Reference library
Visa biometrics
You may be asked for personal identifiers, your fingerprints and an image of your face, as part of a visa application. Home Affairs tells you if you need to give them and which ones. This page summarises the Home Affairs biometrics page ↗, checked 6 November 2026. General information only.
How to give your biometrics
Outside Australia
Home Affairs will tell you whether to attend an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre in person or whether you can use the Australian Immi App ↗. The centres are run by VFS Global in a number of countries, by appointment; you may need to travel to another country to reach one. Centres charge a service fee. VFS Global does not answer questions about visa applications.
In Australia
Collection is by appointment only: Home Affairs sends you a letter or invitation. If you applied outside Australia for a visa that needs biometrics and are now in Australia, tell the office where you applied, through the Global Service Centre ↗. You may need to travel offshore to a centre.
What to bring
Bring your valid travel document, such as the passport linked to your visa application; without it the biometrics generally cannot be collected. In Australia, also bring the appointment letter. Accepted travel documents in Australia include a valid passport, Certificate of Identity, ImmiCard, UNHCR Identity Card or Convention Travel Document (Titre de Voyage).
At the appointment
- Staff take a digital image of your face and scan all 10 fingertips.
- Your face must be visible from below your chin to above your eyebrows, including both cheeks and both ears. If you remove glasses or a religious head covering, you can ask for this to be done in private by someone of the same gender.
- With a temporary injury to your face or fingers, wait until it heals, or upload a written request for more time to your ImmiAccount. With henna (mehndi) or similar on your hands, ask VFS Global first.
- A parent or guardian must come with a minor, or with someone unable to understand what biometrics are for.
How Home Affairs uses them
Biometrics are used to identify you, to protect you from identity fraud, make travel safer and secure the border. They are stored in a secure database only authorised officers can use, may be checked with other Australian or international agencies for your identity, criminal history and immigration history, and may be compared again when you enter Australia or apply for another visa. The Home Affairs privacy notices, form 1442i and form 1243i, explain this in full.
Summarised from the Home Affairs biometrics page (Commonwealth of Australia). See also the health requirement and character requirement.