445 Dependent Child visa (subclass 445)

At a Glance

Item	Details
Visa name	Dependent Child visa (subclass 445)
Purpose	Temporary child visa during Partner processing
Stay	Until parent's permanent Partner decision
Cost	From AUD4,040
Apply from	Inside or outside Australia
Eligibility timing	Under 18, or dependent adult child
Work rights	Work permitted
Study	Study permitted
Medicare	After permanent visa addition application
Travel facility	Unlimited travel while valid
Citizenship	Descent may be available instead
Family sponsorship	Parent's sponsor must sponsor child
Visa record	Digitally linked to passport
Application method	Paper application required
Processing	Guide tool only; varies
Permanent pathway	Must join parent's Partner application

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Purpose

The Dependent Child visa (subclass 445) lets a child stay in Australia temporarily while the Department decides their parent’s permanent Partner visa application.

The child must apply to be added to the parent’s permanent Partner visa application after grant and before the parent’s application is decided.

Eligibility

The child must:

• Be dependent on a parent holding a:
  • Partner (Provisional) visa (subclass 309)
  • Partner visa (subclass 820), or
  • Dependent Child visa (subclass 445).
• Be sponsored by the same person who sponsored or nominated the parent’s permanent Partner visa application.
• Be either:
  • Under 18, or
  • Over 18 and financially dependent on the parent for basic needs.
• Meet health requirements, including dependent children applying with them.
• Meet character requirements if aged 16 or over.
• Repay Australian Government debts, or have a formal repayment arrangement.
• Have required travel consent if under 18.
• Meet the best-interests-of-the-child requirement.

If applying in Australia, the child cannot hold a visa with a No further stay condition.

Sponsor requirements

The sponsorship must be approved before the visa can be granted.

Sponsorship and visa applications will be refused if the sponsor, or their spouse or de facto partner, has a pending registrable offence charge. A registrable offence conviction may only allow approval in very limited circumstances.

Australian values

Applicants aged 18 or over must read, or have explained, the Life in Australia booklet and sign an Australian Values Statement.

Citizenship by descent

A child may be eligible for Australian citizenship by descent instead of a visa if they were born outside Australia and a parent was an Australian citizen when the child was born.

Stay and rights

This temporary visa starts on the grant date. The child can stay until either:

• The parent’s permanent Partner visa application is decided, or
• The parent withdraws that application.

The visa cannot be extended.

The child can:

• Move to or remain in Australia.
• Work and study in Australia.
• Travel in and out of Australia while the visa is valid.
• Attend free Adult Migrant English Program classes, if eligible.

After applying to join the parent’s permanent Partner visa application, the child can enrol in Medicare.

Family provisions

Each sibling must apply separately.

The child’s dependent children may be included in the application when lodged or before a decision is made. They must meet health requirements, and may need to meet character requirements.

A dependant cannot be added after the application has been decided.

Cost

The main applicant charge is AUD4,040.

Additional charges apply for each dependent child included in the application. Other possible costs include health examinations, police certificates and biometrics.

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens lodging a valid application. Eligibility is based on the primary applicant’s valid passport from:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu

Required documents

Provide certified copies of documents, including English translations where required. Do not send original documents.

Key evidence includes:

• Passport identity pages and national identity card, if held.
• Evidence of name changes, if applicable.
• Four recent passport-size photographs for each applicant.
• Evidence of relationship to the parent, such as a birth, adoption, marriage or family-status certificate.
• Evidence of financial dependency for applicants over 18, such as bank statements, money transfers or rent receipts.
• Identity and relationship evidence for included dependent children.
• Consent or court documents for applicants under 18.
• Medical evidence for applicants over 18 with disability, where relevant.

Character documents

Applicants over 16 must provide:

• Police certificates from every country where they spent 12 months or more during the past 10 years since turning 16.
• Form 80, Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment.
• Military records or discharge papers, if applicable.

Australian police certificates must be Australian Federal Police National Police Certificates requested under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship.

Consent for children under 18

Provide one of the following:

• Form 1229, Consent form to grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18;
• A statutory declaration giving consent;
• An Australian court order allowing migration; or
• Evidence that the child’s home-country laws permit departure.

Include photo identification for the person giving consent.

Application steps

1. Check passport validity and gather supporting evidence.
2. Complete Form 918 — Application for a subclass 445 (temporary) visa by a dependent child.
3. Pay the visa application charge before posting.
4. Post or courier the completed English-language application, payment evidence and certified documents to the Child and Other Family Processing Centre in Perth.
5. Keep copies of the application and all supporting documents.
6. After acknowledgement, import the paper application into ImmiAccount to manage it online.

Applications must be made on paper. Applications lodged in person, at another office, or by another method are invalid.

Postal address

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

Courier address

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

After applying

An acknowledgement, including any bridging visa advice, is generally issued about one month after lodgement.

After acknowledgement, applications may be imported into ImmiAccount. This allows the applicant to:

• Upload documents.
• Read messages.
• Update details.
• View application status.
• Apply for a bridging visa.
• Withdraw the application.

If the child applied in Australia, they may receive a bridging visa. They must remain lawful by holding a valid visa while the application is processed.

Tell the Department about changes to the child’s contact details, passport, name, relationship status, or the birth of a child. Report incorrect answers using Form 1023.

The Department may request health examinations, biometrics or further information.

Processing

Processing times are available through the visa processing time guide tool. The guide is based on recently decided applications and is not specific to an individual application.

Processing may take longer if the application is incomplete, documents are missing, information requires verification, or the correct charge is not paid.

The Department cannot process an application unless the correct visa application charge is paid.

Permanent Partner visa obligation

After grant, the child must apply to join the parent’s permanent Partner visa application using Form 1002 — Application by a subclass 445 dependent child for a permanent partner visa.

• For the parent’s Partner visa (subclass 100), the child may be inside or outside Australia.
• For the parent’s Partner visa (subclass 801), the child must be in Australia.
• The child must be a member of the parent’s family unit.
• Lodge Form 1002 before the parent’s permanent Partner visa application is decided.

Upload Form 1002 to the parent’s Partner visa application in ImmiAccount and notify the Department through the Partner Processing Enquiry Form. If upload is not possible, use that enquiry form to submit the completed application.

Travel and obligations

The child must enter Australia before the first-entry date in the visa grant letter. This date is generally 12 months after visa grant.

The child may travel as often as desired while the visa remains valid. Time outside Australia does not extend the visa.

The child and any granted family members must:

• Comply with all visa conditions.
• Obey Australian laws.
• Hold valid travel documents when entering or leaving Australia.

Visa details, conditions, work rights and expiry can be checked through VEVO. The visa is digitally linked to the child’s passport; no passport label is issued.