Paper Lodgement for Subclass 102 in 2026: Valid Applications, ImmiAccount Import and Acknowledgement

A paper Subclass 102 (Adoption visa) application is valid only when the correct pair of forms, completed in English, is paid for before it is posted or couriered to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth — anything lodged at another office or lodged in person is not a valid application and cannot be considered further. Once the acknowledgement letter arrives, the application can be imported into ImmiAccount, but applications made outside Australia before 1 April 2020 sit outside that import route. This reflects the Department of Home Affairs' official Adoption visa (Subclass 102) page, as of August 2026.

What makes a paper Subclass 102 application valid?

Validity here is procedural, not a judgement on the merits of the adoption. The official page sets out a short chain of conditions, and breaking any link in it makes the application invalid:

Lodged on paper. Subclass 102 cannot be submitted online and cannot be submitted in person.
Both required forms are completed and sent together: Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia).
The forms are completed in English.
The application charge is paid before you post, with evidence of payment included.
The package goes to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, by post with correct prepaid postage or by courier.
Relevant supporting documentation is included with the application.

Underneath all of this sits the eligibility frame: the child must have been under 18 when adopted, must be under 18 when applying and when the decision is made, must be outside Australia both when the application is made and when it is decided, and must be adopted or in the process of being adopted by the sponsor parent.

Which Perth address should you use — post or courier?

This is the single most mechanical, and most consequential, detail in the process. The same centre handles both, but the addresses differ, and using the wrong one for your method of delivery invites handling problems.

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 "Locked Bag" address is a mail bag, not a street address a courier can deliver to; the Wellington Street address exists precisely because couriers cannot use it. Matching the address to the delivery method is part of getting the application to the right office in the first place.

Do you pay before or after posting?

Before. The official page states you must pay the application charge before you post your application, and that the Department will not process the application until the charge is paid. The application should also include evidence of payment together with the supporting documentation.

The practical reading is that a posted package without payment evidence is not simply "missing a document" — it stalls before processing begins, and combined with any other gap it risks being treated as invalid. Assume a hypothetical applicant who posts the forms on the last day of a preferred window and arranges payment afterwards: the sequence itself is the problem, because the page fixes payment as a precondition of lodgement, not a step that can be tidied up later.

What happens if the application is invalid?

Invalid applications are not processed. The Department notifies you if this is the case and, if requested, returns the application. There is no assessment on the merits while an application sits in that state, so the cost of invalidity is measured in lost time rather than in a refusal decision.

Because invalidity turns on steps the applicant controls — office, payment sequence, English forms, complete package — it is also the part of the process most worth double-checking before the envelope is sealed.

When can a paper application be imported into ImmiAccount?

Import happens after lodgement, not instead of it. The official page says you can import the application after you receive your acknowledgement letter. Importing gives access to online services: attaching supporting documents, viewing messages, updating details, viewing application status, applying for a Bridging Visa, and withdrawing the application.

To import, you log into an existing ImmiAccount or create a new one, then enter:

the application ID,
the date of birth, and
the identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number).

Which applications can actually be imported — and what about pre-April 2020 lodgements?

This is where the 1 April 2020 date does real work. The Department's position is:

Applications made in Australia — new and existing — can be imported.
Applications made outside Australia on or after 1 April 2020 can be imported.
Applications made outside Australia before 1 April 2020 fall back to the offline channel.

That fallback applies to more than curiosity. If you cannot use ImmiAccount, or you lodged outside Australia before 1 April 2020, additional documents, a completed Form 1023 (Notification of incorrect answers), and Forms 956 / 956A are handled by attaching them to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form instead. So for an older offshore lodgement, the acknowledgement letter still arrives, but it does not open the ImmiAccount door.

What should go in the envelope — originals, copies and documents?

Only certified copies. The Department asks that originals not be sent with the application, and that you keep a copy of the completed application and its supporting documents for your own records.

Supporting material referenced for this visa includes identity pages of the child's current passport, travel documents used to enter Australia, adoption papers or an adoption compliance certificate, four recent photographs (45mm x 35mm, less than six months old), and — for children over 16 — police certificates and Form 80. Where someone is assisting with the application, Forms 956 and 956A are the mechanisms for appointing a migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person, or an authorised recipient for correspondence.

Note also that the Department states it cannot provide progress updates within global visa processing times; it will make contact if anything further is needed. This article describes published requirements for general reference and is not advice on any individual case — for a specific situation, rely on the official page as currently published and on a qualified professional's assessment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Subclass 102 be lodged online or in person?

No. The official page states you must apply for this visa on paper, and that applications for this visa cannot be submitted in person. ImmiAccount is a post-lodgement management tool, not a lodgement channel for this subclass.

What if I post the forms to a different Home Affairs office?

The Department states that if you submit the application at any other office or in any other way, it will not be a valid application and cannot be considered further. The correct destination is the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, by post or courier.

How soon after lodgement can I import the application?

After you receive the acknowledgement letter. Importing requires the application ID, the applicant's date of birth, and the identity document number (passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage).

Can I import an application lodged outside Australia before 1 April 2020?

No. Existing applications made outside Australia can be imported only if they were made on or after 1 April 2020. Earlier offshore lodgements use the Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form for additional documents and notification forms.

What happens to an invalid application?

Invalid applications are not processed. The Department notifies you that the application is invalid and, if you request it, returns the application to you.

Is the fee refunded if the visa is refused?

The official page states the application fee will not be refunded if the application is refused. It does not describe a refund pathway for refused applications.