Adoption visa (Subclass 102) - Australian Visa

Overview

From 23 July 2025, applicants for Child visa subclasses 101, 102, 802, 445, 117 and 837 can import their paper application into ImmiAccount. Some existing applications made outside of Australia before 1 April 2020 cannot be imported into ImmiAccount. For more information, see Update to ImmiAccount - new online services for paper-based Child, Other Family, Former Residents, and New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa applications.

Stay

Permanently

Cost

From AUD3,235.00

Processing times

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

With this visa the child can

stay in Australia indefinitely with their adoptive parent
work and study in Australia
enrol in Australia's public healthcare scheme, Medicare
sponsor their relatives to come to Australia
attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible
apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible.

See all conditions

Check your eligibility

The child must

have been under 18 years of age when adopted, when they apply and when we make a decision
be outside Australia when the application is made and when we make a decision
be adopted or in the process of being adopted by their sponsor parent.

The child may be eligible for COVID-19 visa concessions.

Help with your visa

If you are getting help with your visa, before you pay someone, read information on who can help with your visa application.

About this visa

Intercountry adoption

With this visa the child can

How long the child can stay

Include other children

Intercountry adoption

We can't help arrange adoptions and we do not issue letters of no objection. Our role is to assess and decide applications for visas.

Learn more about adopting a child overseas from Intercountry Adoptions Australia.

We are unable to accept adoption visa applications for children who have been adopted in Pakistan.

With this visa the child can

stay in Australia indefinitely with their adoptive parent
work and study in Australia
enrol in Australia's public healthcare scheme, Medicare
sponsor their relatives to come to Australia
attend free English language classes provided by the Adult Migrant English Program, if eligible
apply for Australian citizenship, if eligible.

Travel to and from Australia for 5 years

The child can travel to and from Australia as many times as they want for 5 years from the date we grant this visa. This is as long as the travel facility on this visa remains valid.

If the child wants to travel after the initial 5-year travel facility:

they will need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return (RRV) so they can re-enter Australia as a permanent resident
they might also want to consider Australian citizenship. If they become an Australian citizen, they don't require a visa to enter Australia. They will need to apply for an Australian passport and use it to leave and re-enter Australia. See more about eligibility requirements and current processing times for Australian citizenship

To see when the child's travel facility ends, use VEVO.

How long the child can stay

This is a permanent visa. It lets the child stay in Australia indefinitely.

The child becomes a permanent resident on the day we grant the visa.

Include other children

If the child has siblings who also want to apply for an Adoption visa, submit separate applications for each sibling.

The child's dependent children can be included on their application when they apply or added to their application at any time before we decide the application.

Dependent children of the child who apply for the visa must meet our health requirement.

Family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet our health requirement.

Cost

The visa costs AUD3,235.00 for the main applicant.

There is also an additional charge for each of the child's dependent children who apply for the visa.

There might be other costs for health exams, and .

To work out what the visa might cost use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the other costs.

Apply from

The child must be outside Australia when the application is submitted.

Processing times

The application might take longer to process if:

it is not filled in correctly
it does not include all required documents or we need more information
it takes us time to verify your information
you do not make full payment at the time of initial lodgement.

We cannot process the application if you do not pay the correct visa application charge. If this happens, we will let you know and may return your application.

You should receive an acknowledgement of your application within approximately one (1) month after lodgement.

We will contact you using your authorised method if we need more information. Otherwise, we will contact you with the outcome of your application.

Your obligations

The child must enter Australia before the date specified in their grant letter. The first entry date is generally set at 12 months from the date of visa grant.

The child and their family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

See what conditions might be attached to this visa on our visa conditions page.

Visa label

We will digitally link the visa to the child's passport. They will not get a label in their passport.

Eligibility

Be adopted or in the process of being adopted

To be eligible to apply for an Adoption visa (subclass 102), the child must:

have been or be in the process of being adopted through an intercountry adoption or arrangement with the involvement of an Australian state or territory central authority, or
have been or be in the process of being adopted through an intercountry adoption between 2 countries (other than Australia) that are parties to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Hague Adoption Convention), or
have been adopted through an expatriate adoption (with no Australian state or territory central authority being involved). The adoption must be by an Australian citizen, an eligible New Zealand citizen or the holder of an Australian permanent visa. They must have been residing outside Australia for more than 12 months immediately before lodging the visa application.

