Aged Parent visa (subclass 804)
The 804 is the non contributory permanent parent visa for a parent who is in Australia and has reached 67. It costs $8,665 per parent. What the family is really buying is the bridging visa: the parent stays here for the whole wait, which the Department estimates at about 33 years, usually with work rights, without Medicare unless they come from a reciprocal health care country.
Verified against the Department of Home Affairs on 8 September 2026.
Who the 804 suits, and who it does not.
Most wrong choices are made here, before any form is filled.
Usually the right visa for
- A parent already here and over 67The lowest government charge for an onshore stay.
- A parent from a reciprocal health care countryLimited Medicare while waiting.
- A family that accepts the bridging visa as the real outcomeAnd budgets for private health cover.
Usually the wrong visa for
- A parent whose visa carries condition 8503The application would be invalid.
- A family that wants certainty of residenceThe 864 is the same stay with a 15 years horizon.
- A parent who travels oftenEach trip out needs a Bridging Visa B, $575, or the bridging visa ends.
What the 804 asks of the family.
Each requirement has detail and exceptions. These decide most applications.
- 01
Age pension age
67 or over on the day of lodgement.
- 02
A visa that allows the application
A substantive visa without condition 8503, or a waiver, granted only for compelling and compassionate circumstances that arose after grant and were outside the parent's control.
- 03
A settled sponsor and the balance of family test
As for every permanent parent visa.
- 04
Health and character
Checked at queuing and again before grant.
- 05
An Assurance of Support
$5,000 plus $2,000 per adult dependant, two years, refundable.
- 06
No 870 on the record
The Department's position for every permanent parent visa.
Every charge, and when it falls due.
Main applicant, from 1 July 2026. The Department adds a surcharge for card payments. Health, police and translation costs are extra. The cost stack models one or two parents and the waiting years.
| Item | When | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| First instalment, main applicant | Lodgement | $6,600 |
| First instalment, second parent | Lodgement | $3,300 |
| Second instalment, each applicant | Release, about 33 years later | $2,065 |
| Assurance of Support | Before grant, refundable after two years | $5,000 |
| Private health cover, per parent per year | Every year on the bridging visa | $2,000 to $4,000 |
| Bridging Visa B, each trip | Before any travel | $575 |
| Our professional fee | Fixed, quoted in writing | On request |
- Before lodgementWe confirm no condition 8503, enough validity on the current visa, age 67 and the family count. An invalid application is not refused; it simply never existed.
- Weeks 1 to 8Lodged in ImmiAccount with $6,600. A Bridging Visa A is granted and takes effect when the current visa ends.
- Months 1 to 6Queue date assigned in the non contributory queue.
- Years 1 to 32Life on the bridging visa. Work usually allowed. Bridging Visa B before any trip. Health cover, address and sponsor changes managed.
- Release and grantFresh checks, the bond and $2,065. Granted while the parent is in Australia.
Same onshore stay, permanent residence in about 15 years for $49,900 per parent.
Read the 864 guideSubclass 884Contributory Aged Parent (Temporary) visaTwo years on Medicare and work rights after the queue, then a reduced charge 864.
Read the 884 guideSubclass 103Parent visaThe offshore version for a parent overseas or under 67.
Read the 103 guideWhat families ask us about the 804.
What does a parent actually live on during an 804 wait?
The bridging visa. It keeps the parent lawful for as long as the application is undecided, usually with work rights, and most families treat it as the outcome. Private health cover is the main recurring cost.
Can the parent leave Australia on the bridging visa?
Only after a Bridging Visa B is granted, at $575 a trip. Leaving on the Bridging Visa A ends it, and with it the onshore application's footing.
What if the visitor visa has No further stay?
Condition 8503 makes the onshore application invalid. A waiver is available only for compelling and compassionate circumstances that arose after the visitor visa was granted. We check the condition before anything else.
Can we upgrade from the 804 to the 864 later?
A family can lodge an 864 while the 804 is pending, with its own charges and its own queue date. Many do once the funds are ready.
Is the onshore route closing?
There was public reporting in 2026 of a proposal to stop family visas being lodged from a visitor visa, which would close this route in practice. As at September 2026 nothing has been legislated. A parent who is here and eligible should lodge properly rather than wait.
Sources: Department of Home Affairs, Aged Parent visa (subclass 804) and the Parent visas queue release dates page (as at 31 May 2026); Services Australia for Assurance of Support amounts. Checked 8 September 2026. Charges change every 1 July. General information as at 8 September 2026, not advice on your circumstances.
How we help with the 804.
- StrategyA written letter that tests all seven parent visas against your family before anything is lodged, with the costs by year and a fixed fee.
- LodgementBalance of family and sponsor evidence prepared so the application is queued on the first assessment.
- The queueAn annual review: addresses, passports, sponsor, health, and the second instalment forecast.
- ReleaseHealth, police, the Assurance of Support and the payment lined up before the Department's letter.
- Both practicesWhere the sponsor runs a business, our commercial team prepares the income and structure evidence alongside the visa file.
Talk to us about the subclass 804.
One consultation, in person on St Kilda Road or by video. You leave with the visa confirmed, the costs by year and a fixed fee in writing.