Form 80 Questions Explained: Every Part from A to S

Form 80's 20 parts are listed A through T, but reading the form for the first time can be disorienting — the section titles are bureaucratic, some parts contain only a single question while others have ten sub-questions, and the character questions (Parts K–R) are written in broad legal language. This guide explains each Part in plain English, Part by Part, with links to dedicated deep-dive guides where they exist.

Part A — Full name and other names used

Part A asks for your full legal name exactly as it appears on your current passport — given names and family name — plus every other name you have ever used at any point in your life. This includes maiden names, names taken during previous marriages, names from cultural or religious contexts, legal name changes, and any aliases that have appeared in official documents. The Department runs identity checks under every name you provide, so omitting a name you have used officially — even briefly — creates a discrepancy risk.

Part B — Personal particulars and passport details

Part B covers your date and place of birth, sex, physical description (height, eye colour, distinguishing marks), and full details of your current passport — number, country of issue, date of issue, and expiry date. It also asks whether you hold any other current passports, whether you have previously held a passport of another country, and whether you hold any other travel documents. If you have ever held citizenship of another country and renounced it, the passport from that country should be disclosed here even if expired.

Part C — Nationalities, languages, and other identifiers

Part C asks for all nationalities you currently hold or have previously held, the languages you speak, read, and write (and at what level), and national identity document numbers from countries you have lived in — such as a national ID card number, social security number, or tax identification number from a country other than Australia. These details allow the Department to locate and cross-reference records held by overseas authorities when conducting background checks. If your documents are in a language other than English, NAATI-certified translation may be required — see the Form 80 translation guide.

Part D — Residential address history

Part D (Q17) asks for every residential address you have lived at for the last 10 years, with the exact start and end date for each. For refugee and humanitarian visa applicants, the period extends to 30 years. Every period must be accounted for with no gaps — share houses, student accommodation, temporary stays with family, and overseas addresses all count. Even short stays of a few weeks require an entry; "no fixed address" periods should be listed with a description and explanation in Part T.

→ Form 80 address history guide

Part E — International travel history

Part E (Q18) asks for every international trip you have made in the last 10 years — the countries visited, the purpose of each trip (tourism, business, study, family visit, transit), and the departure and return dates. The Department holds its own movement record of every Australian border crossing and cross-checks it against your Form 80 entries; discrepancies between your travel history and your address history are frequently flagged. Include short trips — a weekend in New Zealand counts.

→ Form 80 travel history guide

Part F — Employment history

Part F (Q19) asks for all employment from the end of your full-time education onward with no unexplained gaps. For each role, list the employer's full legal name and address, your job title or position, and the start and end dates. All periods of unemployment, self-employment, volunteer work, and full-time study must also be listed as separate entries — "unemployed" and "full-time carer" are valid entries. The requirement has no fixed year limit; it covers your entire working life.

→ Form 80 employment history guide

Part G — Education history

Part G (Q20) asks for all educational institutions you have attended from secondary school onward — high school, TAFE, university, college, and any other formal study programs. For each, list the full institution name, country, and dates of attendance. If a period of study overlaps with an employment entry in Part F (for example, part-time study while working), list it in both sections with consistent dates.

→ Form 80 education history guide

Part H — Spouse or de facto partner

Part H asks for the full name, date and place of birth, country of citizenship, and current country of residence of your current spouse or de facto partner. It also asks whether you have had any previous spouses or de facto partners — and if so, requires the same details for each, along with the dates of the relationship and how it ended. All former relationships must be disclosed regardless of when they ended, including relationships that concluded before the 10-year period. Omitting a former spouse is a common and consequential error.

→ Form 80 partner visa guide (for broader partner visa context)

Part I — Dependent children

Part I asks for the full name, date and place of birth, country of citizenship, and current country of residence of each of your children — biological, adopted, and stepchildren. Children who are deceased should be included with a note. Children from previous relationships must be listed even if they do not live with you. There is no age limit — adult children must also be included.

Part J — Parents and siblings

Part J asks for the same personal details — full name, date and place of birth, country of citizenship, and current country of residence — for your mother and father (including stepparents where applicable) and all of your siblings. Family members who are deceased should be included with a note of their passing. Half-siblings and step-siblings are included.

Part K — Criminal history

Part K (Q36) asks whether you have ever been charged with, convicted of, or sentenced for any criminal offence in any country at any point in your life — including charges that were withdrawn, dismissed, or resulted in no conviction, and including minor offences. Every sub-question must be answered with an explicit Yes or No; a blank is not acceptable. The scope is intentionally broad: minor traffic infringements that resulted in a fine, juvenile offences, and matters concluded decades ago must all be disclosed. Non-disclosure of known criminal history is treated more seriously by the Department than the offence itself.

