870 visa costs in 2026: budgeting for a 3-year or 5-year parent stay

How the subclass 870 charge splits across two instalments, and which health, police and insurance costs a 3-year or 5-year parent stay adds.

Published: 9 October 2026

A Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) is priced in two tiers — one for a stay of up to 3 years and one for up to 5 years — and in neither case is the published charge the whole bill. According to the Department of Home Affairs' Sponsored Parent (Temporary) visa (subclass 870) page, the visa charge is paid in two instalments, and applicants might also need to pay other costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics. This article is general information about how those costs fit together and is not personalised advice on your circumstances; current amounts and settings should be confirmed against the Department's published guidance or with a registered migration agent or legal practitioner.

What does a 3-year 870 visa cost compared with a 5-year one?

The Department publishes a separate "from" amount for each duration tier rather than one price for the visa generally. The page states the visa costs from one amount for a visa of up to 3 years, and a separate amount for a visa of up to 5 years, with concessions available in limited circumstances. The figures themselves sit on the Department's page and in its Visa Pricing Estimator, so they are the two numbers to write down first when you are comparing options.

The second thing to write down is that the estimator understates the total. The Department states plainly that the Visa Pricing Estimator does not consider the second instalment or other costs, so its output is a starting figure, not a budget.

Budget line	3-year visa	5-year visa
First instalment	Paid when you apply; set by the 3-year tier	Paid when you apply; set by the 5-year tier
Second instalment	Invoiced before grant; departmental policy guidance sets a different amount where the visa is for 3 years or less	Invoiced before grant; departmental policy guidance applies a different amount where the stay exceeds 3 years
Health examinations	Required if ImmiAccount asks for them	Same trigger; the length of stay does not remove them
Police certificates	One set per applicant, covering Australia and every country with 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16	Same requirement, unchanged by length of stay
Biometrics	Only if the Department requests them	Only if the Department requests them
Health insurance	Must cover the intended stay of 3 years	Must cover the intended stay of 5 years
Cumulative 10-year cap	Consumes 3 years of the 10-year maximum	Consumes 5 years of the 10-year maximum

Why the published charge is not the amount you actually pay

The charge is split into two instalments. The first instalment is paid when you apply, and the Department will not process the application until it is paid. The second instalment is invoiced later, and the Department states the visa will not be granted until that invoice is paid; if it is not paid, the application is refused.

That structure matters for budgeting because the money is committed early and is not recoverable. The Department states the visa application fee is not refunded if you withdraw the application, and is also not refunded if the application is refused. Departmental policy guidance refers to a deadline for the second instalment — 28 days for applicants in Australia and 70 days for applicants outside Australia — so treat the invoice as a hard date rather than a reminder, and confirm the current deadline in the Department's published guidance.

Which costs sit outside the visa application charge?

The Department lists three categories of other costs on the subclass 870 page, and health insurance is a fourth line that follows from the legislation rather than from the fee schedule:

Health checks. Whether health examinations are needed is shown in ImmiAccount; the Department may also ask for further examinations after you apply.
Police certificates. An Australian Federal Police National Police Certificate (complete disclosure only) is needed where the applicant has spent a total of 12 months or more in Australia in the last 10 years since turning 16, plus an overseas police certificate from every other country meeting that same 12-month test, and military service or discharge records where applicable. Form 80 is also part of the character paperwork.
Biometrics. The Department asks for biometrics only if it needs them, so this is a conditional line rather than a fixed one.
Health insurance. Clause 870.224 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires adequate arrangements for health insurance during the period of intended stay, which makes cover length a direct function of choosing 3 years over 5.
Other service fees. The Department publishes a separate schedule of fees and charges for other services, which is where these ancillary charges are set out.

How do two parents change the budget?

A sponsorship can cover up to two parents per household at a time, but the visa page states you cannot include family members in your application. Each parent therefore lodges a separate application, pays a separate charge, and incurs their own health, police and biometrics costs — so the per-person lines in the table above are doubled when both parents are coming.

The sponsorship side is subject to its own limits: a sponsor's household is limited to one sponsorship at a time, and a sponsor cannot lodge a new sponsorship application until their current approved sponsorship ends.

