtained.
Are these the same photos as the ones taken at biometrics?
No. The two 45 mm × 35 mm photographs are part of the documents you gather and lodge. Biometrics — described on the official page as fingerprints and photo — come later, and only if the department asks for them after you apply; you are told if you need to provide them. The same is true of health examinations: you are notified if they are required.
The other identity-related moment after lodgement is the interview, which the department may also request. If you are asked to attend one, you must bring your passport or other identification plus any other requested documents, and you may be asked about your situation, your family, and the information you provided in the application.
Why identity evidence carries weight beyond the photo rule
Photographs and identity pages look like small administrative items, but they sit underneath criteria that decide the visa. Under the Migration Regulations 1994, Subclass 200 is a permanent visa that must be granted while the applicant is outside Australia, with a five-year travel facility from the date of grant, and it is subject to public interest criteria including character and health criteria, additional criteria where a family member under 18 is included, and a cap on the number of Subclass 200 visas granted in a financial year as determined by the Minister by legislative instrument. Establishing who you are — and who the people included with you are — is what makes those checks possible to run at all. For the current wording of any criterion and its effective status, the official legislative record and the Home Affairs page take priority.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many photographs does a Subclass 200 application need in total?
Each person included needs their own set of two photographs at 45 mm × 35 mm, full face against a plain background, with their name printed on the back. A main applicant alone lodges two; an application that also includes a partner and two dependants lodges four sets. The dependant requirement is stated separately for under-18 and over-18 dependants, so age does not remove the photo requirement.
Do babies and young children need photographs too?
Yes. The official page requires two photographs for every dependant under 18 who is applying with you, and two for every dependant aged 18 or over, in both cases "as described in the information for the main applicant." There is no age exemption in the published checklist, so the same 45 mm × 35 mm specification applies.
Can I reuse older passport photos I already have?
The published requirement is for recent photographs, which is the only time-related condition the page states. If your existing photos no longer reflect your current appearance, they risk failing the purpose of the requirement, which is to identify the person applying. Recency is a judgement you make against the official wording, not a number of months the page specifies.
What counts as proof of a change of name?
The official page lists marriage or divorce certificates, change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, and documents that show other names you have been known by. If your current name differs from the name on earlier records, sending the linking document is what lets the department follow one identity across several records.
What should I write if I have no passport and no identity card?
Write a statement explaining why you have no travel or identity documents — that is the exact alternative the official page provides for the main applicant, and the same option is offered for dependants under 18. Explain the reason the documents are missing rather than only stating that they are missing, since the statement is read alongside the department's accurate-information requirement.
Do the photographs have to be certified copies like the relationship documents?
The official page asks for certified copies specifically for visas or residence permits and for marriage certificates or relationship registrations; the passport pages are requested without that wording. For the photographs, the stated requirements are the two-photo count, the 45 mm × 35 mm size, full face against a plain background, and your name printed on the back.