Biometrics appointment

If you are outside Australia

1. 1

   Check the Department’s instructions to you. They say whether you attend an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre (ABCC) in person or can use the Australian Immi App.

2. 2

   If you attend an ABCC, book an appointment with VFS Global, the company the Department contracts to run them. You may need to travel to another country to reach one, and the centre charges a service fee.

3. 3

   Take your valid travel document, such as the passport linked to your visa application, to the appointment. Without it VFS will generally not collect your biometrics.

• VFS Global does not answer questions about visa applications.

If you are in Australia

1. 1

   Wait for the Department’s letter or invitation. Collection in Australia is by appointment only.

2. 2

   Take the appointment letter and your original passport or other valid travel document. Accepted documents include a valid passport, a Certificate of Identity, an ImmiCard, a UNHCR identity card and a Convention Travel Document.

• If you applied for the visa from outside Australia and are now in Australia, tell the Department office in the country where you applied. You may have to travel to an ABCC outside Australia.

At the appointment

1. 1

   Staff take a photo of your face with a digital camera. Your face must be clearly visible from the bottom of your chin to above your eyebrows, including both cheeks and both ears.

2. 2

   Staff scan all 10 of your fingertips with a digital finger scanner.

• If you wear glasses or a religious head covering you may need to remove it. You can ask to do this in private and with someone of the same gender.
• If you have a temporary injury to your face or fingerprints, wait until it has healed, or make a written request for more time with your reasons and upload it to your ImmiAccount.
• If you are missing a finger, staff collect your remaining fingers. If you have mehndi or another temporary decoration on your hands, ask VFS Global whether you can still give fingerprints.
• A parent or guardian must come with you if you are a minor in the country where you give biometrics, or cannot understand what biometrics are for.

Where the centres are

The Department keeps a list of ABCC locations by country on its biometrics page, and VFS Global shows opening hours and any temporary closures. Check both before you travel.