Student visa document checklist

• Run the Department's Document Checklist Tool. It tells you whether you must attach English and financial evidence. If it asks for financial evidence and you don't attach it, the Department may refuse the application without asking for more.
• Most applicants apply from outside Australia since 2 October 2026, and must be outside Australia when the visa is granted. Holders of some visas cannot apply in Australia at all.
• Family members only under an exemption. Most applicants can no longer include a partner or children. Exemptions include PhD students, DFAT or Defence sponsored students, students on a foreign government scholarship that fully funds their studies, and nationals of listed Pacific Island and ASEAN countries.

Identity

1. Valid passportYou and your family members must hold a valid passport to lodge. Provide the pages showing your photo, personal details, and the issue and expiry dates.Always
2. National identity cardIf you have one
3. Evidence of any change of nameFor example a marriage or divorce certificate, or registry documents.If it applies

Your course

1. Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) for every courseWithout a CoE at lodgement the application is invalid. For packaged courses, include every CoE code. The course must be full time and registered on CRICOS. DFAT or Defence sponsored students provide a letter of support instead, secondary exchange students an AASES form, and postgraduate research students awaiting thesis marking a letter from their provider.Always

Genuine Student

1. Answers to the Genuine Student questions in the application formEach answer has a 150-word limit and must be in English. The Department prefers answers in the form rather than a separate statement.Always
2. Evidence supporting your answersThe Department gives more weight to statements supported by evidence. It encourages transcripts and certificates from previous study, details of current employment with a referee's contact, evidence of ties to your home country, and evidence of your economic circumstances, such as employment or business activity in the 12 months before you lodge, an income tax return or bank statements.Always

English and money

1. English test resultA test score at or above the Department's minimum, or evidence of an exemption. Tests delivered entirely online are not accepted. Citizens and passport holders of the UK, the US, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland are among those exempt.If the checklist tool asks
2. Evidence of financial capacityShow genuine access to the money: who is providing it and their relationship to you, where deposits came from, and the transaction history. A bank balance on a single day does not show how the funds were built up. For a loan, provide the security, terms and ongoing costs. Income evidence must be official government documents such as tax assessments less than 12 months old; bank statements are not accepted for that.If the checklist tool asks

Health and character

1. Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC)Covering everyone on the application, from the date you arrive. Give the provider's name and the start and end dates. Without OSHC details in the form, the application is refused. Norwegian, Swedish and Belgian students covered by the schemes the Department lists are the exceptions.Always
2. Health examinationsYou and family members on the application must meet the health requirement. Examinations may be needed and can be done before you apply.If required
3. Polio vaccination certificateIf you apply from outside Australia and are travelling from, or spent time in, a country considered at risk of polio.If it applies
4. Australian Values StatementSigned as part of the application.Aged 18 or over
5. CharacterYou and family members aged 16 and over must meet the character requirement.Aged 16 or over

Applicants under 18

1. Welfare arrangementsA Confirmation of Appropriate Accommodation and Welfare (CAAW) from your provider, an AASES form, Minister approval for Foreign Affairs or Defence students, or a nominated guardian. A guardian route needs Form 157N attached for the application to be valid.If under 18
2. Parental consentA completed and signed Form 1229 or a statutory declaration, with a birth certificate showing your parents' names, your parents' identity documents with signature and photo, and evidence of sole custody if it applies.If under 18

Family members

1. Partner's identity, character and relationship documentsIdentity and character documents, and a marriage certificate or evidence of a de facto relationship of at least 12 months or of its registration.Only under an exemption
2. Children's documentsBirth certificates or a family book showing both parents, adoption papers if they apply, consent from a parent not travelling who has a legal right to decide where the child lives, and evidence of school enrolment for each child who has turned 5 but not 18. Only unmarried children under 18 can be included.Only under an exemption

Financial capacity figures

Living costs, student

$29,710 / 12 months

Living costs, partner

$10,394 / 12 months

Living costs, child

$4,449 / 12 months

Schooling, each child

$13,502 / year

Or annual income, parents or partner

$87,856

Or annual income, with family

$102,500

The Department adds travel costs and the first 12 months of course fees to the living costs. These were the figures on its page on 8 November 2026; the page gives no effective date, so check it before you apply.

Preparing your documents

• Family members apply with you. Under an exemption, they must apply at the same time and from the same location as you. They cannot join later as subsequent entrants.
• Lodged before 2 October 2026? Your application is assessed under the rules in place when you lodged it, including any family members on it.

Sources, checked 8 November 2026. Department of Home Affairs: Student visa (subclass 500) · Genuine Student requirement · Changes to Student visa application rules (subclasses 500 and 590). Ticks are saved on this device only. This checklist is general information drawn from the Department's pages, not migration advice, and it does not cover every circumstance. What you need depends on your situation, and the Department can ask for more.