About the Program
On this page:
Biometrics collection will commence at selected locations from December 2010. Locations will be announced as they are rolled out.
See: Countries and Visa Subclasses included in the Biometrics Program
Benefits
The program will:
- better protect clients from identity fraud
- make travel to Australia safer
- strengthen Australia's border security
- improve national security.
Selection of overseas posts and countries
The overseas locations included in the first phase of the program were selected on the basis of:
- the government's intention to provide broad geographic coverage for the scheme and to test biometric collection across a range of challenging client service environments
- Australia's national security and fraud risks in visa caseloads
- the availability of biometrics collection infrastructure.
See: Biometrics in Visa Processing outside Australia Fact Sheet ( 72KB PDF file)
Who will be required to provide biometrics?
Clients lodging paper-based visa applications in selected locations, regardless of nationality, will need to provide their biometrics. A detailed list of visa subclasses included in the first stage of the program is available in PDF format on the department's website.
See: Biometrics collection outside Australia – List of included visa subclasses ( 53KB PDF file)
A list of frequently asked questions about the implementation of the program and information
about the collection process is available on the department's website.
See:
The Biometric Collection Process
Biometrics in Visa Processing outside Australia Frequently Asked Questions ( 78KB PDF file)
Exclusions and exemptions
Some clients are excluded or exempt from providing biometrics.
See: Biometric collection outside Australia – List of exclusions and exemptions ( 57KB PDF file)