Provide evidence that you are a settled Australian citizen, Australian permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen such as:

• a birth certificate
• an Australian passport
• evidence you are an Australian permanent resident
• an Australian citizenship certificate
• if you are a New Zealand citizen, evidence to show how long you have lived in Australia and your continued links to Australia

Provide the pages of your current passport showing your photo, personal details, and passport issue and expiry dates.
Also provide a copy of your birth certificate showing both your parents’ names. If you don’t have a birth certificate and you can’t get one, provide a copy of the identification pages of one of these:

• a family book showing both your parents’ names
• government-issued identification
• a court-issued document that verifies your identity

If you have changed your name, provide proof such as:

• a marriage or divorce certificate
• change of name documents from an Australian Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages, or the relevant overseas authority
• documents that show other names you have been known by

If the child will be under 18 when we make a decision on the application you must:

• provide an Australian National Police Certificate if you have lived in Australia for any length of time since turning 16
• provide an overseas police certificate from every country, where you spent 12 months or more in the last 10 years since you turned 16

We only accept National Police Certificates applied for under Code 33 – Immigration/Citizenship. The Australian Federal Police issue these certificates. We don't accept standard disclosure certificates or certificates issued by Australian state or territory police.

If you have a spouse or de facto partner they must also provide these documents.

For immigration purposes, police certificates are valid for 12 months from the issue date.

Learn more about measures for the protection of children.

Have all non-English documents translated into English.

Provide original and translated documents in your application.

Translators in Australia must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters.

Translators outside Australia do not have to be accredited. But on each translation, they must include their:

• full name
• address and telephone number
• qualifications and experience in the language they are translating.

These details must be in English.

If the child is overseas, don't arrange their travel to Australia until we advise in writing we have granted the visa.

The child's application could take longer if:

• they need character or health checks (including X-rays)
• we need more information
• the application is incomplete

Things you need to let us know about after you have applied include:

• changes to your phone number, address or passport
• changes to your marital or de facto status
• the birth of a child

See how to tell us if your situation changes.

You can withdraw your sponsorship before we grant the visa. You can't withdraw your sponsorship after we grant the visa.

Write to us at the office where the application was sent if you want to withdraw your sponsorship.

Your request must include your:

• full name and date of birth
• file reference number
• client ID or transaction reference number