Afghanistan visa biometrics are a roadblock for applicants who are still in the country. The Department of Home Affairs says that if you live in Afghanistan, or have been deported there, and have not yet completed biometrics collection, it will not be able to process your visa while you remain in Afghanistan.
What Afghanistan visa biometrics mean for applicants inside the country
The department’s Afghanistan update page is blunt about the limits on Afghanistan visa biometrics and on what the department can do. It says the Australian Government is unable to assist anyone’s departure from Afghanistan. That leaves applicants inside the country without government help to leave and finish the step.
The same applies to the Afghan Locally Engaged Employee program. The department says it is unable to finalise a visa while the applicant is in Afghanistan, and that it cannot assist with their departure.
Can you leave? Tell the department
There is one route for Afghanistan visa biometrics if you can leave the country. If you are in Afghanistan and can travel to another country to provide biometrics, the department says you should tell it. It will then send you a letter so you can do biometrics collection in that location. Until Afghanistan visa biometrics are complete, the department cannot process the visa.
Home Affairs does not recommend that visa applicants cross borders that may put them or their family at risk. It says you should make your own decision about travel after considering all available information.
Expect a long wait, and no guarantees
The department says applicants should expect lengthy processing times. It will grant visas when applicants meet all requirements and in line with government priorities.
Demand for the Offshore Humanitarian Program is much higher than the number of available places, according to the department, and most applicants will not receive a visa. Australia’s resettlement program for Afghans focuses on two neighbouring countries, Pakistan and Iran, and priority goes to people outside Afghanistan in set groups. The highest priority group is certified former Locally Engaged Employees and their immediate family members.
The department also says it does not need a letter of support from a member of Parliament or a community member to process an application, and that such a letter does not give an application higher priority or speed up a grant.
Pakistan and Iran bring their own problems
For Afghans in Pakistan, the department points to the Pakistani Government’s Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan, which requires people without a valid visa for Pakistan to leave or face deportation. It says Australia’s ability to keep processing visas for Afghans in Pakistan is limited and, in many cases, practically impossible.
In Iran, the department says the ongoing conflict in the region has affected its visa operations since late February 2026. Clients have had difficulty attending medical clearance or biometrics appointments, internet outages have limited contact with applicants, and airspace closures and flight disruptions have made travel harder.
Partner visas, documents and scams
Biometrics also matter for Partner visa applicants. The department says an online application may trigger a system-generated request for biometrics collection, and that it cannot finalise the application until it is able to collect them.
The Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan suspended its operations in Australia on 30 June 2026 and is unable to issue documents. Applicants who cannot get genuine Afghan Government documents for an application in progress are asked to use the department’s contact form for Afghanistan.
The department also warns that it does not charge a fee to fast-track a Humanitarian visa, and that anyone offered that service is being targeted by a scam.
Check the department’s Afghanistan update page for the latest on Afghanistan visa biometrics before acting on any of this.
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General information only, not legal advice. Check the official source on Afghanistan visa biometrics before acting.