→ Form 80 criminal history guide — includes spent convictions, overseas offences, juvenile matters

Part L — Military and security service

Part L asks whether you have served in any military force, armed force, police force, peacekeeping operation, intelligence service, or security organisation in any country — including compulsory national service, reserve service, and voluntary service. If you answer Yes, you must provide the country, the branch or organisation, your rank or position, and the dates of service. Service that ended many years ago must still be disclosed.

→ Form 80 military service guide

Part M — Organisational memberships

Part M asks whether you have ever been a member of any political party, organisation, or movement in any country at any time in your life — including memberships you no longer hold. The question is intentionally broad: it covers political parties, community organisations, student associations, trade unions, professional bodies, religious organisations, and any other structured group. Past memberships from your teenage years or early adulthood must be disclosed if they occurred.

→ Form 80 organisation memberships guide

Part N — People smuggling and human trafficking

Part N asks whether you have ever been involved in, facilitated, assisted, or participated in people smuggling, human trafficking, or the movement of people across borders outside of lawful migration processes — in any country, at any time. This question must be answered with an explicit Yes or No. A Yes answer requires a full explanation; a No answer must be accurate.

→ Form 80 character assessment guide

Part O — Terrorism and related activities

Part O asks whether you have ever engaged in, supported, financed, recruited for, or otherwise been involved with terrorist activities or a terrorist organisation — in any country, at any time. It also asks about any association with individuals or groups engaged in such activities. Each sub-question requires an explicit Yes or No. This is one of the most serious character sections of the form.

→ Form 80 character assessment guide

Part P — War crimes and crimes against humanity

Part P asks whether you have ever been involved in, ordered, directed, or participated in genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, or the persecution of any group based on nationality, ethnicity, religion, political opinion, or other characteristics. These questions apply regardless of country, time period, or whether the conduct occurred during a conflict. They must be answered completely and explicitly.

→ Form 80 character assessment guide

Part Q — Significant criminal conduct

Part Q asks about serious criminal conduct not already captured elsewhere in the form — including conduct that would, if it had occurred in Australia, be classified as a serious criminal offence, and involvement in organised crime, criminal networks, or significant illegal activity. This Part catches serious matters that fall outside a formal criminal conviction — for example, conduct in a country with weak rule of law where charges were never brought.

→ Form 80 character assessment guide

Part R — Visa refusals and immigration enforcement history

Part R asks whether you have ever been refused a visa, had a visa cancelled, been deported, or been removed from any country — including Australia. It also asks whether you have ever been subject to any exclusion period or prohibition on re-entry to any country. All such events must be disclosed regardless of when they occurred or the reason given. An overseas visa refusal — even if the decision was later reversed — must be disclosed.

Part S — Personal contacts in Australia and declaration

Part S asks for the names and contact details of people in Australia who know you — typically individuals who can verify your identity and background if the Department needs to follow up. These are not character referees in the formal sense; they are people the Department can contact to corroborate information in your application. Part S also includes the signed statutory declaration: by signing, you confirm that all information you have provided in Form 80 is true, complete, and correct, and that you understand the legal consequences of providing false or misleading information to the Department. The form must be signed before upload — an unsigned Form 80 will not be accepted.

→ Form 80 personal contacts guide  ·  Signature and declaration guide

Frequently asked questions

How many parts does Form 80 have?

Form 80 has 20 parts — Parts A through T — and 54 questions in total. Some parts contain a single table-based question (for example, Part D is one question asking for your full address history), while others contain multiple yes/no sub-questions. The official PDF has over 700 individual fillable fields once sub-questions and table rows are counted.

Do I need to answer every part of Form 80?

Yes. All parts must be completed. Questions that do not apply to you should be answered with "Not applicable" or "None" rather than left blank — a blank field can be interpreted as an oversight rather than a deliberate Not applicable response. Character questions in Parts K–R must have explicit Yes or No answers for every sub-question.

Which parts of Form 80 are the most important to get right?

All parts carry equal legal weight — the signed declaration in Part S confirms the entire form is true and correct. In practice, the sections most likely to cause delays or follow-up requests are Part D (address history — gaps), Part F (employment history — gaps), Part E (travel history — inconsistencies with address dates), and Part K (criminal history — non-disclosure). Part T (additional information) is where you can resolve ambiguities in any section proactively.

What happens if a question in Form 80 doesn't apply to me?

Write "Not applicable" or "None" in that field. For Parts K through R (character questions), do not leave a blank — answer each sub-question explicitly with either Yes or No. A blank in a character question section can be flagged by a case officer as an incomplete form, triggering a follow-up request.

Where can I find plain-English guidance for each section before I start?

This page covers every Part at a summary level. For the sections most commonly requiring detailed guidance, dedicated guides are available for address history, employment history, travel history, criminal history, and Part T additional information. The Form 80 example page shows completed entries for a fictional applicant across all major sections.