For further information on adopting a child see Intercountry Adoptions Australia.

Children adopted under the Hague Adoption Convention

A child may be eligible for Australian Citizenship if the intercountry adoption is:

finalised outside Australia under the Hague Convention, or
a recognised bilateral arrangement.

If we grant the child Australian citizenship they can enter Australia on an Australian passport and will not need to apply for a visa.

For further information see Become an Australian citizen (by adoption).

Expatriate adoptions

Australian Government has no role

The Australian Government, including the Department of Home Affairs, has no role in the overseas expatriate adoption process.

The Australian Government, including our Department, does not provide documents that support or endorse expatriate adoptions overseas. This includes letters of support or certificates of no objection.

If an overseas authority asks you to obtain a document of support for an expatriate adoption, you can advise them to email [email protected]

We only assess and decide adoption visa applications. A visa will only be granted if all eligibility requirements are met.

Eligibility requirements for expatriate adoptees entering Australia

If the child is adopted through an expatriate adoption, and you (the adoptive parent) are considering bringing them to Australia, then, amongst other criteria, all of the following must be met:

at least one adoptive parent must have resided outside Australia for more than 12 months immediately before lodging a visa application
the adoptive parent must not have resided overseas to avoid Australia’s intercountry adoption laws
the adoptive parent must have full and permanent parental rights (no remaining legal ties between the child and the birth parents can exist)
the adoption must adhere to adoption laws of the home country.

Seek legal advice

If a child has been legally adopted in an overseas country (not Australia) under that country's law, it does not guarantee that the overseas adoption will meet the requirements of an Adoption (Subclass 102) visa.

We recommend you obtain independent legal advice both in Australia and in the child’s country of usual residence before proceeding with an expatriate adoption.

Have a sponsor

The child must be sponsored by an eligible adoptive parent or prospective adoptive parent.

We must approve the sponsorship before the visa can be granted.

If the sponsor and/or their spouse or de facto partner (if any) have a pending registrable offence charge, we will refuse the sponsorship and visa application.

If the sponsor and/or their spouse or de facto partner (if any) have a registrable offence conviction, we can only approve the sponsorship in very limited circumstances.

Learn more about measures for the protection of children.

Be this age

The child must be under 18 at the time of adoption, when the application is submitted and when we make our decision.

Meet the health requirement

The child and any who applies for the visa with them must meet our health requirement.

If we can consider a health waiver for an adoption visa applicant, we will examine your circumstances carefully. Learn more about health waivers.

Family members who are not coming to Australia might also have to meet our health requirement.

Meet the character requirement

If the child is aged 16 years or older they must meet our character requirement.

We might also ask that any other who applies for the visa meet the requirement.

Repay debt to the Australian Government

If the child or any member of the child's family owes the Australian Government money it must be paid back or there must be a formal arrangement in place to pay it back.

Best interests of the child

We might not grant this visa if it is not in the best interests of an applicant under 18.

Meet all these criteria? Check how to apply in our step by step guide.

How to apply

Step 1

Before you apply

Check the child's passport is valid.

Get help with your application

Only some people can help you with your application. If you appoint someone to give you immigration assistance they must be:

You can appoint anyone to receive documents on your behalf relating to your visa matter.

Step 2

Gather documents

Provide documents in support of the visa application.

Provide accurate documents

Provide accurate information. See what happens if the child's identity can't be established or false information is provided.

Identity documents

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

Also provide:

a national identity card, if they have one
proof of change of 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
documents that show other names the child has been known by

Travel documents

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.

Photographs

Provide 4 recent photos (45mm x 35mm) of the child and of any dependent child included in the application.

Photographs must be:

45mm x 35mm
less than 6 months old
good quality colour. We don't accept laser copies
a full-face view of the child's head and shoulders
taken against a plain light-coloured background

The child can wear untinted prescription glasses. If the child wears a head covering for religious reasons, they can show only their face.

Adoption documents

Provide the child's adoption papers or adoption compliance certificate.

Where an Australian state or territory central authority has found you suitable to be an adoptive parent, and you have made a written undertaking to adopt a child, provide evidence from the central authority of the child's country that the child:

can leave that country for adoption in Australia, or
can leave that country in your custody

If an Australian state or territory central adoption authority was involved in the adoption, include a letter supporting the adoption.

