Form 1436: Adding an Additional Applicant After Lodgement

What Form 1436 is for

Form 1436 is the 'details and payment form' for adding an additional applicant after lodgement. The form states it can only be used before a decision has been made on the original application, and only if the visa allows additional applicants to be added after lodgement. It also states that if the person is not a dependent child or partner (spouse or de facto) of the main applicant, they will generally need to lodge a separate visa application and pay the base application charge.

The Migration Regulations set out where this is possible: regulation 2.08A covers adding a spouse, de facto partner or dependent child to an application for a permanent visa class that permits combined applications (other than the Skilled (Residence) (Class VB) visa), and regulation 2.08B covers adding a dependent child to listed temporary classes, including the Partner (Provisional and Temporary) visas, the Prospective Marriage visa and the skilled provisional visas such as the 491 and 494. The person added must meet the secondary criteria and the Schedule 1 rules on where an applicant must be when applying.

Newborns versus other additions

This is the detail that catches people out. A child born to an applicant after the application is made, but before it is decided, does not need to be added with Form 1436: regulation 2.08 treats the child as having applied for a visa of the same class when born, with the application combined with the parent's. The child still has to meet the criteria at the time of decision. A birth changes answers on the application, so it is notified to Home Affairs as a change in circumstances (section 104 of the Migration Act; Form 1022). Contributory parent newborns follow separate rules.

A partner or dependent child who already existed but was not included — for example a stepchild left off the original application — is added with Form 1436, and the Additional Applicant Charge for the visa (if any) must be paid. Under regulations 2.08A and 2.08B, their application is taken to be made on the later of the date Home Affairs receives the request and the date the charge is paid.

Form 1436 vs Form 1022

These are easy to conflate because both come up when something changes mid-application. Form 1022 (Notification of changes in circumstances) is how an applicant meets the section 104 duty to tell Home Affairs about any change that affects an answer on the application — including the birth of a child. It doesn't add a new person to the application as an applicant in their own right.

Form 1436 is materially different: it asks for a person to be added as an applicant on the case, with the Additional Applicant Charge (if any) and its own eligibility gate (whether the visa allows it and whether the person is a partner or dependent child). See our Form 1022 guide for the broader change-in-circumstances picture.

Documents you'll need

Form 1436 asks for the additional applicant's passport and identity details, health and character questions, and documentary evidence about them. It directs applicants to use the document checklist for the original visa, or the checklist linked from the Home Affairs website, for the documents that apply. For a partner or child this generally means identity documents and evidence of the relationship to the main applicant.

Submitting the form, the payment receipt and the supporting documents together makes it easier to match them to the existing application.

How to lodge Form 1436

Form 1436 is free to download from the Department of Home Affairs form-listing page. The charge section (Part E) asks for the Additional Applicant Charge for applicants 18 or over and under 18, plus any Subsequent Temporary Application Charge, from the Home Affairs fee tables for the visa subclass; the form states the total must be paid or the application will not be valid.

Payment can be made through the 'My Payments' section of ImmiAccount, and the form says to lodge within 30 days of paying online and attach a copy of the receipt. It is sent to the address in the original application form, the address in the acknowledgement letter or email for the original application, or the relevant Australian processing centre.

Common mistakes

Using Form 1436 for a newborn is one: a baby born after lodgement is already taken to have applied, and the step is to notify the birth. A second is assuming every visa allows additional applicants after lodgement, or that anyone can be added; the form is limited to partners and dependent children, and others generally need a separate application.

Others include leaving it until after a decision (the form cannot be used once the original application is decided), not paying the Additional Applicant Charge in full, and submitting incomplete relationship evidence for the person being added.

When a MARA agent is worth involving

Notifying a birth with straightforward documentation is something many applicants manage themselves. Advice can help where it is unclear whether your visa allows the addition, where the person may not count as a dependent child, or where timing is tight against an expected decision.

A MARA-registered agent can confirm whether your visa allows the addition, what it will cost, and what evidence the person being added needs. Migratio lets you describe your situation once and compare consultation fees from MARA-registered agents who handle your visa type (comparing is free; consults are typically $150–$300 and you pay only if you book).

What is Form 1436 used for?

Form 1436 adds a partner or dependent child of the main applicant to a visa application that's already been lodged but not yet decided, where the visa allows additional applicants to be added after lodgement. It also collects the Additional Applicant Charge (if any).

Is it free to add a baby born after I lodged my application?

A baby born to an applicant after lodgement and before a decision is taken to have applied automatically, combined with the parent's application (regulation 2.08 of the Migration Regulations), so Form 1436 and the Additional Applicant Charge are not part of that step. The birth is notified to Home Affairs as a change in circumstances, and the child must still meet the criteria at the time of decision. Adding a partner or dependent child who was left off the application is different and requires any Additional Applicant Charge to be paid.

What's the difference between Form 1436 and Form 1022?

Form 1022 notifies the Department of a change in circumstances, such as a birth, as required by section 104 of the Migration Act, without adding a new applicant. Form 1436 asks for a new person to be added to the application as an applicant in their own right, with the charge that applies.

Can I add anyone to my application using Form 1436?

No. The form covers a partner (spouse or de facto) or dependent child of the main applicant, only where the visa allows additional applicants after lodgement, and only before a decision on the original application. Anyone else generally needs a separate visa application with the base application charge.

How quickly should I notify the Department after a birth?

Section 104 of the Migration Act requires applicants to tell Home Affairs about changes that affect an answer on the application, and the child must meet the criteria at the time of decision, so notifying soon after the birth gives the Department time to include the child before deciding the application.