Which Family Members Can Join a Parent Visa 103 Application in 2026?

Which family members can be included in a Parent visa (subclass 103) application, and which must be listed even if they stay behind.

Published: 24 September 2026

Under the Department of Home Affairs' Parent visa (Subclass 103) rules, you can bring your partner and your dependent children with you on this application, provided each of them meets the relevant age and dependency tests. Separately, you must list the details of all your family members on the application form even if they are not migrating — and the Department may still ask those non-migrating members to meet health and character requirements. What follows is general information about how the published rules work, not advice on your own circumstances; current official pages remain the authority, and rules are subject to change.

Who can be included as a migrating family member?

A subclass 103 application can carry two categories of accompanying applicant: your partner, and your dependent children. "Dependent children" is read widely enough to cover your partner's children as well as your own — the guidance refers to both when setting out dependant documents — but dependency is never assumed for anyone who is an adult.

Each category carries its own evidence load:

Included as a family member who applies with you	What the official step-by-step page asks you to provide
Partner (spouse or de facto)	Identity documents, character documents, evidence of the relationship (current marriage certificate, or documents proving a de facto relationship of at least 12 months before you apply), and documents about either party's other relationships where applicable
Dependent child under 18	Identity documents, evidence of your relationship with them (for example a birth certificate), and character documents where applicable
Dependent child aged 18 or over	Identity documents, evidence of your relationship, documents about their other relationships where applicable, character documents, and proof of dependency

A few conditions apply across all three rows. Anyone included must hold a valid passport before the visa can be granted, must give four recent passport-size photographs (45mm x 35mm, less than six months old, colour, full face against a plain light background), and can be in or outside Australia when you apply — but not in immigration clearance. Each person must also meet the health and character requirements, and any debt owed to the Australian Government by you or a family member must be repaid or be subject to an approved repayment arrangement.

There is also a location rule at the decision stage: you must generally be outside Australia when the decision is made on your subclass 103 application. Retiree applicants are the exception and may be either in or outside Australia at decision time.

What makes a child a "dependent" once they turn 18?

This is where most Parent visa files are lost, so it is worth setting out the three alternatives exactly as published. To be included as a dependent child, your child must be:

under 18 years of age; or
over 18 but not yet turned 23, and dependent on you or your partner; or
over 23, unable to earn a living to support themselves due to physical or cognitive limitations, and dependent on you or your partner.

Note the structure: the middle band is not automatic. Reaching 18 removes the automatic assumption of dependency, and the applicant has to prove it. Reaching 23 closes that route entirely, leaving only the disability-based limb.

Queue length is why this matters in practice. Applications for this visa are subject to capping and queueing, released in the order received as places become available, and the Department's guidance for dependants warns directly that if a child is likely to turn 23 while the application is being processed, you will need to provide evidence that they are dependent on you due to disability. Assume a child in their late teens will age out of the middle band unless dependency by reason of disability can be documented.

For reference, the visa cost starts from AUD 8,665 for a single applicant, with additional charges for each family member who applies with you, payable in two instalments — the second instalment must be paid before the visa can be granted.

Can my partner be included, and what proves the relationship?

Yes, a spouse or de facto partner can be included when you apply. The relationship evidence is the substance of the partner's case: a current marriage certificate for a marriage, or documents showing you have been in a de facto relationship for at least 12 months before you apply. The Department lists joint bank account statements, billing accounts in joint names, joint leases or mortgages, and documents showing a shared address as examples.

Two further points from the published guidance are easy to overlook. Both partners should be prepared for questions about other relationships where relevant, and an Assurance of Support covers you and any family members who come to Australia with you on this visa — so including a partner widens the scope of that guarantee, even though the sponsor or a family member is not required to be the one providing it.

Applying through the retirement pathway changes who can join you

If you qualify as a retiree — which requires that on 8 May 2018 you held or had previously held an Investor Retirement (subclass 405) or Retirement (subclass 410) visa, have held no other substantive visa between that date and the date you apply, and are in Australia — the composition rules narrow sharply.

As a retiree you may include your partner only if they are also a Retirement visa or Investor Retirement visa holder. You cannot include your children, or your partner's children, in the application at all; those children need to be considered under a different visa pathway. Retirees are relieved of the balance of family test, the sponsor requirement and the Assurance of Support, but are personally liable for healthcare costs in Australia while the visa is processed and must maintain adequate health insurance until grant.

The location rules differ too. A retiree must be in Australia when lodging and when adding a spouse or de facto partner, whereas for everyone else the partner being added can be in or outside Australia.

Which family members must be declared even if they are not migrating?

All of them. The visa page states plainly that you must include details of all your family members in your application form, even if they are not migrating. This is a disclosure obligation, not an election: listing someone does not mean they are applying, and omitting them is not a way of keeping them out of scope.

The consequences of getting this wrong run both ways. Providing inaccurate or incomplete information carries its own consequences, and failing to prove the primary applicant's identity can have consequences for everyone named on the form — the Department may refuse the application and may not grant a visa for 10 years to any family members listed on it. Family composition is also something you must keep updated, including the birth of a child.

Do non-migrating family members have to meet health and character requirements?

This is the distinction that trips people up, and the published answer is deliberately conditional on both sides of the line:

Family members who apply for the visa with you must meet the health requirement and the character requirement.
Family members who are not coming to Australia "might also need to meet" those requirements — officially framed as something the Department may ask for, not something automatically waived.

So the practical position is that declaring a non-migrating family member does not exempt them; it puts them in a pool from which the Department can request health examinations and police certificates. Health examinations are arranged only when the Department tells you they are required, and you should not arrange a police check until asked. Where a child under 18 is involved, the decision-maker must also be satisfied that granting the visa would be in the best interests of that child.

Can family members be added after you lodge?

Possibly. The published step-by-step guidance says you might be able to add family members to your application before a decision is made, using Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement, together with evidence of your relationship and a copy of the family member's passport. Online applicants can upload it through ImmiAccount.

Where the person is located when you add them matters:

A dependent child can be in or outside Australia when added.
A spouse or de facto partner can be in or outside Australia when added, unless you applied as a retiree — in that case they must be in Australia.

There is also a hard bar worth checking before you plan around any of this: you cannot apply for a subclass 103 visa if you have already applied for or hold a Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) visa.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my adult child have to be named on the form if they are staying overseas?

Yes. Every family member must be listed on the application form whether or not they are migrating. Declaring them does not make them an applicant, but it does allow the Department to ask them to meet health and character requirements.

Can my child over 23 come with me?

Only on one ground: they are unable to earn a living to support themselves because of physical or cognitive limitations, and they are dependent on you or your partner. Age alone is not enough after 23, and neither is ordinary financial support.

My child is 21 and at university — does that count as dependent?

The rule for someone over 18 but not yet 23 requires dependency on you or your partner, and the official page asks for proof of dependency as a supporting document. Full-time study is not listed as an alternative to that dependency evidence.

My partner is not coming with me now. Can they be added later?

Possibly, if it happens before a decision is made. You would use Form 1436 and provide evidence of the relationship plus a copy of their passport. They can be in or outside Australia when added, unless you applied as a retiree, in which case they must be in Australia.

I applied as a retiree. Can I include my 16-year-old child?

No. A retiree applicant cannot include their children or their partner's children in a subclass 103 application. Only a partner who themselves holds a Retirement (subclass 410) or Investor Retirement (subclass 405) visa can be included.

What happens if I have a baby while the application is queued?

Family composition changes, including the birth of a child, must be reported. There is separate Departmental guidance on what to do when you have had a child, and the applicant party will be either in or outside Australia depending on your own pathway at the relevant time.