How old do you need to be for the Aged Dependent Relative visa (114) in 2026?
Explains the subclass 114 age test: there is no fixed age — you must be old enough for the Australian Age Pension, set by your date of birth.
There is no fixed number of years in the criteria. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official page for the Aged Dependent Relative visa (subclass 114), as at August 2026, you must be old enough to receive the Age Pension in Australia. That is the whole age test: instead of naming 65 or 67, the criteria point to the Age Pension qualifying age, which the Department of Social Services sets by reference to a person's date of birth.
That single design choice explains most of the confusion about this visa. This article is general information only and is not personalised advice about your circumstances — for a decision on your own case, rely on the official criteria and, where needed, a registered migration professional.
Why is there no stated age on the official page?
Because the Age Pension qualifying age in Australia has moved over time. Rather than fix a number in the visa criteria and then repeatedly amend it, the criteria refer to whatever the pension age happens to be for that applicant. A person born decades ago reaches pension eligibility earlier than someone born later, so two applicants in the same family stream can qualify at different ages while the legal test stays identical.
The practical consequence is that the number is derived, not given. Readings of the Migration Regulations 1994 and the department's own Procedures Advice Manual material commonly describe the qualifying age as 65 or 67 depending on date of birth. That is a helpful starting point for working out where you might sit, but the binding reference is the Age Pension age currently published by the Department of Social Services, and that is the figure to check before lodging.
How do you work out the qualifying age from a date of birth?
You take the applicant's date of birth and check it against the Age Pension age tables published by the Department of Social Services. The output is a specific age, so the qualifying age can differ between applicants with different dates of birth. Two applicants born months apart can therefore reach the qualifying age at noticeably different points on the calendar.
A useful way to test this without guessing:
- Assume an applicant was born in the early 1950s. The pension age for that cohort is lower, so the applicant may already be well past the threshold and the age test is not the constraint.
- Assume an applicant was born a few years later. The pension age for that cohort is higher, so the applicant may be within a year or two of qualifying — which is exactly when the timing question below starts to matter.
If your date of birth sits close to a threshold, work from the official table rather than from a round number someone quoted to you.
Is the age test applied when you apply, when the visa is decided, or both?
Both, in practice. The Migration Regulations 1994 set the relationship and sponsorship criteria at time of application (clauses 114.211 and 114.212), and require the applicant to continue to satisfy the aged dependent relative relationship at time of decision (clause 114.221). The department's guidance material identifies an applicant not reaching the pension age — at application or at decision — among the common reasons for refusal.
For most people this is good news rather than a trap: age only moves in one direction, so an applicant who already qualifies when lodging will still qualify later. The risk sits with the applicant who lodges early and is still short of the threshold, or whose circumstances change in the meantime.
| Point in the process | What has to be true about age |
|---|---|
| Time of application | The applicant must already be old enough to receive the Age Pension |
| Time of decision | The applicant must still meet the aged dependent relative relationship, which includes the age element |
What if you are close to the qualifying age but not there yet?
Lodging while you are still short of the threshold does not "reserve" your place. An application that fails a criterion at the time it is made is exposed to refusal, and the department's decision-makers have the age test as a specific check. Where the gap is short, waiting until the qualifying age is reached is the straightforward option.
The harder judgement is what to do with the rest of the evidence in the meantime. Because dependency has to be shown for at least the three years before you apply, the waiting period is not wasted: it is a period in which the record of financial support continues to accumulate. Other family visa pathways exist for relatives who cannot meet the aged dependent relative criteria, but they carry their own tests and are not simply a substitute for this one.
What else has to be true besides age?
Age is one of several gates, and it is not the one that most often decides these applications. Per the Department of Home Affairs official page, you must also:
- be sponsored by an eligible relative or that relative's partner, and the sponsorship must be approved;
- have been dependent on your relative in Australia for basic needs — food, shelter and clothing — for at least three years before applying, with dependency possibly arising from a disability that prevents you from working;
- have no partner;
- be able to obtain an assurance of support, which is the government's safeguard that you will not need to rely on government assistance after you arrive;
- meet the health requirement and the character requirement, along with family members who apply with you;
- have repaid, or arranged to repay, any debt owed to the Australian Government;
- not have had a visa cancelled or a previous application refused in circumstances that affect eligibility.
The department will also not grant the visa if doing so would not be in the best interests of an applicant under 18.
Two of these interact directly with the age test. The dependency requirement is about financial reliance, not about years, so an applicant who is comfortably past the pension age but financially self-sufficient — living on their own savings, pension or rental income at a level that covers their basic needs — still does not meet the definition. And the "no partner" requirement is absolute: entering a marriage or de facto relationship during processing removes eligibility, which is why the department's guidance flags a change in relationship status during assessment as a refusal risk.
Finally, the criteria in the Migration Regulations 1994 include clause 114.411, under which the applicant must be outside Australia when the visa is granted. Age does not change that; subclass 114 is an offshore grant pathway.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the subclass 114 age requirement 65 or 67?
Neither number appears in the criteria. The Department of Home Affairs requires you to be old enough to receive the Age Pension in Australia, and the qualifying age is set by date of birth under the Age Pension rules published by the Department of Social Services. Readings of the regulations commonly describe it as 65 or 67 depending on birth date, but the official pension age table is the reference to check.
Do I count my age when I apply or when the visa is decided?
The relationship criterion, which includes the age element, must be met at time of application and must continue to be met at time of decision. In practice age only increases, so an applicant who qualifies when lodging will still qualify later — but an applicant who lodges while still under the pension age is exposed to refusal.
My birthday is a few months away — should I lodge now?
Lodging before you reach the qualifying age means the application does not meet a criterion when it is made. Where the gap is short, waiting is usually the safer course, and the wait can be used to strengthen the three-year dependency record rather than weakening it.
Does reaching the Age Pension age make me eligible?
No. Age is a threshold, not a qualification on its own. You must also be sponsored, have been dependent on your Australian relative for basic needs for at least three years, have no partner, obtain an assurance of support, and satisfy the health, character and other requirements on the official page.
Does receiving a pension overseas count against me?
It can. The dependency test looks at whether you rely on your relative in Australia for food, shelter and clothing, and an independent income that covers your basic needs works against that. A modest income is not automatically fatal, but it has to be shown as insufficient to meet those needs on its own.
Do I have to be outside Australia when the visa is granted?
Yes. Clause 114.411 of the Migration Regulations 1994 requires the applicant to be outside Australia at the time of grant, which is why subclass 114 is treated as an offshore pathway even though the visa itself is permanent.
Where can I confirm the current Age Pension age?
The Department of Social Services publishes the Age Pension eligibility material, including the qualifying age by date of birth, and that is the page the visa criteria point to. Because pension age settings have changed over time, confirm the current published figure rather than relying on a number quoted second-hand.