Subclass 802 Document Checklist for 2026: identity, relationship and dependency evidence

A Subclass 802 (Child) visa application has to prove four things: who the child is, how the child is related to the sponsoring parent, whether the child is still dependent, and whether the character requirements are met. According to the Australian Department of Home Affairs Child visa (Subclass 802) official page, as of August 2026 the department asks for passport identity pages, travel documents, four passport-size photographs, evidence of the child's relationship to the parent, financial dependency evidence where the child is over 18, and character documents including police certificates and, for children over 16, Form 80. The page also sets out adoption evidence, documents for dependants under 18 included in the application, and a paper-only lodgement process built around Form 47CH and Form 40CH. This article is general information only and is not individual advice; the criteria, forms and thresholds below should be checked against the current official text and against your own circumstances before you rely on them.

What does a Subclass 802 application actually have to prove?

The department's own step-by-step structure maps cleanly onto four evidentiary questions, and reading your file as an agent would — bucket by bucket — is the fastest way to see where a case is thin.

Evidence bucket	Question it answers	Core documents on the official page
Identity	Is this the child, and has the child's name changed?	Current passport pages, national identity card, change-of-name documents, adoption papers where relevant
Travel	How did the child enter Australia, and what travel documents followed?	Certified copy of the passport or travel document used to enter Australia, plus passports held since
Relationship	How is the child connected to the sponsoring parent?	Birth certificate, marriage certificate, family status certificate or family book, adoption documents
Dependency	Is the child still a dependent child?	For applicants over 18: bank statements, money transfers, rent receipts, and evidence of how long support has been provided
Character	Does the child (and anyone included) meet character requirements?	Australian and overseas police certificates, military service records, Form 80 for children over 16

The official page also warns that inaccurate information and unestablished identity carry consequences, which is why identity and dependency are usually where a decision-maker spends the most time.

Which identity documents does the department ask for?

Provide the pages of the child's current passport showing their photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates. Alongside those, the department asks for a national identity card if the child has one, and proof of change of name where the child has been known by another name.

Documents that prove a change of name include change-of-name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages or the relevant overseas authority, and documents showing other names the child has been known by. If the child was adopted, provide certified copies of the adoption papers or the adoption compliance certificate.

For travel, provide a certified copy of the passport or travel document the child used to enter Australia, and any passports the child has held since then. Everything should be a certified copy: the department asks applicants not to send original documents, and to keep a copy of the completed application and supporting documents for their own records.

What are the photo rules, and why do photographs cause problems?

Provide four recent passport-size photographs (45mm x 35mm) of the child, and of any dependent child included in the application. The photographs must be passport-size, less than six months old, good quality colour (the department does not accept laser copies), show a view of the full face, and be taken against a plain light-coloured background.

Two details are regularly missed. The child may wear untinted prescription glasses, and a child who wears a head covering for religious reasons may show only their face. Photographs are a discrete, checkable requirement, so they are worth confirming before the parcel is sealed rather than after an acknowledgement letter arrives.

How do you prove the child's relationship to the parent?

Provide evidence that the child is related to their parent, such as a birth certificate, a marriage certificate, or a family status certificate or family book if it is officially issued and maintained. The certificate route is usually enough; more intrusive evidence such as DNA testing is generally treated as a last resort where documentary proof cannot be obtained.

Adoption cases carry an extra layer. Provide the child's adoption papers or adoption compliance certificate. Where an adoption involved an Australian state or territory central adoption authority, include a letter supporting the adoption. Where the child was adopted through an expatriate adoption process, the department asks for evidence that:

at least one adoptive parent lived outside Australia for more than 12 months before the adoption was finalised
the adoptive parent did not arrange to live overseas so they could avoid Australia's intercountry adoption laws
the adoptive parent has full and permanent parental rights, with no remaining legal ties between the child and the birth parents
the child was adopted in line with the adoption laws of their home country

These four points are the practical test: residency duration, motive, permanence of parental rights, and compliance with the home country's adoption law. The Migration Regulations 1994 also frame adoption at clause 802.213, including the requirement that the child was under 18 at the time of adoption; because the consolidated text is republished over time, confirm the current clause against the Federal Register of Legislation before relying on it.

What dependency evidence is needed when the child is over 18?

If the child is over 18 when the application is made, provide evidence that the child is dependent on their parent for basic needs such as food, shelter and clothing, and evidence of how long that support has been provided. The official page gives three examples: bank statements, money transfers, and rent receipts. The direction of travel matters — the records should show a sustained pattern of parental support rather than a single transfer made shortly before lodgement.

