What Does the Subclass 102 Adoption Visa Cost in 2026 and When Must You Pay?
How the Subclass 102 Adoption visa charge is built up, what the Visa Pricing Estimator leaves out, and why unpaid applications are not processed.
The Adoption visa (Subclass 102) is priced per person, not as one flat family fee. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Adoption visa (Subclass 102) page, as at the August 2026 version, the visa carries a charge for the main applicant — the adopted child — plus an additional charge for each of the child's dependent children who apply for the visa. The exact figure is worked out through the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator, and payment is due strictly in advance: on this paper-only visa, the application charge must be paid before you post the application, and the Department will not process it until payment has been made.
How the Subclass 102 charge is built up
Two layers make up the government charge:
- Main applicant charge — payable for the adopted child who is the subject of the application.
- Additional charge per dependent child — payable for each of that child's dependent children who are included in the application, whether they are added at lodgement or later.
That second point matters for budgeting. A dependent child of the child can be added to the application at any time before the Department makes a decision, which means the total charge can rise after you have lodged if your family circumstances change. There is no "one price covers everyone" position on this visa.
How do I work out the actual amount?
Use the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator for Subclass 102. The official page directs applicants there specifically because the amount depends on who is included in the application, and the estimator is the tool that accounts for the additional charges.
Critically, the estimator only covers the visa application charge. It does not factor in the other costs that commonly sit alongside an adoption case, so the estimator figure should be treated as the floor of your budget rather than the full cost of getting the child to Australia.
| Included in the Visa Pricing Estimator | Not included |
|---|---|
| Main applicant visa application charge | Health examinations |
| Additional charge per dependent child | Police certificates |
| — | Biometrics, if requested |
What other costs should I plan for?
The Department lists three categories that sit outside the visa application charge: health exams, police certificates and biometrics. Each has its own timing and its own payer:
- Health exams — required for the child's dependent children who apply, and family members who are not coming to Australia may also have to meet the health requirement. The Department tells you when to arrange the child's health examinations after lodgement, rather than asking you to book them upfront.
- Police certificates — needed for children over 16, from every country where they have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. For Australia, only a National Police Certificate applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship is accepted. Certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date, so one that expires before it is assessed may have to be obtained again.
- Biometrics — collected only if the Department asks for them; you will be told if your adopted child needs to provide them.
Because these are arranged at different points and priced by third parties, they are the part of the budget most likely to move after lodgement.
When exactly does the money have to be paid?
Before you post the application. Subclass 102 must be lodged on paper using Form 47CH and Form 40CH, sent together by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. The official steps state that you must pay the application charge before you post your application, and that the application should include evidence of payment together with the supporting documentation.
Two consequences follow from that rule:
- The Department will not process the application until the application charge is paid.
- If the correct visa application charge is not paid, the Department cannot process the application at all. It will let you know and may return the application.
Paying only part of the amount at lodgement is also listed as a reason an application takes longer to process, because full payment at the time of initial lodgement is what keeps the file moving.
Does a lower charge apply in 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 Department charges the lower amount during the application process and identifies eligible applicants by a valid passport from one of the specified countries:
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.
Family members are also eligible for the lower visa cost, and eligibility for them is based on the passport of the primary applicant — or the visa holder who satisfies the primary visa criteria — rather than each family member's own passport. If this concession could apply to your case, the primary applicant needs to hold a valid passport issued by one of those countries.
What happens to the money if the application is refused?
The Department states that it will not refund the application fee if it refuses the application. That is worth pricing into the decision rather than treating as an afterthought: the charge buys an assessment, not an outcome, and the same is true of the third-party costs, which are generally spent regardless of the result.
This article is general information about how the published rules and charges work, not personalised advice about any individual case; amounts, eligibility and timing should always be confirmed against the Department's current published figures before you lodge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Subclass 102 fee charged per person or per application?
It is built up per person. There is a charge for the main applicant, plus an additional charge for each of the child's dependent children who apply for the visa. Adding a dependent child before a decision is made therefore increases the total charge.
Does the Visa Pricing Estimator include health exams and police certificates?
No. The estimator covers the visa application charge only and does not consider other costs such as health exams, police certificates and biometrics. Those need to be budgeted separately and are arranged at different stages of the process.
When do I actually have to pay the application charge?
Before you post the paper application. Subclass 102 is lodged by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, and the Department states that the charge must be paid before posting, with evidence of payment included in the application.
What happens if I pay the wrong amount or do not pay at all?
The Department cannot process the application without the correct visa application charge. If that happens it will let you know and may return the application, and failing to make full payment at initial lodgement is also listed as a reason processing takes longer.
Will I get the visa application fee back if the visa is refused?
No. The Department states that it will not refund the application fee if it refuses the application, and third-party costs such as health exams and police certificates are separate expenses that are not recovered through the visa process.
Do Pacific Island or Timor-Leste applicants pay a different amount?
From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible citizens of the listed Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste who lodge a valid application, identified by a valid passport from one of those countries. Family members qualify too, based on the primary applicant's passport.