First entry deadline for the Aged Dependent Relative visa (114) in 2026
Where the subclass 114 first entry date comes from, why it is usually 12 months from grant, and how to check your visa in VEVO.
Your subclass 114 visa does not begin to operate for residence purposes when you land — it begins when it is granted, and it carries a separate deadline for getting here. On the Aged Dependent Relative visa (subclass 114), you must enter Australia before the date specified in your grant letter, and that first entry date is generally set at 12 months from the date the visa was granted. This is set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' official Aged Dependent Relative visa (subclass 114) page, as at the August 2026 version of that page.
The same obligation appears in the Migration Regulations 1994: clause 114.611 requires the holder to enter Australia before the date the Minister specifies, and clause 114.612 permits conditions to be attached to the visa, including condition 8502 (enter before a specified date) and condition 8515 (notify the Department of your address within 28 days of arrival).
Where does the 12-month first entry date actually come from?
It comes from the grant letter, and the date written there is the one that governs. The Department describes 12 months from the date of visa grant as the general setting, which means the period is set at grant rather than calculated by you afterwards. Two practical consequences follow: the 12 months runs from the date of grant rather than from the day the letter reached you, and a different date can be specified.
The obligation is not limited to the main applicant in any loose sense. Family members who were included in the application and granted the visa are also required to meet the visa's conditions, so a household should not treat the deadline as one shared date in one shared letter — check what was recorded for each person who holds the visa.
How do I check the date if the letter is no longer to hand?
Start with the Department's visa entitlement records. VEVO shows whether the visa is still valid, the conditions attached to it, and the date your travel validity ends. Because no visa label is placed in the passport — the visa is digitally linked to the passport instead — VEVO is also the record you would use to demonstrate that you hold the visa at all.
VEVO is queried against the passport details recorded for the visa holder, so the passport used in the application is the one that will yield the record. If a condition requiring entry by a specified date was attached, it appears in the conditions list; the Department also publishes a visa conditions page for this subclass showing what may be attached.
What VEVO tells you, and what only the grant letter tells you
| What you want to know | Where the answer comes from |
|---|---|
| By when must I first enter Australia? | The date specified in the grant letter, generally 12 months from the date of grant |
| Is my visa still valid? | VEVO |
| When does my travel validity end? | VEVO — 5 years from the date the visa was granted |
| How long can I stay once I am here? | The visa is permanent; the holder may stay indefinitely |
| Which conditions are attached? | VEVO, or the Department's visa conditions page for subclass 114 |
| Is there a visa label in the passport? | No — the visa is digitally linked to the passport |
The distinction in the first two rows is the one that catches newly granted families: travel validity and the first entry deadline are two different clocks running from the same date, and only one of them is the deadline for getting on a plane.
What happens if the first entry date has already passed?
The Department's position is that you can travel to Australia with an expired first entry arrival date if your visa is still valid, but the visa may still be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border. In other words, missing the date does not by itself end the visa, and it does not by itself guarantee entry either — the visa remains exposed to cancellation action. Checking VEVO before flights are booked is the step that tells you whether the visa is still current.
This section is general information about the published rules rather than advice on an individual case; what actually follows from an expired first entry date depends on the facts, and the Department's current published requirements govern.
Why entering on time matters beyond the flight
For citizenship purposes, permanent residency starts when you enter Australia on this visa, or on the date the visa is granted if you were previously present in Australia and held a permanent visa immediately before you last left Australia. Subclass 114 requires applicants to be outside Australia both when they apply and when the application is decided, so for most holders the residence period used for citizenship begins on arrival, not on the grant date. A delayed first entry therefore delays that start, even though the visa itself is permanent from the moment it is granted.
The travel side is separate again. The visa allows travel to and from Australia as many times as wanted for 5 years from the date of grant; after that travel validity expires, re-entering as a permanent resident requires a Resident Return visa (subclasses 155/157) unless the person has become an Australian citizen and travels on an Australian passport.
One related point deserves a place in the same checklist: because the visa is digitally linked to the passport rather than evidenced by a label, checking the record held against that passport is what shows that you hold the visa. Once you have arrived, any attached condition — such as notifying your address within 28 days — begins to run from that entry.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the first entry date always exactly 12 months after the grant?
The Department states that the first entry date is generally set at 12 months from the date of visa grant. "Generally" is doing real work in that sentence: the operative figure is the date specified in your grant letter, so treat the written date as authoritative rather than counting 12 months yourself.
Does VEVO show my first entry date?
VEVO shows whether the visa is still valid, the conditions attached to it, and when travel validity ends. Where a condition requiring entry by a specified date has been attached, it appears in the conditions list; the grant letter remains the primary record of the deadline.
What happens if I miss the first entry date?
You can still travel to Australia with an expired first entry arrival date if your visa is still valid, but the visa may be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border. VEVO is the tool that confirms whether the visa is still current before travel is arranged.
Does the five-year travel validity replace the first entry deadline?
No. Travel validity runs for 5 years from the date of grant and governs how long you can leave and re-enter; the first entry deadline is a separate, shorter requirement about making the first arrival at all. Holding travel validity for five years does not extend the date by which you were required to enter.
Do family members included in the application have their own deadline?
Family members who were granted the visa must also meet its conditions, so each holder is subject to the entry requirement in their own right. Check what was recorded for each person rather than assuming a single date covers everyone in the application.
Does a late first entry affect permanent residency?
The visa is permanent from the date it is granted, so the right to stay indefinitely is not lost by a late arrival. For citizenship purposes, however, permanent residency starts when you enter Australia on this visa if you were outside Australia at grant — unless you previously were present in Australia and held a permanent visa immediately before you last left Australia, in which case it starts on the date the visa is granted — so a delay pushes that start date back.