What does the 10-year cap mean for a long-term budget?

This is a temporary visa, and the Department states you can apply to stay for up to 3 or 5 years at a time, with a cumulative maximum stay of 10 years across all subclass 870 visas held. A family planning around a decade of support should therefore budget for more than one application round: two 5-year visas reach the cap, while 3-year visas require further applications to get close to it.

Each further application carries its own charge and its own round of checks. The Department also states a further subclass 870 application must be lodged from outside Australia unless the applicant has Permission to Apply in Australia, and that an applicant who applies from outside Australia will not be eligible for grant unless they have been outside Australia for at least 90 consecutive days since their relevant departure day. Budget for the travel and the gap, not just the fee.

Two further points belong in a multi-year household budget. The visa holder cannot work in Australia while holding this visa, and clause 870.222 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires the applicant to have sufficient funds to pay for their stay, with the Department's document guidance pointing to itemised personal bank statements covering a 3-month period, tax records, and pension or other regular income streams as evidence.

Is a 5-year visa better value than a shorter stay?

The comparison turns on two published numbers and one planning question. The Department's page gives a separate "from" amount for each tier, so the first step is simply to set the two figures side by side. The 5-year option then avoids one round of repeat-application costs and one 90-day period outside Australia, which is a real saving for a family that already expects to use most of the 10-year cap. The 3-year option commits less money at the outset and uses less of the cumulative cap, which suits a family whose plans may change.

Whichever tier you apply for, the grant letter sets the actual dates. The Department states you can stay for the period or date(s) specified on the visa grant letter, and the visa is not a pathway to permanent residence — you cannot apply for a permanent or temporary parent visa while you have applied for or hold this visa.

Is there a reduced charge for Pacific Island or Timor-Leste applicants?

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application. The Department charges the lower amount during the application process in ImmiAccount and recognises eligible applicants by a valid passport issued by one of the listed countries: the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Family members are also eligible, based on the passport of the primary applicant.

How to build your own 870 budget

Take the 3-year "from" amount from the Department's subclass 870 page.

Take the 5-year "from" amount from the same page.

Add the second instalment, which the Visa Pricing Estimator leaves out.

Add health examinations for each applicant.

Add one police certificate for each country meeting the 12-month test.

Add biometrics if the Department requests them.

Add health insurance for the full intended stay.

Double the per-person lines if both parents are applying.

Repeat the whole calculation for each visa you expect to need within the 10-year cap.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the Visa Pricing Estimator show the full cost of an 870 visa?

No. The Department states the estimator does not consider the second instalment or other costs, so its figure covers part of the visa application charge only. Health checks, police certificates, biometrics and health insurance have to be added on top.

Do I pay the whole amount when I lodge the application?

No. The first instalment is paid when you apply, and the Department sends an invoice for the second instalment when it is due. The visa will not be granted until the second instalment is paid.

What happens if the second instalment is not paid?

The Department states it will refuse the application if the invoice is not paid. Departmental policy guidance refers to a deadline of 28 days for applicants in Australia and 70 days for applicants outside Australia, so check the current deadline in the Department's published guidance and treat it as binding.

Can I get the money back if I withdraw or if the visa is refused?

No, in either case. The Department states the visa application fee is not refunded if you withdraw your application, and is not refunded if the application is refused. Treat the charge as committed money from the moment you lodge.

Do both parents pay separate charges?

Yes. The Department's page states you cannot include family members in a subclass 870 application, and a sponsorship can cover up to two parents per household at a time. Each parent lodges their own application and pays their own charge, health examinations and police certificates.

Are health checks and police certificates included in the visa charge?

No. The Department lists health checks, police certificates and biometrics as other costs you might need to pay. Police certificates cover Australia and every country where the applicant spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16.

Is health insurance an extra cost, and does the length of stay change it?

Yes on both counts. Clause 870.224 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires adequate arrangements for health insurance for the period of intended stay, so cover for a 5-year stay is a larger purchase than cover for 3 years.

Do Pacific Island or Timor-Leste applicants pay less?

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa application cost applies to eligible citizens of the listed Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste who lodge a valid application with a valid passport from one of those countries. Family members are eligible too, based on the primary applicant's passport.