Subclass 461 visa document checklist (New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship)

The New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461) lets a family member of a New Zealand citizen, who is not a New Zealand citizen themselves, live, work and study in Australia for 5 years. This checklist is a starting point as at November 2026; confirm each item on the Home Affairs subclass 461 page before lodging.

Who can apply

• Family of a New Zealand citizen: a member of the family unit of a New Zealand citizen who is not an eligible New Zealand citizen and who holds a Special Category visa (subclass 444) in Australia, or will be granted one on entry when travelling with the applicant.
• Former 461 holder in Australia: no longer in the family unit the earlier visa was granted through, and not part of another family unit.
• Former 461 holder outside Australia: the same, plus either at least 2 years in Australia on a subclass 461 visa in the last 5 years, or substantial ties with Australia that benefit Australia.

Key numbers (as at November 2026)

• Length of stay: 5 years from grant, with multiple entry.
• Dependent children: usually under 23 at application and at grant, and financially dependent for at least 12 months before applying if 18 or over.
• Lodgement: on paper only, by post. Family members must be included when lodging; they cannot be added later.

Documents from the New Zealand citizen

• Identity and status: passport or birth certificate, as evidence that they hold or are eligible for a Subclass 444 visa
• Character: police certificates from Australia, New Zealand and any other country they lived in for more than 12 months in the last 10 years, when an applicant is under 18

Documents from the applicant

• Application: Form 147 with the payment receipt and certified copies of all documents
• Identity: passport pages showing the photo, personal details and issue and expiry dates; national identity card, if any; evidence of any change of name; two recent passport-size photos (45 mm x 35 mm) of each applicant
• Relationship: birth, marriage, adoption or death certificates, or official family books, linking each applicant to the New Zealand citizen
• Partner: marriage certificate or evidence of the de facto relationship, and evidence that it is genuine and ongoing: statements from both partners and from friends or family, joint finances, bills, leases or mortgages, a shared address, and photos and joint travel; evidence of any divorce
• Other relationships: death certificate, divorce or separation documents, or a statutory declaration for anyone widowed, divorced or permanently separated
• Character: Police certificates from each country where the applicant has spent a total of 12 months or more in the last 10 years since turning 16, including an Australian Federal Police check where it applies. Home Affairs requests any New Zealand check itself, with the applicant's signed consent form. Also Form 80, Form 1221 and any military service records.
• Health: Health examinations, when Home Affairs asks for them. Home Affairs encourages doing them before lodging.
• Children under 18: identity documents, birth certificates, any adoption papers or court orders, and Form 1229 consent from any parent with legal rights who is not coming to Australia
• Dependants 18 or over: identity documents, Form 47a, evidence of 12 months' financial dependency, enrolment in study if any, and police certificates

Collect it with Immiluma

Set this checklist up once as a visa template in Immiluma, or ask the assistant to draft the template from this page. Each new matter sends the list to the client's portal. The client uploads against each item, including the New Zealand citizen's documents, and you review each document beside its requirement before the paper application goes in the post. See all visa checklists.