Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864)
The 864 is the contributory permanent visa for a parent who is in Australia and has reached 67. It costs $49,900 per parent, the same as the 143, and takes about 15 years on the Department's estimate. The difference is the bridging visa: the parent stays with the family for the whole wait. Whenever a parent is here and old enough, this is where we start.
Verified against the Department of Home Affairs on 8 September 2026.
Who the 864 suits, and who it does not.
Most wrong choices are made here, before any form is filled.
Usually the right visa for
- A parent here and over 67 whose family wants residence in a known timeframeAbout 15 years, at home.
- A family that can plan for $43,600 at releaseOnly $6,300 is due now.
- A parent who wants to work here through the waitThe bridging visa usually allows it.
Usually the wrong visa for
- A parent whose visa carries condition 8503Invalid unless waived.
- A parent under 67 or outside AustraliaThe 143 is the equivalent, without a bridging visa.
- A family that cannot plan for the second instalmentThe 804 gives the same stay for a fifth of the charge.
What the 864 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
No condition 8503, or a waiver for compelling and compassionate circumstances that arose after grant.
- 03
A settled sponsor and the balance of family test
As for every permanent parent visa. All children of the parent and their current partner count.
- 04
Health and character
Checked at queuing and again before grant.
- 05
An Assurance of Support
$10,000 plus $4,000 per adult dependant, ten years, refundable, lodged before grant.
- 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 | $6,300 |
| First instalment, second parent | Lodgement, approximate | $3,150 |
| Second instalment, each applicant | Release, about 15 years later | $43,600 |
| Assurance of Support | Before grant, refundable after ten years | $10,000 |
| Private health cover, per parent per year | Every year on the bridging visa | $2,000 to $4,000 |
| Health and police checks, per person | Queuing and release | $600 to $900 |
| Our professional fee | Fixed, staged across lodgement and release | On request |
- Before lodgementNo condition 8503, age 67, family count met, and the 884 first route compared on cash flow.
- Weeks 1 to 8Lodged in ImmiAccount with $6,300. A Bridging Visa A takes effect when the current visa ends.
- Months 1 to 6Queue date assigned in the contributory queue.
- Years 1 to 14Life on the bridging visa. Bridging Visa B for travel. Health cover, changes and the second instalment forecast managed.
- Final 12 monthsRelease. Fresh checks, the bond with Services Australia and $43,600, then grant while the parent is here.
Same queue, charge split in two, with two years of Medicare and work rights before the 864 stage.
Read the 884 guideSubclass 804Aged Parent visaSame onshore stay at a fifth of the charge, with a 33 years horizon.
Read the 804 guideSubclass 143Contributory Parent visaThe equivalent for a parent overseas or under 67, without a bridging visa.
Read the 143 guideWhat families ask us about the 864.
Why do we prefer the 864 to the 143 when both are available?
Because the 864 comes with a bridging visa. Same charge, same wait, but the parent spends it in Australia with the family instead of overseas.
What does the bridging visa allow?
Lawful stay until the decision and, usually, work. Not Medicare, unless the parent is from a reciprocal health care country or previously held an 884. Travel needs a Bridging Visa B first.
How do families fund $43,600 fifteen years out?
By planning for it from year one. We forecast the second instalment at every annual review, and the 884 route splits it into $29,130 at release and about $19,920 two years later.
Does a second parent double the charge?
The second parent pays a lower first instalment, about $3,150, and the full $43,600 second instalment, plus $4,000 on the bond.
What if condition 8503 is on the parent's visa?
The onshore application is invalid unless the condition is waived for compelling and compassionate circumstances that arose after grant. Otherwise the parent would need to leave and consider the 143.
Sources: Department of Home Affairs, Contributory Aged Parent visa (subclass 864) 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 864.
- 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 864.
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.