Documents Needed for the Australian Child Visa (Subclass 101) in 2026
A full document checklist for the Subclass 101 child visa, separating what every applicant must lodge from what depends on the child's age and history.
A complete Subclass 101 (Child visa) application is built from five blocks of evidence: the two paper application forms, identity and photographs, travel documents, proof of the child's relationship to the sponsoring parent (plus financial dependency evidence if the child is over 18), and character documents for anyone aged 16 or over. The list below follows the Department of Home Affairs "Child visa (Subclass 101)" official page as at the August 2026 version, which is also where each requirement should be re-checked before lodgement; this article is general reference only and does not substitute for advice on an individual case. One structural point shapes everything else: this visa is applied for on paper, so the checklist is assembled physically and posted, not uploaded at lodgement.
What has to be in the envelope, and where does it go?
The paper application consists of Form 47CH Application for migration to Australia by a child and Form 40CH Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia, completed in English and sent together. The application charge must be paid before the application is posted, and evidence of that payment goes in the envelope along with the supporting documents; applications are not processed until the charge is paid.
Lodgement is by prepaid post to the Department of Home Affairs, Child and Other Family Processing Centre, Locked Bag 7, Northbridge WA 6865, or by courier to the same centre at Wellington Central, 836 Wellington Street, West Perth WA 6005. Submitting the forms at another office, in person, or by any other route means the application is not valid and cannot be considered further.
Send certified copies only, never originals, and keep a complete copy of the application and every attachment for your own records.
Required for every application vs. required in some situations
| Document group | Applies to | What to provide |
|---|---|---|
| Forms and payment | Every applicant | Form 47CH, Form 40CH, evidence the application charge was paid |
| Identity | Every applicant | Current passport pages showing photo, personal details, and issue/expiry dates; national identity card if the child has one |
| Photographs | The child and any dependent child included | 4 recent passport-size photos each |
| Travel | Every applicant | Certified copy of the passport or travel document used to enter Australia, plus any passports held since then |
| Relationship | Every applicant | Birth certificate, marriage certificate, adoption certificate, or officially issued family book/family status certificate |
| Financial dependency | Only if the child is over 18 at lodgement | Evidence of dependence on the parent for food, shelter and clothing, and how long support has been provided |
| Character | Only applicants aged 16 or over | Police certificates, Form 80, and military records if applicable |
| Dependants under 18 | Only if a dependent child applies with the child | Identity documents, travel documents, proof of relationship to the child, and character documents if applicable |
What identity documents does the child need?
Provide the pages of the child's current passport showing their photo, personal details, and the passport issue and expiry dates. If the child holds a national identity card, include it. If the child has ever been known by another name, include proof of the change of name — either change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing the other names the child has been known by.
If the child was adopted, provide certified copies of the adoption papers or the adoption compliance certificate. This sits alongside the relationship evidence, not instead of it.
How many photos, and what specifications apply?
Provide 4 recent passport-size photos (45mm x 35mm) of the child, and 4 for any dependent child included in the application. The photos must be passport-size, less than 6 months old, and good-quality colour — laser copies are not accepted. Each photo must show a full-face view against a plain light-coloured background. The child may wear untinted prescription glasses, and where a head covering is worn for religious reasons, only the face may be shown.
Which travel documents are required?
Provide a certified copy of the passport or travel document the child will use to enter Australia, and certified copies of any passports the child has held since then. The "since then" element is what catches people out: it is a history requirement, not a single current document, so expired passports are part of the set rather than something to discard.
How do you prove the child's relationship to the parent?
Evidence of the relationship can be a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, an adoption certificate, or a family status certificate or family book — the last of these only where it is officially issued and maintained. The document you choose has to actually establish the link to the sponsoring parent, which is why a household register that is not officially maintained will not do the job on its own.
What financial dependency evidence is needed for a child over 18?
