Forms 40CH & 47CH: Child Visa Sponsorship & Application Guide
Form 47CH is the child's own visa application and Form 40CH is the sponsor's undertaking — this covers which subclasses each form applies to, who can sign for a child under 16, and when a separate Form 1229 consent is also needed. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 Two forms.
- 0:14 47CH: the application.
- 0:26 Covers subclasses:
- 0:41 Child 18+: under 25
- 0:52 Orphan Relative: under 18.
- 1:06 Under 16:
- 1:20 Over 16:
- 1:38 Paper only:
- 1:51 Check the form.
- 2:03 Where to read more
Transcript
Two forms decide whether a child's Australian visa application is even valid — Form 40CH and Form 47CH — and mixing up who signs which can hold it up.
Form 47CH is the child's own visa application. Form 40CH is the sponsor's undertaking — a written commitment to support the child for their first 2 years in Australia.
Form 47CH covers five subclasses: 101, 102 and 117 for applications made outside Australia, and 802 and 837 for applications made inside Australia.
A child 18 or over on subclass 101 or 802 must be under 25 and a full-time student, or unable to work because of a disability.
An Orphan Relative applicant on subclass 117 or 837 must be under 18. Adoption cases under subclass 102 need the adoptive parent to have lived overseas for at least 12 months before applying.
For a child under 16, a parent, relative or guardian may complete and sign Form 47CH on their behalf. Everyone aged 18 or over on the form also signs the Australian values statement.
Children over 16 are separately asked to complete Form 80 for the character assessment.
Where a parent with legal responsibility for the child isn't part of the application, Home Affairs generally needs their documented consent — most often through Form 1229.
These visas must be applied for on paper — posted to Locked Bag 7, Northbridge, Western Australia 6865, or couriered to 836 Wellington Street, West Perth, 6005.
Confirm the current form version, tick the right visa class at Part A, Question 2, and pay the charge through ImmiAccount before you lodge — an application isn't valid until it's paid in full.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description.
Short versions
- Two forms, two different jobs (0:31)
- Who signs when the applicant is a child (0:29)
- The one form these applications forget (0:29)
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