Parent Visa Application Checklist: Every Document You Need

The parent visa application is document-heavy, but knowing what you actually need to gather — and when — makes the process manageable. The Department of Home Affairs requests documents in two distinct phases: at the time you lodge the application, and later when a case officer is actively assessing it. Confusing the two phases leads to either an incomplete application at lodgment, or an expensive scramble to gather items years after the fact when originals are harder to track down.

This checklist covers both phases, organized by who is providing what.

Phase 1: Lodgment Documents

These are required at the time you submit the application through ImmiAccount (for Subclass 143, 103, 804, and 864 — as of April 2026, all four are lodged online).

Parent (Applicant) Documents

Identity

• Current passport (all pages, including blank pages — not just the bio page)
• Previous passports covering the last 10 years if the applicant has traveled internationally
• Birth certificate (official, ideally with English translation if issued in another language)
• If the parent's name has changed: marriage certificate, deed poll, or equivalent legal document showing the name change

Relationship to Sponsor

• The parent's birth certificate does not prove the sponsor is their child — you also need the sponsor's birth certificate listing the parent as a parent
• If the sponsor was adopted: adoption order or equivalent court document
• If the sponsor is a step-child: documentation of the relationship (marriage certificate of the parent to the step-child's biological parent, plus evidence of the step-child relationship)
• If there are any gaps in the family narrative (e.g., different surnames, records from multiple countries), prepare a statutory declaration explaining the discrepancy

Civil Status

• Marriage certificate (if the applicant is married and the spouse is included as a secondary applicant)
• If widowed: death certificate of former spouse
• If divorced: divorce certificate or decree absolute for any former marriages (required to confirm current marital status)

Sponsor Documents

Identity and Citizenship/PR Status

• Australian citizenship certificate, or
• Australian passport (for citizens), or
• Evidence of permanent residency (visa grant notice or VEVO print confirming PR status and date of grant)
• The sponsor's own birth certificate (this is the link between the sponsor and the parent)

Settled Status (2 Years Lawful Residence) This is one of the most commonly underprepared parts of the application. "Settled" means the sponsor has been lawfully resident in Australia for at least two years at the time of application. Evidence can include:

• Employment records with Australian employer (payslips, employment contracts)
• Tax returns or ATO income statements
• Electoral roll registration
• Property lease agreements showing Australian address over the two-year period
• Medicare records or utilities in Australia

The two years do not have to be immediately prior to lodgment — they just need to total two years of lawful residence. Overseas trips during that period are fine as long as the sponsor maintained Australian residence.

Balance of Family Test Documents

The Balance of Family (BoF) test requires you to account for every eligible child of the parent (biological, adopted, or step-children under 18 from the current partnership). For each child:

• Evidence of their identity and relationship to the parent (birth certificates, adoption orders)
• Evidence of where each child currently lives
  • For children in Australia: VEVO confirming PR or citizen status, or Australian passport
  • For children overseas: passport showing country of residence, or evidence of permanent residence in their country

Children on temporary visas in Australia are counted as resident in their home country for the BoF test — document their immigration status carefully.

If the BoF test is close (e.g., the parent has three children, one in Australia and two overseas), document the position carefully and consider whether a waiver or alternative approach is needed.

Phase 2: Case Officer Documents

These items are not needed at lodgment — and some cannot be obtained until the application is near the front of the queue. The Department will write to you when the time comes.

Health Examinations

The parent (and any included secondary applicants) must undergo medical examinations conducted by an approved panel physician designated by the Department of Home Affairs. The Department arranges this through the eHealth system — applicants receive a HAP (Health Assessment Pack) ID and book their own appointment with a panel doctor.

The examinations typically include:

• A general physical examination
• Chest X-ray (for tuberculosis screening)
• Blood tests (for HIV and other conditions depending on age and destination)
• Eye examination (for some categories)

Results go directly from the panel doctor to the Department — applicants do not receive copies. The Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC) assesses the results against the Significant Cost Threshold of $86,000 over a five-year period (three years for applicants over 75). If costs are projected to exceed this threshold, the visa will be refused. There is no health waiver mechanism for parent visas.

Because health examinations expire after 12 months, families should not book them too early. The Department times the request to align with when the application is actually approaching assessment.

Police Clearances

Police clearances are required from:

• Australia (Australian Federal Police check, or state police check for long-term residents)
• Every country the applicant has lived in for 12 months or more (continuously or in aggregate) in the past 10 years

Like health examinations, police clearances expire — typically 12 months from issue, though some countries issue them with shorter validity. The Department requests these when the case is active. Again, do not obtain these at lodgment; they will have expired by the time they're needed.

Assurance of Support

The Assurance of Support (AoS) is arranged through Services Australia (Centrelink) after the second instalment is paid, near the end of the processing queue. It is not a document to gather early — it is a process that happens at the end.

For the contributory subclasses:

• AoS bond: $10,000 for the primary applicant, $4,000 for each additional secondary adult
• The bond is held for 10 years and returned provided no recoverable welfare payments were made

The sponsor must meet an income threshold to be the assurer. If the sponsor's income is insufficient, up to two additional people can provide a joint AoS — for example, a sibling and their partner could join the primary sponsor as assurers to meet the combined income requirement.

Second Instalment (Contributory Only)

The Subclass 143 and 864 are paid in two instalments. The second instalment (approximately $43,600 per adult applicant) is requested when the application reaches the front of the queue. This is a significant sum — it arrives as a request with a deadline, and it must be paid before the application can proceed to grant.

Families should plan for this payment years in advance, not wait for the letter to arrive.

Keeping Your File Current

A parent visa application runs for many years. Over that time, circumstances change:

• If the parent moves countries, update their address in ImmiAccount and consider whether the change affects police clearance requirements
• If the parent's marital status changes, notify the Department
• If the parent develops a significant medical condition, you are not required to proactively disclose this, but you should understand how it might affect the health assessment when it is eventually conducted
• If the sponsor's circumstances change materially (e.g., loss of Australian citizenship, departure from Australia long-term), seek advice — this can affect the application

The Australia Parent Visa Guide includes a complete document preparation workflow with templates for the BoF statutory declaration, settled status evidence bundling, and a timeline for when to prepare each phase-2 item relative to your expected queue position.

See more Australia guides →