If the child was adopted through an expatriate adoption process, provide evidence that:

at least one of the adoptive parents resided outside Australia for more than 12 months immediately before the application was lodged;
the adoptive parent did not arrange to reside 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 and
the child was adopted in line with the adoption laws of their home country

Provide these documents for any other dependent child included in the application.

Character documents

Children over 16 years must provide a police certificate from every country they have spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years, since turning 16.

For Australia, we only accept National Police Certificates applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship. The Australian Federal Police issue these certificates. We don't accept standard disclosure certificates or certificates issued by Australian state or territory police.

For immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.

If anyone in the application served in the armed forces of any country, they must provide military service records or discharge papers.

Children over 16 years of age must complete and provide Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment (596KB PDF).

Tell us you are getting help

To nominate someone to:

receive your correspondence, use Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
provide immigration assistance, use Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).

Send written notification or your forms with your paper application.

Dependants under 18 documents

For every dependant under 18 years old who is applying with the child, provide:

identity documents
travel documents
proof of the child's relationship with them, like a birth or marriage certificate

Prepare the documents

Translate

Have all non-English documents translated into English.

Provide original and translated documents in your application.

Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited. But on each translation, they must include their:

full name
address and telephone number
qualifications and experience in the language they are translating

These details must be in English.

Certify

Have all documents certified. This includes:

non-English documents
English translations

Photographs of the child and any of their dependent children included in the application must also be certified.

Keep

Keep a copy of the completed application.

Send

Send us:

certified copies of all documents
as much information as possible to help us decide the application
each document only once, even if it is evidence of more than one thing
all documents with the application

Step 3

Apply for the visa

You must apply for this visa on paper.

Provide accurate information

Provide accurate information. See what happens if you can't prove your identity or don't provide true information.

Apply on paper

Complete the following 2 forms and send them together by post (with correct prepaid postage) or by courier to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth.

You must pay the application charge before you post your application. See how to pay.

We will not process your application until you pay the application charge. Your application should also include evidence of payment of the application charge and all the relevant supporting documentation.

If you submit your application at any other office or in any other way, it will not be a valid application and cannot be considered further. Applications for this visa cannot be submitted in person.

The forms must be completed in English.

By post (with correct prepaid postage):

Department of Home Affairs Child and Other Family Processing Centre Locked Bag 7 NORTHBRIDGE WA 6865

By courier:

Department of Home Affairs Child and Other Family Processing Centre Wellington Central 836 Wellington Street WEST PERTH WA 6005

If any of the above steps are incomplete, your application may be invalid. We do not process invalid applications. We will notify you if this is the case, and if requested, return your application.

Do not send original documents with your application, only send certified copies. Keep a copy of your completed application for your own records, including any supporting documents.

Step 4

After you apply

We will let the applicant know when we have received the application and documents. There may be other things to do and be aware of after applying.

Importing your paper application

After you or someone else has submitted your paper application, import it into your ImmiAccount. You can do this after you get your acknowledgement letter.

Importing your application into ImmiAccount gives you access to online services, making it easier to manage your application.

You can use our online services in ImmiAccount to:

attach supporting documents to your application
view messages
update your details
view your application status
apply for a Bridging Visa (BV)
withdraw your application.

Follow these steps to import your application:

Create a new ImmiAccount or log into your existing ImmiAccount. Our website has instructions on how to use ImmiAccount.
Once you log in, import your application by entering your:
- application ID
- date of birth
- identity document number (Passport, ImmiCard or Titre de Voyage number).

For more information, see Apply and Manage your application in ImmiAccount.

You can import any new and existing applications for this visa made in Australia. You can also import existing applications made outside Australia on or after 1 April 2020.

Status updates

We can't provide updates on the progress of the application within global visa processing times. We will tell you if we need anything further.

Travel

Do not arrange for the child to travel to Australia until we tell you, in writing, that we have granted the child the visa.

Health exams

We will tell you when to arrange the child’s health examinations.

Biometrics

We might ask for . We will tell you if your adopted child needs to provide them.

Send more information

If you did not include all necessary documents when you applied, provide them as soon as you can.

We might also ask you to provide more information.

If you have imported your application into ImmiAccount, to provide any additional documents upload them into ImmiAccount.

If you can’t use ImmiAccount, or you lodged the application outside of Australia before 1 April 2020, to provide any additional documents attach them to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.

