What a Subclass 445 application must prove in 2026: documents and Form 80/956

A Subclass 445 application is decided almost entirely on what arrives in the envelope, which makes the evidence rules more important than any covering letter. The file has to establish who the child is, how the child is related to the parent, and — once the child is past 16 — whether the character record can be documented to the Department's standard. That third limb is what pulls in Form 80 and the Australian Federal Police certificate, and it is where the rules are unusually specific about which certificate counts. The requirements below follow the Australian Department of Home Affairs Dependent Child visa (Subclass 445) official page as of July 2026.

This describes how those requirements are published, not how they apply to any particular family; a decision turns on the individual record, and the Department's current page stays the controlling statement if details are later amended.

What does a Subclass 445 application actually have to prove?

The Department groups the evidence into identity, character, relationship to the parent, and — where the child is an adult — financial dependency, with medical evidence added where a disability is relied on. Nothing is assessed on the strength of an explanation sent separately: the paper form and its attachments are the case. Two practical consequences follow. Documents outside the accepted categories will not fill a gap, and anything missing still has to reach the Department before a decision is made.

Which identity documents does the child need?

Provide the pages of the child's current passport showing the photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates. Alongside them:

a national identity card, if the child has one
proof of change of name — either change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, or documents showing other names the child has been known by

Four recent passport-size photographs (45mm x 35mm) are required for the child and for any other dependent child included in the application. They must be less than 6 months old, good quality colour rather than laser copies, a view of the full face, and taken against a plain light-coloured background. Untinted prescription glasses are acceptable; a head covering worn for religious reasons may stay on provided only the face is shown.

Who has to complete Form 80?

Children over 16 must complete and provide Form 80, Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment. It sits inside the character bundle rather than the identity bundle — the same 16-year threshold that triggers police certificates also triggers the form, so a family with two children can end up lodging Form 80 for one and not the other. The form is completed in English, like every other form in the application.

Which police certificate will the Department accept?

Only one. For a child over 16, the Department requires a National Police Certificate applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship, issued by the Australian Federal Police. Standard disclosure certificates and certificates issued by Australian state or territory police are not accepted, which is the single most common way a character bundle fails — the certificate is genuine, current, and still the wrong one.

The country coverage rule is cumulative: a certificate is required from every country the child has spent 12 months or more in during the last 10 years since turning 16. For immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date. Where anyone included in the application served in the armed forces of any country, military service records or discharge papers are also required.

Character document	Who it applies to	What is required
Form 80	Children over 16	Completed and provided with the application
Police certificate	Children over 16	One from every country where the child spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16; where an Australian certificate is required, only an AFP National Police Certificate applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship is accepted; valid 12 months from issue
Military service records or discharge papers	Anyone included who served in the armed forces of any country	Provided with the application

How is the child's relationship to the parent proved?

The Department accepts standard civil registration documents: a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, an adoption certificate, or a family status certificate or family book where it is officially issued and maintained. For every dependent under 18 who applies with the child, the same three-part pattern applies again — identity documents, proof of relationship with the applicant such as a birth certificate, and character documents where they are required.

What changes if the child is over 18 or has a disability?

If the child is over 18 when the application is made, financial dependency becomes part of the case: evidence that they depend on the parent who holds the temporary Partner or Dependent Child visa for basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing, and how long that support has been provided. Bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts are the examples the Department gives.

Where an applicant over 18 relies on a disability instead, the Department requires evidence from a qualified medical practitioner that the applicant has a total or partial loss of mental or body function that stops them from working.

How do Form 956 and Form 956A differ?

The two forms are frequently confused because both name a person connected with the application, but they do different things and carry different eligibility rules.

	Form 956	Form 956A
Purpose	Appoint someone to provide immigration assistance	Appoint or withdraw an authorised recipient to receive correspondence and documents
Who may be appointed	A registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person	Anyone
Lodgement	With the paper application, or uploaded in ImmiAccount	With the paper application, or uploaded in ImmiAccount

Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person may be appointed to give immigration assistance; that restriction is the point of Form 956, and it is also the reason an unregistered adviser cannot lawfully be paid to prepare the application. Receiving documents is a narrower role, which is why Form 956A can name anyone. Both forms can later be used in reverse — Form 956 to withdraw an adviser's appointment, Form 956A to withdraw an authorised recipient.

How is the application lodged, and what happens next?

Subclass 445 is a paper visa. The application is made on Form 918, Application for a subclass 445 (temporary) visa by a dependent child, completed in English and sent by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth, with correct prepaid postage and the application charge paid before posting. Proof of payment and all supporting documents go in the same envelope. An application submitted at any other office, in person, or by any other method is not valid and is not considered further.

Send certified copies rather than originals, and keep a copy of the completed application and supporting documents for your own records. If the child was in Australia when the application was submitted, a bridging visa is granted and starts if the current visa expires before the decision, so the child can remain lawful while the application is processed.

After lodgement, the paper application can be imported into ImmiAccount using the application ID, the child's date of birth, and the passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number. Importing it gives access to uploading further documents, viewing messages, updating details and checking status. Documents that were not included at lodgement should still be sent as soon as possible, and the Department will ask separately if it needs health examinations or biometrics. Mistakes are corrected on Form 1023, Notification of incorrect answers. The decision can be made while the child is inside or outside Australia; a grant notice sets out the visa grant number, start date and any conditions, while a refusal notice gives the reasons and whether a review right exists. The application fee is not refunded if the application is refused.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does every child in a Subclass 445 application need Form 80?

No. Form 80 is required only from children over 16. A younger child included in the same application does not complete it, although identity and relationship documents are still required.

Can a state or territory police check be used instead of an AFP certificate?

No. The Department accepts only National Police Certificates applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship and issued by the Australian Federal Police. State and territory police certificates and standard disclosure certificates are not accepted.

How long does a police certificate stay valid?

For immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. A certificate issued earlier than that will not meet the requirement at the time the application is assessed.

Which countries does the child need a police certificate from?

Every country the child has spent 12 months or more in during the last 10 years since turning 16. The rule is cumulative, so a child with long stays in several countries needs a separate certificate for each.

Can a friend or relative be paid to prepare the application?

Only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person may provide immigration assistance, and that appointment is made on Form 956. Anyone at all can be appointed to receive correspondence and documents, which is what Form 956A does.

Is Subclass 445 lodged online?

No. It is a paper application made on Form 918 and sent by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth. It can be imported into ImmiAccount afterwards to manage the application online.

Is the application fee refunded if the visa is refused?

No. The Department does not refund the application fee when an application is refused, and the refusal notice will state the reasons for refusal and whether there is a right to review the decision.