If the child is over 18 when the application is made, provide evidence that they are dependent on their parent for basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing, together with evidence of how long that support has been provided. Acceptable examples include bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts. What matters evidentially is the pattern over time, so records that show a single recent transfer carry far less weight than records showing continuing support.
This requirement lines up with the eligibility test itself: a child over 18 and under 25 must be a full-time student when applying and when the application is decided, must not work full time, and must be financially dependent on their parent more than on any other person. A child over 18 with a disability must have totally or partially lost their bodily or mental functions and cannot work full time. Those criteria are set out in the Migration Regulations 1994, while the departmental page describes how to evidence them.
What does each dependent child under 18 need?
For every dependant under 18 applying with the child: identity documents, travel documents, proof of their relationship with the child (such as a birth certificate), and character documents where applicable. In practice this means each dependent child is documented almost as thoroughly as the main applicant. A dependent child can be added to the application at any time before a decision is made.
What character documents apply, and who needs them?
Children over 16 must provide police certificates from every country they have spent 12 months or more in over the last 10 years, since turning 16. For Australia, only National Police Certificates applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship are accepted; these are issued by the Australian Federal Police. Standard disclosure certificates and certificates issued by Australian state or territory police are not accepted for immigration purposes. Police certificates remain valid for 12 months from the date of issue.
Children over 16 must also complete and provide Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment. If anyone included in the application has served in the armed forces of any country, military service records or discharge papers must be provided.
What changes if someone helps with the application?
Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person can lawfully provide immigration assistance. You may appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf. To nominate someone to receive correspondence, use Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient; to appoint someone to provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person. Either written notification or the completed form should be sent with the paper application.
What happens if something is missing after lodgement?
After the paper application is lodged, it can be imported into ImmiAccount once the acknowledgement letter arrives, using the application ID, date of birth, and identity document number. Imported applications can then be managed online, including attaching further documents, viewing messages, and updating details. Applications lodged outside Australia before 1 April 2020 cannot be imported; additional documents for those are attached through the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.
If documents were left out, provide them as soon as possible — the Department may also ask for more information. If a mistake on the application is discovered later, notify the Department using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers. After lodgement, health examinations and biometrics are arranged when the Department asks for them, rather than being booked upfront, and travel to Australia should not be arranged until the visa grant is received in writing.
One further threshold sits behind the paperwork and explains many delays: if any step is incomplete, the application may be invalid, and invalid applications are not processed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the Subclass 101 application be lodged online?
No. It must be lodged on paper using Form 47CH and Form 40CH, sent together by prepaid post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. Applications submitted at any other office, in person, or by another route are not valid applications.
Do we send original birth certificates and passports?
No. Only certified copies should be sent with the application; originals stay with you. Keep a copy of the completed application and all supporting documents for your own records, because the same documents often have to be re-supplied later.
How recent must the child's photos be?
Photos must be less than 6 months old, passport-size (45mm x 35mm), and in good-quality colour, since laser copies are rejected. Each photo must show a full-face view against a plain light-coloured background, and four photos are required for the child and for each dependent child included.
Who in the application needs police certificates?
Anyone over 16 needs police certificates from each country where they have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. Australian certificates must be AFP National Police Certificates issued under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship, and they are valid for 12 months from issue.
What evidence shows a child over 18 is financially dependent?
The Department asks for evidence the child relies on their parent for food, shelter and clothing, plus how long that support has continued. Bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts are the examples given, and records covering a sustained period are more useful than isolated transactions.
Our child was adopted. Which documents apply?
Provide certified copies of the adoption papers or the adoption compliance certificate, in addition to the relationship and identity documents. Eligibility also depends on the adoption having occurred before the child turned 18, at a time when the adoptive parent was not an Australian citizen, permanent visa holder, or eligible New Zealand citizen; other cases may instead fall under the Adoption visa (subclass 102).
What if we discover an error after posting the application?
Tell the Department as soon as possible using Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers. If the application has been imported into ImmiAccount, the completed form can be uploaded there; otherwise it is attached through the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.