Add family members

You can add a child's to their visa application any time before we make a decision.

Newborn children

Find out what to do if your child is born after you apply.

Mistakes on your application

Tell us as soon as you can if you have made a mistake on your application.

Complete Form 1023 Notification of incorrect answers (168KB PDF).

If you have imported your application into ImmiAccount, you can use it to upload the completed form.

If you can’t use ImmiAccount, attach the completed form to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.

Help with your application

Let us know if you no longer want someone to:

receive your correspondence - complete Form 956A Appointment or withdrawal of an authorised recipient (301KB PDF)
provide immigration advice - complete Form 956 Appointment of a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person (308KB PDF).

If you have imported your application into ImmiAccount, you can use it to upload the completed form.

If you can’t use ImmiAccount, attach the completed form to a completed Child and Orphan Relative Visa Processing Centre online form.

For more information see Who can help you with your application.

Tell us if things change

Things you need to let us know about after you have applied include:

changes to your phone number, address or passport
changes to your marital or de facto status
the birth of a child
you want to withdraw your application.

See how to tell us if your situation changes.

Step 5

Visa outcome

We can grant a visa to any child who is outside Australia and meets the visa grant requirements.

This may not apply if you are eligible for a COVID-19 visa concession.

We will tell you our decision in writing. Keep a copy of the decision.

If we grant the child’s visa, we will tell you:

the visa grant number
the date the visa starts
the visa conditions, if applicable
the date by which the child must enter Australia, if they are outside Australia when we grant the visa

If we refuse the visa, we will tell you:

why we refused the visa
whether there is a right to a review of the decision

We will not refund the application fee if we refuse the application.

When you have this visa

Coming to Australia

In Australia

Leaving Australia

Coming to Australia

Before the child travels

Check travel documents

The child must have:

a valid visa to enter Australia
a valid passport or other travel document.

Arrive before first entry arrival date

The child must enter Australia before the date specified in their grant letter.

At the border

Complete an Incoming Passenger Card

All people arriving into Australia must complete the Incoming Passenger Card.

Use the SmartGate

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. Children aged 16 or over might be able to leave the airport using the SmartGate.

In Australia

The child's obligations

The child and their family members must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws.

You can check visa details and conditions in VEVO.

Tell us if things change

Things you need to let us know about include:

changes to your or your child's phone number, email, address or passport
changes to your relationship status
the birth of a child

See how to let us know if there is a change in your situation.

What you can do on your visa

See the visa's conditions and work and study entitlements in VEVO.

See how long you can stay

This is a permanent visa. It lets your child and any of their dependent children who are granted the visa stay in Australia indefinitely.

For citizenship purposes, the child's permanent residence starts on the day they enter Australia.

Travel to and from Australia for 5 years

The child can travel to and from Australia as many times as they want for 5 years from the date we grant this visa. This is as long as the travel facility of this visa remains valid.

If the child wants to travel after the initial 5-year travel facility:

they will need to apply for and be granted a Resident Return (RRV) visa so they can re-enter Australia as a permanent resident
they might also want to consider Australian citizenship. If they become an Australian citizen, they don't require a visa to re-enter Australia. See more about eligibility requirements and current processing times for Australian citizenship

To see when the child's travel facility ends, use VEVO.

Working and studying

The child can work and study in Australia once they arrive on their visa. See their workplace rights and entitlements.

Bringing a family member

Dependents can't be added to this visa after we have made a decision.

To find a visa for the family member, explore visa options.

Becoming an Australian citizen

After a certain time, your child might be eligible for Australian citizenship. Find out more about becoming a citizen.

For citizenship purposes, the permanent residency starts on the day the child entered Australia on this visa.

Leaving Australia

Before you leave

Check the child's travel documents

The child must have a valid passport or other travel document to leave Australia.

Check if the child needs a Resident Return visa to return to Australia as a permanent resident in VEVO.

At the border

Leaving the airport faster

We have an automated process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. You might be able to leave the airport faster if you use SmartGate.

After you leave

Prove the child has been to Australia

Request the child's international movement records to get proof of their travel in and out of Australia.

Official Information

For complete eligibility requirements, application process, processing times and costs, visit the official Department of Home Affairs page.

View on Home Affairs

Important Disclaimer

The information on this page is intended as a general guide only. Always verify the latest details on the official Department of Home Affairs website or seek help from a registered migration agent.