Character Requirements for the 802 Child Visa in 2026: police checks and Form 80

A child applying for the Child visa (Subclass 802) only has to satisfy Australia's character requirement once they are 16 or over, and from that point two things matter in practice: a completed Form 80, and police certificates covering any Australian state or territory or overseas country where they have lived for at least 12 months. This reflects the Australian Department of Home Affairs Child visa (Subclass 802) official page as at August 2026, read together with the Migration Regulations 1994. It is general information rather than an assessment of your family's circumstances, so treat official guidance as the final word and get advice from someone qualified to look at your own situation.

Does every child on this visa have a character requirement?

No. The eligibility section of the visa page applies the character requirement only to a child aged 16 years and over. A younger applicant is not assessed against that criterion, although the health requirement still applies separately.

The same section notes that the Department may also ask dependent children who are applying for the visa with the child to meet the character requirement. That is a discretionary extension rather than a fixed rule, and it is handled through a document request during processing.

Who has to complete Form 80?

Form 80 — Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment — must be completed and provided by children over 16 years of age. It is one of the character documents on the visa page written as a firm obligation rather than a request; the page also states that anyone included in the application who has served in the armed forces of any country must provide their military service record or discharge papers.

If the child is under 16, Form 80 is not listed for them. The visa page does not set out a separate rule for a child who turns 16 between lodgement and the decision, so that situation should be checked against current official guidance.

When does the Department ask for a police certificate?

The trigger is residence time, expressed on the visa page as two parallel tests:

• Australian residence: if the person has lived in an Australian state or territory for at least 12 months, the Department might ask for a police certificate from that state or territory.
• Overseas residence: if the person has lived for at least 12 months in an overseas country, the Department might ask for a police certificate from that country.

Both are worded as "we might ask", which puts police certificates in a different category from Form 80. One is something you are told to provide; the others are provided when asked for.

Take a hypothetical case: a 17-year-old who has lived in Victoria for four years and spent the eight years before that in one other country. Read literally, both a Victoria police certificate and one from that earlier country fall within the 12-month tests. A series of shorter stays across several countries that add up to 12 months is not addressed on the page, so that pattern needs checking against current guidance.

Does military service change anything?

Yes, and this one applies regardless of the 16-year character threshold. 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.

The obligation attaches to inclusion in the application, not to the child's relationship to the sponsor, so it covers the applicant, dependent children included in the application and any other person whose details form part of it.

Do dependent children included in the application need character documents?

For every dependent child under 18 applying with the main child, the documents checklist asks for identity documents, travel documents, proof of the relationship to the child, and character documents "if applicable".

That phrase matters: it does not create a separate character test for a toddler, but it does mean the family should be ready to respond if the Department exercises its option to assess dependent children who are applying.

What happens if the sponsor has a criminal record?

This sits beside the child's own character requirement and can stop an application on its own. Under the sponsorship eligibility rules:

• If the sponsor, or their spouse or de facto partner (if any), has a pending registrable offence charge, the Department will refuse the sponsorship and the visa application.
• If they have a registrable offence conviction, the sponsorship can be approved only in very limited circumstances.

In other words, a child with a clear record can still be affected by the character history of the person sponsoring them. The Department maintains a separate set of child protection measures that sit behind these sponsorship rules.

How do character checks fit with health exams and biometrics?

They run on different clocks. Health examinations are arranged when the Department tells you to arrange them, and biometrics are requested only if needed, with notification sent if they are.

Character documents are different again. Form 80 is completed before lodgement, while police certificates are gathered once requested, usually after the application is with the Child and Other Family Processing Centre. Additional documents can be uploaded through ImmiAccount once the paper application has been imported, or attached to the processing centre's online form if ImmiAccount cannot be used.

Costs follow the same split. The visa page lists police certificates, biometrics and health exams as possible separate costs and points applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator for the application charge, noting that the estimator does not cover those extras. The application charge itself is not refunded if the visa is refused.

What sits behind the visa page in law?

The Migration Regulations 1994 set the public interest criteria for Subclass 802, including the character criteria that must be satisfied when the application is decided. Where numbers, criteria or their currency are in question, the regulations as published and the Department's official page are the two references to reconcile, and the latest officially published version governs.

For applicants, the practical effect is simple: the regulations carry the legal test, the visa page carries the working document list, and the second tends to answer the questions families actually ask.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Form 80 required for a child under 16?

No. The visa page requires Form 80 from children over 16 years of age, which matches the age at which the character requirement itself begins. Younger applicants are not asked to complete it as part of this visa.

Do police certificates have to be lodged with the application?

They are requested rather than mandatory at lodgement, because the page says the Department "might ask" for them once the 12-month residence test is met. They should be provided promptly once requested, either through ImmiAccount or the processing centre's online form.

What if my child has lived in Australia for less than 12 months?

The Australian limb of the test is framed around having lived in a state or territory for at least 12 months, so a shorter stay does not meet that limb on its own. The overseas limb is separate, so time lived overseas still needs to be counted in its own right.

Does the military service record apply only to adult applicants?

No. The requirement refers to anyone included in the application who has served in the armed forces of any country, not only to people over 18. If that applies, their military service record or discharge papers must be provided.

Can the sponsor's criminal record affect the child's visa?

Yes. A pending registrable offence charge involving the sponsor or their spouse or de facto partner leads to refusal of the sponsorship and the application. A conviction allows approval only in very limited circumstances.

Is the fee refunded if the character requirement causes a refusal?

No. The visa page states that the application charge is not refunded if the application is refused. Costs incurred for police certificates or health exams are separate from that charge and are not addressed as refundable on the page.

References

• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Child visa (Subclass 802)
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Meeting the character requirement
• Australian Department of Home Affairs — Form 80 Personal particulars for assessment including character assessment
• Federal Register of Legislation — Migration Regulations 1994