The regulations behind that documentary request are stricter than the checklist suggests. Under clause 802.212, the applicant must be a dependent child of an Australian citizen, permanent visa holder or eligible New Zealand citizen and, subject to exceptions, must not have turned 25. Under clause 802.214, an applicant who has turned 18 must not be engaged to be married, must not have and must never have had a spouse or de facto partner, must not be engaged in full-time work, and must have been undertaking a full-time course of study leading to a professional, trade or vocational qualification since turning 18 (or within a reasonable time after completing Year 12).

The department's PAM3 guidance summarises the working definitions behind those clauses: a child under 18 is generally presumed dependent; applicants aged 18 to 24 are assessed on actual financial dependence; and full-time work is treated as roughly 35 or more paid hours per week. Assume a caseworker will test the study and work limbs alongside the money trail, so enrolment records and attendance evidence belong in the same bundle as the bank statements. Where the criteria in the regulations and the department's procedural guidance differ from the current official text, the official text and the department's published guidance are authoritative.

Which character documents are required, and when does Form 80 apply?

The department may ask for an Australian state or territory police certificate if the applicant has lived in an Australian state or territory for at least 12 months, and may ask for a police certificate from any overseas country where the applicant has lived for at least 12 months. The trigger is residence duration, not citizenship, so a child who has spent a year or more in more than one country can face more than one certificate request.

Two further obligations sit in this bucket. If anyone included in the application has served in the armed forces of any country, they must provide their military service record or discharge papers. And children over 16 years of age must complete and provide Form 80 (Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment).

What about dependants under 18 who are included in the application?

For every dependant under 18 applying with the child, provide identity documents, travel documents, proof of the child's relationship with the dependant such as a birth or marriage certificate, and character documents where applicable. Photographs are required for them too. Dependent children can be added to the application at any time before a decision is made.

How is the application lodged, and what makes it invalid?

You must apply on paper. Complete Form 47CH (Application for migration to Australia by a child) and Form 40CH (Sponsorship for a child to migrate to Australia) and send them together; the forms must be completed in English. Pay for the application before it is submitted using the online portal payment function in ImmiAccount, and include evidence that the application is paid for.

Applications cannot be submitted in person. Send the application by post or courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth at the address on the form, with all required documents and forms included. If any of the steps are incomplete, the application may be invalid; the department does not process invalid applications, and will notify the applicant and, if requested, return the application.

After lodgement, a paper application can be imported into ImmiAccount once the acknowledgement letter arrives, using the application ID, date of birth and identity document number. Importing gives access to online services such as attaching supporting documents, viewing messages, updating details and checking status. The department also states that the child must be in Australia when the decision is made, and that it cannot provide progress updates within normal processing times.

One related point belongs to any agent-side review: only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person may give immigration assistance for a fee or reward, while anyone may be appointed to receive documents on the applicant's behalf. Form 956 nominates someone to provide immigration assistance and Form 956A nominates or withdraws an authorised recipient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to send original documents with a Subclass 802 application?

No. The department asks applicants not to send original documents and to send certified copies only. Keep a copy of the completed application and all supporting documents for your own records.

How many photographs are required, and how old can they be?

Four recent passport-size photographs (45mm x 35mm) are required for the child, and for any dependent child included in the application. They must be less than six months old, in good quality colour, show the full face, and be taken against a plain light-coloured background.

Does an applicant over 18 have to prove financial dependency?

Yes. If the child is over 18 when the application is made, provide evidence of dependence on the parent for food, shelter and clothing, plus how long the support has been provided — bank statements, money transfers and rent receipts are the examples given. The regulations separately require the applicant not to be in full-time work and to be undertaking a full-time course of study leading to a professional, trade or vocational qualification.

When is a police certificate or Form 80 required?

A police certificate may be requested where the applicant has lived in an Australian state or territory for at least 12 months, or in an overseas country for at least 12 months. Children over 16 must complete and provide Form 80, and anyone who has served in the armed forces of any country must provide a military service record or discharge papers.

Can the application be lodged online?

No, it must be lodged on paper. Form 47CH and Form 40CH are completed in English, paid for through the ImmiAccount online portal before submission, and posted or couriered to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth; in-person submission is not available.

What happens if documents are missing at lodgement?

If any of the steps are incomplete the application may be invalid, and invalid applications are not processed; the department will notify the applicant and return the application if requested. Where documents are missing but the application has been accepted, they can be uploaded through ImmiAccount after the paper application is imported, or supplied as soon as possible.

Does the child have to be in Australia for the decision?

Yes. The child must be in Australia when the department makes its decision, so travel during processing needs to be planned around a valid visa to return. A bridging visa associated with the application starts if the child's current visa expires before a decision is made.