Form 1229 explained: consent for a child's Australian visa
When Form 1229 is actually required, who has to sign it, what Home Affairs accepts instead, and the mistake that turns it into a processing delay. Figures as at September 2026.
Read the full guide, with official sources →
Watch
Chapters
- 0:00 One signature can stall a child's visa:
- 0:14 When it applies
- 0:28 Who signs
- 0:45 Instead of the form:
- 0:59 When consent can't be obtained
- 1:10 Myth: this needs a JP witness.
- 1:22 What to attach
- 1:35 Not for RRV, ETA or
- 1:47 The mistake: the wrong consent
- 1:59 Where to read more
Transcript
If your child under 18 is on your visa application and their other parent isn't, Home Affairs wants that parent's written consent. That's what Form 1229 is for.
It applies whenever a child under 18 is included in a visa application, as a dependent or as a standalone child visa applicant, and a person with legal parental responsibility for that child isn't part of the application.
Who signs? The non-accompanying parent, or anyone else who can lawfully decide where the child lives. If a second person genuinely shares that responsibility, they sign too. If one parent has been made lawfully solely responsible, only that parent signs.
Form 1229 isn't the only accepted document. Home Affairs also accepts a statutory declaration giving the same consent, as long as it's accompanied by an identity document showing the signer's signature and photo.
If consent genuinely can't be obtained, Home Affairs accepts an Australian court order allowing the child to migrate, or evidence that the laws of the child's home country let them leave without it.
A common myth: Form 1229 needs a Justice of the Peace to witness it. It doesn't. The department's own instructions ask only for a signature and a date.
What you attach instead: a certified copy of the child's birth certificate, and a certified copy of the signing parent's passport, driver's licence, national ID card or birth certificate, showing their signature.
Form 1229 isn't used for a Resident Return visa, an Electronic Travel Authority, or an eVisitor application for someone under 18 — those follow their own process.
The most common mistake is submitting the wrong type of consent document for your family's actual legal situation. That's exactly what generates a request for more information, and pushes your case back.
The full guide, with the official sources, is on migratio.com.au. The link is in the description. And if you'd like to talk it through, you can compare registered migration agents there, and see their fees before you book anything.
Short versions
- Does Form 1229 need a JP? (0:32)
- What if the other parent won't consent? (0:37)
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