How Much Does the Parent Visa (Subclass 103) Cost in 2026?
A Parent visa (subclass 103) starts at AUD 8,665, but the total depends on two instalments, family members and health and character checks.
The Parent visa (subclass 103) costs from AUD 8,665 for a single applicant, according to the Department of Home Affairs' Parent visa (subclass 103) page, current as at July 2026. That figure is the starting price of the visa application charge itself — not a total cost of moving a parent to Australia. Three things move the final number: the charge is split into two instalments, there are additional charges for each family member included in the application, and most applicants will also pay separately for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
Visa pricing is set by the department and can change; the amounts that apply to you are the ones published in its current visa pricing schedule when you lodge and when each instalment falls due. This article is general information only and is not advice about your own circumstances, so treat the department's published figures and the official subclass 103 page as the authoritative source for your decision.
What does the AUD 8,665 actually buy?
It covers assessment of your claim to permanent residence as the parent of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen who is settled in Australia. The subclass 103 is a permanent visa: holders can stay in Australia indefinitely, work and study, enrol in Medicare, sponsor eligible family members, and travel to and from Australia for five years from the date of grant, after which a Resident Return visa is needed to re-enter as a permanent resident.
The Australia-wide base figure is also associated with a queue. Demand for Parent visas exceeds the places available each year, so applications are subject to capping and queueing and are processed in the order received, with an initial eligibility assessment placing an application into the queue and a second, final assessment once places become available. Cost and decision speed are therefore two separate questions — this route is the lower-charge, longer-wait option.
How is the charge split into two instalments?
The department describes the cost as payable in two parts. The first instalment is paid when you apply; the second is paid when the department asks for it, and it must be paid before the visa can be granted.
| First instalment | Second instalment | |
|---|---|---|
| When it is due | When you lodge the application | When the department sends an invoice |
| Amount | Determined by the pricing schedule in force at lodgement | Amount not specified on the visa page; set out in the invoice |
| Consequence of non-payment | The application is not processed | The application will be refused |
Two consequences follow from this structure and are worth budgeting around. The application fee is not refunded if your application is refused, including a refusal triggered by an unpaid second instalment. And because the invoice arrives while your application sits in a capped and queued programme, the gap between the two payments is not something you control — for household budgeting purposes the second instalment should be treated as a future liability of roughly headline-magnitude, not a small administrative add-on.
There is also a mechanical risk: applications can only be processed if the correct visa application charge has been paid. If the amount paid is not correct, the department will notify you and may return the application.
Lodgement itself now runs online. Applications lodged on or after 22 April 2026 must be made through ImmiAccount, and payment is made as part of that online process.
How much does each family member add?
The visa page states that there are additional charges for each family member who applies with you. It does not set out those amounts; the per-person charges sit in the separate visa pricing schedule, and they apply per additional applicant rather than per application.
Two eligibility rules determine who can be counted in that additional charge:
- Partner. Your spouse or de facto partner can apply with you, provided you supply identity documents, character documents, and evidence of the relationship — a current marriage certificate, or documents showing a de facto relationship of at least 12 months before you apply.
- Dependent children. A dependent child can be included if they are under 18; aged 18 to 22 and dependent on you or your partner; or 23 or older and unable to earn a living due to physical or cognitive limitations while remaining dependent on you or your partner. Each adult dependent child needs identity, relationship, other-relationship, character and dependency documents.
Note the disclosure burden: all family members must be listed in the application form even if they are not migrating, and family members who are not coming to Australia may still need to meet health and character requirements. That means an application can carry document-related costs for people who attract no additional visa charge.
Family members can also be added after lodgement and before a decision, using Form 1436 Adding an additional applicant after lodgement, together with evidence of the relationship and a copy of the family member's passport. Anyone added late brings their additional charge with them.
What else do you pay beyond the visa application charge?
These are referred to as related costs, and unlike the visa charge they are incurred per applicant, not once per application.
| Cost | How it arises |
|---|---|
| Health checks | Health examinations are arranged when the department tells you they are required |
| Police certificates | Character documents, including police certificates, are requested; the department advises not to arrange police checks until asked |
| Biometrics | Fingerprints and photographs may be requested from you |
| Assurance of Support | Arranged when requested, through Services Australia; may be given by an individual, more than one person, or an organisation |
Health and character are substantive requirements, not formalities: both must be met by family members who apply for the visa, and by family members who are not migrating where the department requires it.
The Assurance of Support deserves separate treatment in any household budget. It is a distinct financial commitment arranged through Services Australia rather than a visa application charge, and the sponsor or a family member is not obliged to provide it — any individual, group of individuals, or organisation may. Applicants under the Retirement visa pathway do not need a sponsor or an Assurance of Support at all, and likewise do not need to meet the balance of family test; the trade-off is that retirees cannot include their children, and can include only a partner who is themselves a Retirement or Investor Retirement visa holder.
Who pays less than AUD 8,665 from 1 July 2026?
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application. The mechanics are straightforward:
- The lower cost is charged during the application process — there is no separate claim to make.
- Eligibility is recognised from a valid passport issued by the primary applicant's country.
- Family members also get the lower cost, based on the passport of the primary applicant.
- The listed countries are the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.
The visa page does not quantify the reduced amount, so the concession should be read as "some amount below the standard charge" until it is published in the pricing schedule.
Does paying more get a faster decision?
That is the real comparison most families are making, and the official page frames it in relative rather than absolute terms. The amounts for these other routes are not given here and belong to the same pricing schedule.
| Route | Relative cost | Relative speed |
|---|---|---|
| Parent (subclass 103) | Lower | Longest; capped and queued |
| Contributory Parent (subclass 143) | Higher than 103 | May be processed faster |
| Contributory Parent (Temporary) (subclass 173), then 143 | Higher than 103, and higher than applying directly for 143 | Faster; cost spread across two visas over a longer period |
| Sponsored Parent (Temporary) (subclass 870) | Temporary visa | Allows stays of 3 or 5 years at a time, up to a 10-year maximum total |
Switching is not penalised: if you withdraw a subclass 103 application and move to a Contributory Parent visa, your original 103 application date is taken into account and the change will not disadvantage you. One constraint cuts the other way — you cannot apply for a subclass 103 if you have already applied for or hold a subclass 870 visa.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is AUD 8,665 the full cost of a Parent visa (subclass 103)?
No. It is the starting price for a single applicant and covers the visa application charge only. The total also includes the second instalment, additional charges for each family member included in the application, and per-applicant related costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
When do I have to pay the second instalment?
You pay it when the department asks for it, and it must be paid before the visa can be granted. The timing depends on how far your application has progressed through the queue, so it should be treated as a future liability rather than a same-year expense alongside the first instalment.
What happens if I don't pay the second instalment?
The department will refuse the application. Refusal also brings a second consequence: the visa application fee already paid is not refunded, including the first instalment.
Are health checks and police certificates included in the visa charge?
No, they are separate related costs that apply per applicant rather than once per application. Health examinations and police certificates are arranged when the department requests them — notably, the department advises waiting until it asks before arranging police checks.
How much does it cost to add my partner or another family member?
The charge applies per additional family member rather than per application, but the amounts are published in the department's visa pricing schedule rather than on the subclass 103 page. Family members added later, before a decision, attract the same additional charge when they are added using Form 1436.
Can I get my money back if the visa is refused?
The visa application fee is not refunded if your application is refused. This applies to refusals generally, including refusals for failing to pay the second instalment invoice.