Police Certificates and Form 80 for Adoption Visa Applicants Aged 16 or Over in 2026
Explains when a 16-year-old on a subclass 102 Adoption visa needs police certificates and Form 80, and why only the AFP Code 33 check counts.
A child turning 16 changes what an Adoption visa (subclass 102) application has to contain. Under the Australian Department of Home Affairs Adoption visa (Subclass 102) official page, a child aged 16 years or older must meet the character requirement, and the documents to back that up are police certificates plus a completed Form 80. Children under 16 are outside that requirement.
How old is "old enough" to need character documents?
Sixteen. That is the threshold printed on both the eligibility and document sections of the official page, and it creates a narrow band: the child must be under 18 at the time of the adoption, when the application is submitted and when the decision is made, so only 16- and 17-year-olds can actually be caught by it.
| Circumstance | Character documents listed on the official page |
|---|---|
| Child under 16 | Police certificates and Form 80 are not part of the standard list |
| Child 16 or 17 | Police certificates for the required countries, completed Form 80, and military records where applicable |
| Another dependent child included in the application (for example a sibling) | The Department may also ask that they meet the requirement, including if they are under 16 |
The last row matters for families applying with more than one child. The character requirement is stated for the main applicant aged 16 or over, but the Department keeps the option of extending it to another dependent child in the same application, so a younger sibling is not automatically exempt.
Which countries does the child need a police certificate from?
Every country in which they have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years, counted since they turned 16. That wording does two things worth reading slowly. The 10-year look-back begins at the 16th birthday, not at birth, so periods of residence in another country during early childhood fall outside this particular rule. And the trigger is cumulative: 12 months or more in total, not one continuous stay.
Take a hypothetical applicant who turned 16 five months ago and has lived in one country since birth. On the published rule, only residence since turning 16 counts, so that single country does not yet require a certificate, even though the child has lived there for 16 years. Add a year-long stay in a second country three years ago and that stay falls before the 16th birthday, so the second country does not join the list.
Why does the Australian certificate have to be an AFP Code 33 check?
Where the 12-month rule points to Australia, the official page accepts only one document: a National Police Certificate applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship. The Australian Federal Police issue these certificates.
Two common substitutes are expressly not accepted:
- standard disclosure certificates, and
- certificates issued by Australian state or territory police.
This trips people up because state police checks use similar language and cost less, and because many employers and volunteer organisations in Australia accept them. For immigration purposes they are the wrong product. The purpose code is the distinguishing feature, and it has to be Code 33 at the time of application.
For countries other than Australia, the official page requires a police certificate from that country and does not apply the Australian Code 33 requirement or specify the issuing authority.
How long does a police certificate stay valid?
Twelve months from the issue date, for immigration purposes. Ordering certificates long before the application goes in can leave the documents outside that window by the time they are assessed, and the timing is worth sequencing against the rest of the paperwork rather than collecting first and lodging later.
What does Form 80 add that the certificates do not?
Form 80, formally titled Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment, is required from children over 16 in addition to the certificates. A police certificate reports what a jurisdiction holds on record; Form 80 collects the personal history the Department uses to assess character — residence, employment and study history, and other particulars — which covers ground a certificate cannot. Both are required, and one does not stand in for the other.
One adjacent item belongs in the same folder: if anyone included in the application has served in the armed forces of any country, military service records or discharge papers must be provided. The wording covers the application as a whole, not only the child.
Where do these documents sit in the application?
There is no online lodgement path for this visa. Form 47CH Application for migration to Australia by a child and Form 40CH Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia are completed in English and sent together by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, after the application charge has been paid. The official page advises sending certified copies rather than originals and keeping your own copy of the complete application. Character documents travel with that paper package, or are uploaded later through ImmiAccount once the application has been imported.
Everything above is general information about how the published requirements operate, not an assessment of any particular family's circumstances; because character is assessed on the individual record, anyone dealing with a complicated residence history or past offending should confirm the current requirements on the official page, and people permitted to give immigration assistance are limited to registered migration agents, legal practitioners and exempt persons.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does our 16-year-old still need a police certificate if they have never been in trouble?
Yes. The requirement is a document requirement, not a response to any suspected issue, and applies whether or not the certificate will disclose anything. A certificate showing no disclosable record still satisfies the requirement.
Can we use a police check issued by our state or territory police for the Australian certificate?
No. The official page states that certificates issued by Australian state or territory police are not accepted, along with standard disclosure certificates. Only a National Police Certificate applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship, issued by the Australian Federal Police, meets the Australian requirement.
Our child lived in three countries, but only for short periods in two of them. How many certificates?
Count only the countries where the child spent 12 months or more within the last 10 years since turning 16. Short stays below that cumulative threshold do not trigger a certificate under the published rule.
My child is 15 now but will turn 16 before we lodge. Which rule applies?
If the child is 16 or older at the time the application is submitted, the character documents belong in the package. Keep in mind the Department also assesses criteria when it makes its decision, and the child must still be under 18 at that point, so timing that pushes a child past 18 affects eligibility itself, not just the document list.
Does Form 80 replace the police certificates?
No. They serve different purposes. Form 80 gathers personal particulars for character assessment, while each police certificate evidences the record held by a specific country, and both are listed as separate requirements for children over 16.
Do the adoptive parents need Form 80 or police certificates too?
The published Form 80 requirement attaches to children over 16, not to the sponsor. Sponsors are subject to a separate set of rules: if the sponsor or their spouse or de facto partner has a pending registrable offence charge, the sponsorship and visa application will be refused, and a registrable offence conviction can only be approved in very limited circumstances.