What documents do I need for Australia's Child visa (subclass 802) in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

There is no online lodgement for this visa. Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia) travel together by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, and the evidence the Department of Home Affairs lists on its official Child visa (subclass 802) page travels in the same envelope: identity documents for the child, travel documents, four passport-size photos, proof of the child's relationship to the parent, financial dependency evidence if the child has already turned 18, character documents, and a matching set for any dependent child included in the application.

That page is the reference point for everything below, as at August 2026, and where the procedures published there differ from anything else you read, the department's instructions win. The eligibility criteria themselves come from the Migration Regulations 1994, which should be read in its current published form. This is general information about how the checklist works rather than advice on an individual case — where a child's situation is unusual, the current official instructions and a qualified professional are the reference point.

The core pack at a glance

Item	What you need	Whose it is
Application forms	Form 47CH and Form 40CH, completed in English, paid before submission	The child and the sponsor
Identity	Passport pages showing photo, personal details, issue and expiry dates; national identity card if held; change-of-name proof; certified adoption papers if adopted	The child
Travel	Certified copy of the passport or travel document used to enter Australia, and of any passport held since	The child
Photographs	Four 45mm × 35mm passport photos, less than six months old	The child and each dependent child included
Relationship	Birth certificate, marriage certificate, or an officially issued and maintained family status certificate or family book	Between the child and the parent
Dependency	Evidence the parent covers food, shelter and clothing, plus how long support has been given	Only if the child was over 18 when applying
Character	Form 80 for anyone over 16; police certificates and military records where triggered	Everyone included, if applicable
Dependants under 18	Identity, travel, relationship proof, photos, character documents if applicable	The child's own dependent children

Who actually qualifies as a dependent child here?

Worth settling before you spend time on documents, because the paperwork only proves a relationship the law already recognises. The Migration Regulations 1994 describe subclass 802 as an onshore permanent visa for a dependent child of an Australian citizen, the holder of a permanent visa, or an eligible New Zealand citizen, and the applicant must be in Australia — and not in immigration clearance — both when applying and when the decision is made. Granted, the visa carries a five-year travel facility, which is separate from the residence itself.

The "dependent child" test is age-sensitive. Under 18, the child is treated as dependent; from 18 to 24, the child generally has to show real reliance on the parent; at 25 or over, the door usually closes unless the child is incapacitated for work because of a disability. Sponsorship normally comes from a parent who is at least 18 and is the citizen, permanent visa holder or eligible New Zealand citizen the child depends on, or that person's partner; where a State or Territory government welfare authority supports the application with a letter of support, that letter takes the place of the usual sponsorship arrangement. Regulatory criteria do get amended, so confirm any single requirement against the current text of the Regulations alongside the department's own materials.

Which identity documents are asked for?

Start with the child's current passport: the pages showing their photo, personal details, and the issue and expiry dates. If the department cannot establish the child's identity from those documents, the application runs into trouble regardless of how strong the relationship evidence is — the same applies where information turns out to be false.

On top of the passport, the official checklist names two add-ons. If the child holds a national identity card, include it. If the child's name has changed, include proof: either a change-of-name document from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or from the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing other names the child has been known by. Where the child was adopted, certified copies of the adoption papers or the adoption compliance certificate belong in the identity set as well.

How many photos, and what do they have to look like?

Four recent passport-size photos of the child, and four of each dependent child included in the application. That is the number the department asks for, and it is easy to under-supply.

The specifications are strict and are a common reason documents come back:

passport-size, 45mm x 35mm
less than six months old
good-quality colour — laser copies are not accepted
a view of the child's full face
taken against a plain light-coloured background

Untinted prescription glasses are fine. If the child wears a head covering for religious reasons, it may stay on provided only the face is shown.

How do I prove the child's relationship to the parent?

Usually with one document from a short list: a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, or a family status certificate or family book, provided it is officially issued and maintained. The department is asking for a document chain that links the child to the Australian citizen, permanent visa holder or eligible New Zealand citizen they are claiming to depend on.

What an adoption adds

Adoption is the one path with extra layers. Beyond the adoption papers or adoption compliance certificate, an adoption that involved an Australian state or territory central adoption authority needs a letter supporting the adoption. Where the child was adopted through an expatriate adoption process, the evidence has to show that at least one adoptive parent lived outside Australia for more than 12 months before the adoption was finalised, that the parent did not arrange that overseas residence to get around Australia's intercountry adoption laws, that the adoptive parent has full and permanent parental rights with no remaining legal ties between the child and the birth parents, and that the adoption complied with the adoption laws of the child's home country.

If my child is over 18, what proves financial dependency?

The test is applied as at the date of application. If the child was already 18 when the papers went in, the department wants evidence that they depend on their parent for basic needs — food, shelter and clothing — and evidence of how long that support has been going on. Bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts are given as examples, and anything that establishes a pattern over time is doing the same job.

