Form 1446 — Withdrawal of a Visa Application

What is Form 1446 — withdrawal of a visa application?

Under section 49 of the Migration Act 1958, a visa applicant may withdraw their visa application by written notice. Form 1446, Withdrawal of a visa application, is the Department of Home Affairs form for giving that notice. It covers the application being withdrawn, who is withdrawing it and on whose authority, the details of up to six applicants, optional reasons, and a declaration.

Withdrawal is final: once an application has been withdrawn, no further action can be taken on it, and anyone who wants to be considered for a visa later must make a new application. Withdrawal by one applicant, such as the main applicant, doesn't withdraw the applications of the others — generally each applicant gives written notice — and any remaining applicants in a combined application continue to have an application that must be considered. A bridging visa granted with the application stops 28 or 35 calendar days after the withdrawal, depending on when it was granted.

FileIt guides you through Form 1446 and prints your answers into the Department's own PDF — dates in the Day / Month / Year boxes, names like Wiśniewska-O'Brien printed correctly, and your reasons wrapped onto the ruled lines. It saves the finished form to your vault. You sign it and give it to the Department yourself; FileIt never submits anything.

Who needs to fill out Form 1446 — withdrawal of a visa application?

• Visa applicants who no longer want their application considered — for example because plans have changed or they've been granted another visa.
• Families withdrawing a combined application for several members at once.
• Registered migration agents, non-registered migration agents outside Australia and authorised exempt persons withdrawing an application on a client's behalf, with the client's authority.
• Parents or guardians withdrawing an application for an applicant under 18.

When to use Form 1446 — withdrawal of a visa application

• Any time before a decision, when you want the application withdrawn rather than decided.
• Only after thinking through the consequences: no further action can be taken on a withdrawn application, and a bridging visa granted with it will cease.
• Not as a way to get your application charge back — the form says withdrawing doesn't automatically entitle you to a refund (form 1424 covers refund requests).

What you need before you start

• The application ID, file reference number or Transaction Reference Number, the visa type and subclass, and the date and place of lodgement.
• The visa application charge receipt number, if you know it.
• The main applicant's name, date of birth and passport number.
• For each applicant withdrawing: client ID, name, date of birth, passport number, nationality, current address, email and phone numbers.
• If you're acting for the applicants: your name, organisation, address, contact details and MARN or Offshore Agent ID Number if applicable, and the applicants' authority to withdraw.

What’s on Form 1446 — withdrawal of a visa application

The 2017 edition has 6 pages. FileIt asks for it in 10 parts, and it is signed by Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18):

1. Part A — Application details (questions 1–2)Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
2. Part B — Authority to withdraw (questions 3–6)Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
3. Part C — Applicant 1Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
4. Part C — Applicant 2Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
5. Part C — Applicant 3Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
6. Part C — Applicant 4Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
7. Part C — Applicant 5Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
8. Part C — Applicant 6Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
9. Part D — Reason(s) for withdrawal (question 8)Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)
10. Part E — Declaration (question 9)Visa applicant 1 (parent or guardian if under 18)

How to fill out Form 1446 — withdrawal of a visa application, step by step

1 Part A — Application details (questions 1 and 2)

Identify the application being withdrawn — its ID or reference number, visa type and subclass, date and place of lodgement and the charge receipt number if known — and give the main applicant's name, date of birth and passport number.

2 Part B — Authority to withdraw (questions 3 to 6)

Say whether you're withdrawing on behalf of other people, whether they've given you authority, and in what capacity: a visa applicant, a registered migration agent, a non-registered migration agent outside Australia, or an authorised exempt person. An agent or exempt person gives their own details at question 6.

3 Part C — Applicant details (question 7)

Give the details of each visa applicant withdrawing the application — up to six on the form. Attach a signed sheet if you need more room.

4 Part D — Reasons (question 8)

Optional. You don't need to give reasons, but the form says the Department may use them to organise its programmes more effectively in the future.

5 Part E — Declaration (question 9)

Each applicant aged 18 or over signs and dates the declaration, a parent or guardian signs for each applicant under 18, and an authority acting for the applicants signs its own box. The declaration acknowledges that the withdrawn application is taken to have been disposed of, the bridging visa consequences, and that there's no automatic refund.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming the main applicant's withdrawal covers the whole family — generally each applicant must give written notice.
• Not realising a bridging visa granted with the application will cease 28 or 35 calendar days after the withdrawal, which can leave someone in Australia without a visa.
• Withdrawing on someone's behalf without their authority.
• Forgetting a parent's or guardian's signature for an applicant under 18.
• Expecting a refund of the visa application charge — refunds are given only in very limited circumstances.

After you fill it out

Sign and date the declaration — applicant 1 by hand or with FileIt's optional e-signature, every other applicant, parent or guardian and any authority by hand.

Attach the completed form in your ImmiAccount, or send it to the processing centre named in your application acknowledgement. If none was specified, the form says to send it to your nearest office of the Department.

Keep a copy, as the form strongly advises. FileIt keeps the completed PDF in your vault with your other visa documents.

Form 1446 — withdrawal of a visa application: frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Blank form (PDF), published by Department of Home Affairs: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1446.pdf
• Official instructions and guidance: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1446.pdf
• Edition shown on this page: Design date 07/17 (checked 2026-10-01).

FileIt is not affiliated with or endorsed by Department of Home Affairs or any government. This page explains the form in general terms and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Always read the official instructions, and check that you are using the edition the recipient accepts. Page last reviewed 2026-10-01.

Related forms

All Australia forms · Every form FileIt can fill