How to Lodge a Subclass 102 Adoption Visa on Paper in 2026: Forms, Postage and Payment

Step-by-step paper lodgement for the Subclass 102 Adoption visa: forms, prepaid postage to Perth, payment order, and ImmiAccount import.

Published: 10 July 2026 Reading time 12 min

The Subclass 102 Adoption visa can only be lodged on paper: you complete Form 47CH and Form 40CH, pay the application charge before you post anything, and send the whole package by prepaid post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. As at the August 2026 version of the Australian Department of Home Affairs' Adoption visa (Subclass 102) page, there is no online lodgement option and no in-person counter lodgement for this visa. What follows describes that published process only; it is general information rather than advice on an individual case, and where your circumstances sit outside it, the official page and the legislation behind it govern.

What has to be settled before you touch the forms?

Two checks come first, because a package that fails either one is wasted postage.

The child's passport must be valid. The Department lists this as the opening step, and it feeds directly into the identity documents you will later have to supply.

The eligibility position also has to hold at three separate points in time. The child must be under 18 when adopted, when they apply, and when the Department decides; must be outside Australia when the application is made and when it is decided; and must be adopted, or in the process of being adopted, by the sponsoring parent. A COVID-19 visa concession may apply in some cases.

Which forms go into the envelope?

Two, and they travel together:

Form 47CH — Application for migration to Australia by a child, completed by or for the child
Form 40CH — Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia, completed by the sponsor

Both must be completed in English. If you are appointing someone to receive correspondence or to give immigration assistance, Form 956A or Form 956 goes in with the paper application as well — the Department treats written notification or the form itself as the way you record that appointment.

Note the boundary the Department draws on assistance: only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person may be appointed to give immigration assistance. Anyone may be appointed to receive documents.

Do you pay before or after posting?

Before. The instruction is explicit: you must pay the application charge before you post your application, and the Department will not process the application until it is paid.

In practice this means your envelope carries three things together — the two forms, evidence that the charge has been paid, and the supporting documentation. A package that arrives without proof of payment sits outside the processing queue rather than moving through it.

Where exactly does it go?

There is one processing centre and two addresses, and the difference is post versus courier rather than two interchangeable options.

Method	Address
Post (with correct prepaid postage)	Department of Home Affairs, Child and Other Family Processing Centre, Locked Bag 7, NORTHBRIDGE WA 6865
Courier	Department of Home Affairs, Child and Other Family Processing Centre, Wellington Central, 836 Wellington Street, WEST PERTH WA 6005

The prepaid postage wording is part of the requirement, not a courtesy note. Underpaid mail is a lodgement problem you create yourself.

Lodging at any other office, or submitting the application in any other way, does not produce a valid application and cannot be considered further. Applications for this visa cannot be submitted in person. If any of the above steps are incomplete your application may be invalid; if that is the case, the Department will notify you and, if requested, return the application rather than assess it.

What supporting documents should be in the package?

The Department's document list is built around identity, travel, the adoption itself, photographs, and character.

Identity: the pages of the child's current passport showing photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates; a national identity card if they have one; and proof of any change of name.
Travel: a certified copy of the passport or travel document used to enter Australia and any passports held since.
Photographs: four recent photos, 45mm x 35mm, of the child and of any dependent child included. They must be less than six months old, good quality colour (no laser copies), full face, against a plain light-coloured background. Untinted prescription glasses are acceptable; a head covering worn for religious reasons may show only the face.
Adoption: the child's adoption papers or adoption compliance certificate, plus the additional evidence the Department specifies where an Australian state or territory central authority was involved or where the adoption followed an expatriate process.
Character: children over 16 must provide a police certificate from every country where they spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16. For Australia, only National Police Certificates issued under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship by the Australian Federal Police are accepted — not standard disclosure certificates or state and territory police certificates. Police certificates are valid for 12 months from issue. Military service records or discharge papers are required if anyone in the application served in armed forces. Children over 16 must also complete Form 80.

For every dependant under 18 applying with the child, also provide their identity documents, travel documents, and proof of the child's relationship with them, such as a birth or marriage certificate. Send certified copies, not originals. Keep a full copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your own records.

What happens once the Department receives it?

You receive an acknowledgement that the application and documents have arrived. That letter is the trigger for the next practical step.

You can then import the paper application into ImmiAccount. Once imported, you can attach supporting documents, view messages, update your details, check status, apply for a Bridging Visa, or withdraw the application.

To import, create an ImmiAccount or log into an existing one, then enter three pieces of information:

your application ID
your date of birth
your identity document number — passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage

For this visa you can import any new and existing applications made in Australia, and existing applications made outside Australia on or after 1 April 2020. Applications lodged outside Australia before 1 April 2020 fall outside the import path; for those, additional documents go through the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form instead of ImmiAccount, and the same applies if you cannot use ImmiAccount at all.

What should you not do while the application is pending?

Three things are worth holding back on.

Do not arrange travel to Australia for the child until the Department has told you in writing that the visa is granted. An itinerary booked against an expectation, rather than a grant, is risk with no upside.

Do not expect progress updates inside the published global visa processing times. The Department states it cannot provide progress updates within those timeframes and will make contact if it needs anything further.

Do not sit on missing documents. If you did not include everything at lodgement, provide it as soon as you can; if you have imported the application, upload it through ImmiAccount.

Health examinations and biometrics are arranged when the Department asks — it will tell you when to arrange the child's health examinations, and will tell you if biometrics are needed. If you spot a mistake on the application, Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers) is the mechanism, uploadable through ImmiAccount where the application has been imported.

Certain changes must be reported after lodgement: phone number, address or passport changes; changes to marital or de facto status; the birth of a child; and a decision to withdraw. A dependent child of the child can be added to the application any time before a decision is made.

What does the outcome look like?

A visa can be granted to any child who is outside Australia and meets the grant requirements, subject to any applicable COVID-19 visa concession. The decision comes in writing, and you should keep a copy.

If granted, you are told the visa grant number, the start date, any visa conditions, and — where the child is outside Australia — the date by which they must enter. If refused, you are told why and whether there is a right to review. The application fee is not refunded if the application is refused.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I lodge a Subclass 102 application online in 2026?

No. The Department of Home Affairs states you must apply for this visa on paper, and that applications cannot be submitted in person either. ImmiAccount is a management tool you use after lodgement, not a lodgement channel.

Which two forms do I need, and do they go in the same envelope?

Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia). They must be completed in English and sent together by post or courier to the Perth processing centre.

Do I pay the application charge before or after posting?

Before. The Department will not process the application until the charge is paid, and your package should include evidence of payment along with the forms and supporting documents.

What is the difference between the Northbridge and West Perth addresses?

They are the same processing centre reached two different ways: Locked Bag 7, NORTHBRIDGE WA 6865 is the postal address and requires correct prepaid postage; 836 Wellington Street, WEST PERTH WA 6005 is the courier address. Lodging at any other office is not a valid application.

When can I import my paper application into ImmiAccount?

After you receive your acknowledgement letter. You enter your application ID, date of birth, and identity document number. Applications made in Australia can be imported, as can applications made outside Australia on or after 1 April 2020.

How recent do the photographs need to be, and how many?

Four recent photos at 45mm x 35mm, for the child and any dependent child included in the application. They must be less than six months old, good quality colour, full face, and taken against a plain light-coloured background.

Should I send original documents with the application?

No. Send certified copies only and keep a copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your records. If the Department needs anything further, it will ask.

Can I add another child to the application later?

Yes — a child's dependent child can be added any time before the Department makes a decision on the application.