Age alone is not the whole story. Applicants who have turned 18 also have to satisfy criteria in the Migration Regulations 1994 about being unmarried, never having had a spouse or de facto partner, not working full-time, and undertaking full-time study towards a professional, trade or vocational qualification, unless an exemption applies. So alongside the money trail, expect to document study enrolment and participation and to be able to show what the child's working life looks like.

When are Form 80 and police certificates actually triggered?

This is the part people either over-collect or miss entirely, because the two sit on different sides of the line between "must" and "may".

Form 80 is mandatory by age. Any child included in the application who is over 16 years of age must complete and provide Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment. No request letter is needed; if the person is over 16 and included, the form goes in.

Police certificates are requested, not automatic. The department may ask for an Australian state or territory police certificate where a person included has lived in that state or territory for at least 12 months, and for a police certificate from an overseas country where a person included has lived there for at least 12 months. The 12-month residence threshold is stated without a look-back window on the official page, so it is the request that fixes which certificates are actually needed. Suppose a 19-year-old applicant has split their life between two countries since birth: both may clear the 12-month threshold, but nothing is owed until the department asks, and then the clock is short. Keeping a written residence timeline ready turns that request into a day's work rather than a scramble.

Military service is unconditional. If anyone included in the application has served in the armed forces of any country, they must provide their military service record or discharge papers. Same pattern as Form 80: the fact of service, not a request, is what obliges disclosure.

What about my own grandchildren — dependants under 18 in this application?

Each dependent child under 18 applying with your child needs their own mini-checklist: identity documents, travel documents, proof of the child's relationship with that dependant (such as a birth or marriage certificate), the four passport photos described above, and character documents where applicable.

Timing is flexible in one direction only. The child's dependent children can be added any time before the decision is made, so there is no need to hold back the whole application waiting for one of those documents — but there is also no way to add them afterwards.

Originals or certified copies, and how does payment fit in?

Certified copies only. Do not send original documents with the application; send certified copies and keep a complete copy of the finished application, including all supporting documents, for your own records.

The mechanics around it are unforgiving in a predictable way:

Two forms, one envelope: Form 47CH and Form 40CH must be completed in English and sent together.
Payment first: pay before submitting using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, and include evidence that the application has been paid for.
Paper only: applications for this visa cannot be submitted in person; they go by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, at the address printed on the form.
Completeness is validity: if any step is incomplete, the application may be invalid. Invalid applications are not processed; the department will notify the applicant and, if requested, return the application.

If someone is acting for the applicant, only certain people can give immigration assistance — a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person — and anyone can be appointed simply to receive documents. Those appointments are made on forms that travel with the paper application.

What happens to the documents after lodgement?

The department acknowledges receipt, and after the acknowledgement letter arrives the paper application can be imported into ImmiAccount using the application ID, the child's date of birth, and an identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage). Imported applications can then be managed online: attach supporting documents, view messages, update details, check status, apply for a bridging visa, or withdraw.

Missing documents should go in as soon as possible rather than waiting for a second request. Health examinations and biometrics are arranged when the department says they are needed, not before. Two constraints matter for planning: there are no progress updates while an application sits within normal processing times, and the child must be in Australia at the moment of decision — leaving Australia means the child needs a valid visa to return. Mistakes spotted later are corrected on Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers, which can be uploaded in ImmiAccount or attached to the relevant processing centre online form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is subclass 802 lodged online or on paper?

On paper. The application consists of Form 47CH and Form 40CH, completed in English and sent by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. ImmiAccount is used for payment before submission and for managing the imported application afterwards, not for lodging it.

Does everyone included need Form 80?

Anyone included who is over 16 years of age must complete and provide Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment. It is an automatic requirement tied to age, not something the department asks for case by case.

Do I need a police certificate from every country the applicant has lived in?

Only where there is a request. The department may ask for an Australian state or territory police certificate after at least 12 months' residence there, and for an overseas police certificate after at least 12 months' residence in that country. Unlike Form 80 and military records, these are triggered by request rather than by the facts alone.

My child turned 18 before I lodged. Does that change the checklist?

Yes. The department then wants evidence that the child depends on their parent for basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing, plus how long that support has been provided — bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts are the examples given. Study and employment status also come into play under the criteria in the Migration Regulations 1994 for applicants over 18.

Are the photos really due for each dependent child?

Yes. Four recent passport-size photos are needed for the child, and four for every dependent child included in the application. Each photo must be 45mm x 35mm, less than six months old, good-quality colour rather than a laser copy, full-face, and taken against a plain light-coloured background.

What happens if my child's current visa expires while we wait?

When the visa application was made, the child was granted a bridging visa associated with that application. If their current visa expires before a decision is made, the bridging visa starts and the child stays in Australia lawfully while the subclass 802 application is processed.

The photo two years ago showed a different name — do I need to explain the change?

Yes, if applicable. The identity set includes proof of change of name, either a change-of-name document from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing other names the child has been known by.