Certified copies and identity evidence for subclass 114 in 2026

For a Subclass 114 (Aged Dependent Relative) application, the Australian Department of Home Affairs asks for the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates, a national identity card if you have one, and proof of any change of name — and it asks for these as certified copies only, not originals, inside a paper application mailed to Perth. Everything below describes what the Department of Home Affairs sets out on its official Aged Dependent Relative visa (Subclass 114) page; it is general reference material rather than advice tailored to one person's circumstances, so anyone whose situation involves unusual documents should check that page as currently published or get advice from someone qualified to give it.

Which identity documents does the Department actually ask for?

The identity set listed on the official page is small and specific. It starts with your passport bio-data pages — the ones carrying your photo, your personal details, and the issue and expiry dates — and then adds a national identity card, if you hold one.

A useful detail for applicants whose papers are out of date: you do not have to hold a valid passport to apply, but you must provide details of your most recent passport. A separate rule then applies at decision time — the visa will only be granted if you hold a valid passport.

What counts as proof of a change of name?

If your current name differs from the name on any earlier record, the official page asks for documents proving the change. Acceptable examples given there are:

a marriage or divorce certificate
change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
documents that show other names you have been known by

The third category is the one applicants most often overlook: evidence of prior names that were never formally registered anywhere can still be part of the answer, because the page lists "documents that show other names you have been known by" alongside formal registry papers.

What happens if you cannot prove your identity?

This is the consequence the Department states most plainly, and it extends past the current application. Where an applicant cannot prove their identity, the Department says it:

will refuse the visa application
might not grant them another visa for 10 years
might not grant any family members listed on the application a visa for 10 years

The third point is the one worth pausing on. A person listed as a dependent who has done nothing wrong can still be affected by the main applicant's failure, so identity evidence is a shared risk rather than a personal one.

The Department gives the same warning from a second angle in the "provide accurate information" note attached to both the document stage and the lodgement stage: applications rest on accurate information, and it publishes a further page on what happens if you cannot prove your identity or do not provide true information.

Do you send original certificates or certified copies?

Certified copies only. The instruction on the official page is explicit: do not send original documents with your application, only send certified copies, and keep a copy of your completed application for your own records, including any supporting documents.

Because nothing comes back automatically, keeping your own duplicate of the full package is the safeguard: if you are later asked for more information, you will be working from the same set the decision-maker has.

How do these rules reach the people included in your application?

Identity documents are requested per person, not once per family. The requirements differ by age group.

Who is applying with you	Identity-related evidence listed on the official page
Dependent under 18	Identity documents; proof of your relationship with them, such as a birth or marriage certificate; character documents if applicable
Dependent 18 or over	Identity documents; documents about their other relationships if applicable; character documents; proof of dependency (Form 47a, relationship proof such as a birth certificate or adoption papers, and evidence of financial dependency for at least 12 months before you apply)
Child under 18 where a person with legal responsibility for them is not migrating	Either Form 1229 consent or a statutory declaration of consent, plus an identity document showing the signature and photo of the person who completed the form or declaration, such as a passport or driver's licence

There is one further item in that last row. Where a child will not be staying with a relative or legal guardian, Form 1257 Undertaking declaration is also required, signed by the person they are staying with. The alternative routes to consent given by the Department are an Australian court order allowing the child to migrate, or evidence that the laws of your home country allow them to migrate.

Two rules on the official page are worth reading together: you must provide details of your most recent passport even if it is no longer valid, and death certificates are among the documents listed for proving a relationship.

What goes into the envelope alongside the identity documents?

Identity papers do not travel alone, and the surrounding requirements are part of the same compliance picture. The visa must be applied for on paper, using Form 47OF, while the sponsor completes Form 40. The application form must be completed in English, and you must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the application is decided.

Payment is handled before lodgement rather than after: you pay the first instalment when you apply, using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, and you include evidence that the application is paid for with the application itself. The completed package goes by post or courier to the Parent, Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, at the address printed on the form.

The Department's warning on incomplete lodgements is direct: if any of the above steps are incomplete your application may be invalid, invalid applications are not processed, and you will be notified if that is the case, with the application returned if requested.

What if something is missing or wrong after it is posted?

Lodgement is not the last chance to fix a gap. If you did not include all necessary documents when you applied, the guidance is to provide them as soon as you can, and the Department may also ask for more information. The mechanism depends on whether you have imported the paper application into ImmiAccount, which you can do after receiving your acknowledgement letter; applications lodged outside Australia on or after 25 June 2020 can be imported.

For an actual error rather than a missing item, the correction route is Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers, to be let known as soon as possible. If you can't use ImmiAccount, attach the completed Form 1023 to a completed Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a valid passport before I apply for Subclass 114?

No — you do not have to hold a valid passport to apply, but you must provide details of your most recent passport. The visa will only be granted, however, if you hold a valid passport at decision time.

Can I leave out the national identity card if I have one?

The official page asks you to provide a national identity card "if you have one", alongside the passport pages. The condition is ownership, not convenience: holding one makes it part of the requested identity set.

Is a divorce certificate relevant to identity evidence?

Yes. A marriage or divorce certificate is listed as one of the documents proving a change of name. Change of name documents issued by an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, and documents showing other names you have been known by, are also listed.

My documents are old — should I send certified copies of the original certificates?

Yes, if they are the documents the page asks for, such as a birth certificate issued years ago. The requirement is that you send certified copies rather than originals, and the Department points to its own certified copies page for how those are made.

Can my dependants be refused because of my identity problem?

Yes. Where the main applicant cannot prove their identity, the Department says it might not grant any family members listed on the application a visa for 10 years, in addition to refusing the application and possibly refusing the applicant another visa for the same period.

What if I realise I forgot something after posting the paper application?

Provide it as soon as you can. If the application has been imported into ImmiAccount you can upload additional documents there; where ImmiAccount cannot be used, or the application was lodged outside Australia before 25 June 2020, documents attach to the Other Family Visa Processing Centre online form.