Documents checklist for the subclass 143 parent visa (2026)

A grouped document checklist for the subclass 143 Contributory Parent visa: identity, sponsor, balance of family, character and Assurance of Support.

Published: 10 July 2026 Reading time 12 min

The subclass 143 (Contributory Parent) application is built around five document groups — identity, sponsor, balance of family, character and Assurance of Support — plus photographs, partner and dependant evidence, and health and biometrics steps that the Department asks for separately once your application is in the queue. The checklist below follows the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Contributory Parent visa (subclass 143) page as at July 2026. It is general information about published requirements rather than advice on your own circumstances, so confirm the current position on the official page or with a registered migration agent or legal practitioner before you lodge.

What does the subclass 143 checklist actually cover?

Group	What you provide	Timing
Identity	Passport bio-data pages, national identity card, change-of-name evidence	With the application
Sponsor	Form 40 sponsorship, from an eligible sponsor	With the application
Balance of family	Relationship and residence/citizenship evidence for each child	With the application
Character	Police certificates, only if asked	After lodgement, on request
Assurance of Support	AoS from an individual, several people or an organisation	When the Department asks
Photographs	Four recent passport-size photos per person included	With the application
Health and biometrics	Examinations and biometrics	On request

Everyone included in the application — you, your partner and any dependants — must hold a valid passport before the visa can be granted, and each person needs their own identity and character evidence.

What identity documents do you need?

Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and the passport issue and expiry dates. Alongside that, provide a national identity card if you have one, and proof of change of name if it applies to you.

Change-of-name evidence includes 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.

What happens if you cannot prove your identity?

Identity is not a "give us a bit more later" requirement. The Department states that if you cannot prove your identity, it will refuse the visa application, it might not grant you another visa for 10 years, and it might not grant any family members listed on your application a visa for 10 years.

That consequence is worth reading together with the general obligation to provide accurate and complete information: incomplete or incorrect answers carry their own consequences, which is the practical reason a checklist matters more than speed.

Who can sponsor you, and what does the sponsor lodge?

You must have an eligible sponsor, and the Department must approve the sponsorship. Usually the sponsor is an eligible child; if your child is under 18, an eligible relative or community organisation can sponsor you instead.

The sponsor completes Form 40 Sponsorship for migration to Australia. If you apply under the retiree pathway, no sponsor is needed.

How do you evidence the balance of family test?

You meet the test if at least half of your children and step-children are eligible children, or if there are more eligible children living in Australia than in any other single country.

You evidence it with:

evidence of how you are related to each child;
evidence of each child's Australian citizenship or country of permanent residence;
evidence that a child should not be counted in the test — for example, a death certificate.

Retiree applicants do not need to meet the test, and holders of a Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173) visa have already met it.

What character documents are needed, and when?

You and any family members applying with you must meet the character requirement, and the Department may also ask non-migrating family members to meet it. It may ask for character documents including police certificates — but do not arrange a police check until you are asked to.

When is the Assurance of Support due, and who can give it?

You must be able to obtain an Assurance of Support unless you apply as a retiree. It guarantees the Australian Government that you will not need to rely on government assistance during the Assurance of Support period, and it covers you and any family members who come to Australia with you on this visa.

The Department tells you when to provide it. Your sponsor or a family member does not need to provide it: an individual, more than one person, or an organisation can.

What do you need for a partner in the application?

For a partner, provide identity documents, character documents, evidence of your relationship, and documents about other relationships if applicable. Relationship evidence is your current marriage certificate, or documents proving you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply.

De facto evidence includes joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing you have lived at the same address as your partner.

What do dependants need — under 18 and over 18?

For each dependant under 18, provide identity documents, evidence of your relationship with them (for example a birth or marriage certificate), and character documents if applicable.

A child can be included as a dependent child if they are under 18; over 18 but not yet 23 and dependent on you or your partner; or over 23, unable to earn a living due to physical or cognitive limitations, and dependent on you or your partner. For each dependant 18 or over, provide identity documents, relationship evidence, documents about their other relationships if applicable, character documents and proof of dependency. If a child is likely to turn 23 while the application is processed, you will need evidence they are dependent on you because of disability.

How many photographs, and what specifications?

Provide four recent photos of anyone included in the application. Photos must be passport-size (45mm x 35mm), less than six months old, good quality colour — laser copies are not accepted — showing a view of the full face, taken against a plain light-coloured background.

Untinted prescription glasses are acceptable, and if you wear a head covering for religious reasons you can show only your face.

Which forms handle representation, corrections and adding family?

Use Form 956A to appoint or withdraw an authorised recipient who receives your correspondence, and Form 956 to appoint a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person to give immigration assistance. Only those categories of person can lawfully give immigration assistance.

If you make a mistake on your application, tell the Department as soon as you can using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers. To add family members before a decision, use Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement, together with evidence of your relationship and a copy of the family member's passport.

What changes if you hold a subclass 173 visa or apply as a retiree?

If you hold a subclass 173 visa, or it ended in the 28 days immediately before you apply, you will not need to give some of the documents usually asked for. You still need documents showing you are getting help with your application, and evidence of any change in your situation since the 173 was granted — a family member no longer being a dependant, a change in your partner relationship, a new baby, changed contact details, a new passport, a new sponsor, or the death of your sponsor.

Retiree applicants are exempt from the sponsor, balance of family and Assurance of Support requirements, must be in Australia (but not in immigration clearance) when they submit the application, cannot include their own or their partner's children, and must maintain adequate health insurance until the visa is granted.

How do you lodge, and what comes after?

Applications lodged on or after 22 April 2026 must be lodged online through ImmiAccount: create or log in to an account, attach documents, and pay the application fee. If you have already applied for a different Parent visa and no decision has been made, you must withdraw that application as part of your new one. You cannot apply if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.

After lodgement, the Department tells you when it needs health examinations, biometrics, the Assurance of Support and the second instalment. The second instalment must be paid before the visa can be granted; if the invoice is not paid, the application will be refused, and the application fee is not refunded if the visa is refused.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Assurance of Support the same as the sponsorship?

No. Sponsorship is the Form 40 obligation of an eligible sponsor, usually your child, and it must be approved by the Department. The Assurance of Support is a separate financial guarantee that you will not rely on government assistance, and it can be given by an individual, more than one person, or an organisation — your sponsor or a family member does not have to provide it.

Do I need police certificates when I lodge?

Generally no. The Department says it might ask you for character documents including police certificates, and that you should not arrange a police check until it asks you to. Lodging is not the trigger; the request is.

Who has to give photographs?

Four recent photos are needed for anyone included in the application, meaning you, your partner and each dependant. They must be passport-size (45mm x 35mm), under six months old, and printed in good quality colour against a plain light-coloured background.

Can my adult child be included as a dependant?

Only within the dependent-child rules: under 18; over 18 but not yet 23 and dependent on you or your partner; or over 23 and unable to earn a living due to physical or cognitive limitations while dependent on you or your partner. For anyone 18 or over you also need character documents and proof of dependency.

What if I already hold a subclass 173 visa?

You will not need to give some documents the Department usually asks for, because the balance of family test has already been met. You still need to provide documents about who is helping with your application, and evidence of any change in your situation since the 173 visa was granted.

What documents are required after I apply rather than with the application?

Health examinations, biometrics, any further information requested, and the Assurance of Support all come later, when the Department asks. Additional documents can be uploaded in ImmiAccount or sent using the Parent visa processing centre form.