864 Aged Parent Visa Document Checklist 2026
The Subclass 864 Contributory Aged Parent Visa is the onshore version of the Subclass 143 Contributory Parent Visa. It is for parents who are already living in Australia on a substantive visa — such as a Visitor Visa or a Bridging Visa from a previous application — and who meet the age requirement (typically of pension age in Australia).
The key eligibility difference from the 143 is that you must be in Australia and holding an eligible substantive visa (not a Bridging Visa C, D, or E) at the time of lodgement. The 864 allows you to remain in Australia on a Bridging Visa while your application is processed — providing continuity of stay that the offshore 143 pathway cannot offer. This is a major practical advantage for parents who already spend significant time in Australia.
The costs are the same as the 143 — a two-instalment fee structure with the second instalment (~$47,000 as of 2026) due close to grant. The Balance of Family test, health and character requirements, and Assurance of Support obligations are also identical to the 143.
Free · no account required · takes 2 minutes
Common 864 document mistakes to avoid
- Not being on a valid substantive visa at lodgement — you must not be on a Bridging Visa C, D, or E; if your substantive visa expires before you can lodge, seek urgent migration advice.
- Leaving Australia while the 864 is processing — if you depart Australia after lodging a 864, your Bridging Visa may not allow re-entry; seek explicit travel authorisation advice before any international travel.
- Second instalment cost not anticipated — same as the 143; plan well ahead for the ~$47,000 payment due close to grant.
- Age requirement confusion — the 864 requires the parent to be of "pension age" (currently 67 for Australians); confirm your age qualifies before applying.
Identity documents
3 itemsClear colour scan of the photo page of your current valid passport.
Your official birth certificate showing your full name, date of birth and parents' names.
Marriage certificate, deed poll or other proof if your name has changed since birth.
Age evidence
1 itemYour birth certificate (already provided above) establishes your age. You must be of pension age at time of application (currently 67 years for both men and women in Australia).
Current Australian visa
2 itemsVEVO printout or grant notice confirming you currently hold a substantive visa (e.g. Visitor, Tourist) that allows you to be lawfully in Australia at time of application and grant.
Driver licence or utilities account (electricity, gas or water) showing your current Australian residential address. Scan your original document in colour. Confirms you are residing in Australia at time of application and grant as required for this visa.
Balance of Family test
4 itemsA comprehensive list of all your children — names, dates of birth, countries of residence and citizenship.
Citizenship certificate, Australian passport or permanent residency visa for each child settled in Australia.
Official birth certificates for each child settled in Australia, confirming the parent–child relationship.
Passports, residence permits or utility bills showing country of residence for children living outside Australia.
Sponsorship
5 itemsCompleted and signed Form 40 (Sponsorship for Migration to Australia) submitted by your Australian child as sponsor.
Your sponsoring child's current Australian passport or citizenship certificate.
Completed Form 47PA for each additional applicant (e.g. spouse or dependent child) included in the application.
Evidence your sponsor is an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible NZ citizen.
Your sponsoring child's birth certificate confirming the parent–child relationship.
Assurance of Support
2 itemsConfirmation from Services Australia that an Assurance of Support bond has been accepted. The bond is AUD 10,000 for the primary applicant plus AUD 4,000 for each adult subsequent entrant. The bond is lodged as a 10-year term deposit with the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) using Form SU594.
Payslips, tax returns or bank statements showing the AoS holder's financial capacity.
Contributory payment
2 itemsReceipt confirming payment of the first instalment of the contributory aged parent visa application charge.
Receipt for the second instalment if you choose to pay before the visa is granted.
Health & character
3 itemsNational police certificates from each country you have lived in for 12 or more months since age 16.
Medical examination completed through an approved Panel Physician or by booking a Health Assessment Portal (HAP) appointment. Results are sent directly to the Department of Home Affairs. Book early — appointments can take several weeks.
Completed Form 80 for Character Assessment. Fill for free →
Additional documents
2 itemsIf applying with your spouse or de facto partner, include your marriage or relationship certificate.
Bio-data page of your spouse's current valid passport, if included in the application.
Ready to lodge your Contributory Aged Parent?
Answer a few quick questions to get a checklist tailored to your exact situation — only the documents that apply to you. Upload each file, then export a clean ZIP ready to attach.
Build my personalised checklist →Frequently asked questions
What documents do I need for a Contributory Aged Parent (Subclass 864) application?
The Contributory Aged Parent (Subclass 864) typically requires 24 documents across 9 categories: Identity documents, Age evidence, Current Australian visa, Balance of Family test, Sponsorship, Assurance of Support, Contributory payment, Health & character, Additional documents. Use the personalised builder above to filter this list to your exact circumstances — it removes items that don't apply based on your profile.
How do I prepare my documents for the Contributory Aged Parent?
Work through each category in the checklist. Scan or photograph every document as a clear colour PDF at 150–200 DPI. The Department of Home Affairs (ImmiAccount) has a 5 MB per-file limit — compress any oversized file using VisaPacks' built-in tool. Combine multi-page documents (e.g. bank statements, payslips) into a single PDF using Merge. VisaPacks automatically renames your files on export, ready to attach to your ImmiAccount lodgement.
Can I prepare my Contributory Aged Parent documents myself without a migration agent?
Yes. Many applicants successfully self-prepare their documents using publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidance. VisaPacks provides a free personalised document checklist and upload tool to help you organise everything correctly. For complex cases — such as those involving previous refusals, health waivers, character issues, or difficult relationship circumstances — consulting a registered migration agent (MARA) may be worthwhile.
What file format should Contributory Aged Parent documents be in?
The Department of Home Affairs accepts PDF, JPG, and PNG files up to 5 MB each. Most documents should be submitted as PDF. Passport photos can be JPG. If a scan exceeds 5 MB, use VisaPacks' built-in PDF compressor to reduce file size while maintaining legibility — it uses three quality levels (screen, standard, or high) so you can choose the right trade-off.
Is this checklist official Department of Home Affairs guidance?
No. This checklist is based on publicly available Department of Home Affairs guidance but is maintained by VisaPacks as a convenience tool only — it is not legal advice and does not replace the assessment of a registered migration agent. Always verify current requirements on the Department of Home Affairs website.
What are the most common mistakes when preparing Contributory Aged Parent documents?
The most common errors are: exceeding the 5 MB per-file ImmiAccount limit without compressing first; omitting certified NAATI translations for non-English documents; submitting uncertified copies when originals or certified copies are required; including documents expiring within 6 months (particularly passports); and forgetting documents for a spouse or dependent children on the same application. VisaPacks addresses all of these — it includes a built-in PDF compressor, auto-naming to a consistent convention, and per-applicant sections for family members included in the application.
How does VisaPacks compare to the Department of Home Affairs checklist tool?
The Department of Home Affairs website shows a static document list for each visa type. VisaPacks goes further: it personalises the list to your circumstances (employment type, relationship status, whether children are included), lets you upload documents against each item, includes built-in PDF compression and merging to meet the 5 MB limit, auto-renames files to a consistent naming convention, and exports a complete ready-to-lodge ZIP. VisaPacks is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Home Affairs.