ImmiAccount Attachments: Size, Formats and Upload Tips

If you're applying for an Australian visa or citizenship online, you attach your evidence in ImmiAccount. According to the Department of Home Affairs page "Attach documents to your application" (checked in September 2026), documents can be up to 5 MB each, digital photographs should be between 70 KB and 3.5 MB, and ImmiAccount doesn't accept encrypted or secured PDF files. Most applications allow up to 60 documents per person.

This guide explains these rules and how to prepare files that attach on the first try.

The official rules at a glance

From the Home Affairs page:

• Size: other documents can be up to 5 MB each. Digital photographs should be between 70 KB and 3.5 MB each.
• Formats: .bmp, .dcm, .doc, .docx, .dot, .gif, .jpg, .png, .pdf, .ppt, .pptx, .rft, .txt, .xls and .xlsx.
• PDF security: encrypted or secured PDFs aren't accepted. Home Affairs notes this often happens with documents downloaded from websites.
• Photos of documents: accepted if they're clear and show all the document's information.
• Document limit: up to 60 documents per person on most visa and citizenship applications, and up to 100 per person on partner visa applications.
• Grouping: you can attach a group of documents of the same type, for example bank statements for different accounts, with a single "Attach".
• Before you submit: ImmiAccount keeps attached documents for 30 days. If you don't submit within that time, they're deleted and you have to attach them again.
• After you submit: you can't remove documents. You also can't download your supporting documents from ImmiAccount after uploading, so keep your own copies.
• Facial image: the photo for a visa application is attached as "Facial image" and must be a JPG file.

Plan your documents before you upload

Because of the per-person document limit, it pays to plan. Make a list for each applicant with the evidence type ImmiAccount shows (for example, "Address – Residential, Evidence of") and the files you'll attach under it. Group similar papers into one PDF where it makes sense. Six months of statements from one bank make one file, not six. That saves slots and makes each attachment easier to review.

Step by step

1. Scan clearly. Use a scanner or Scan to PDF on your phone. Crop each page with the four corners, and use the grayscale or black-and-white filter for text-only pages. Passports, ID cards and anything with colored seals are better in the original color. Scan to PDF works in the browser, so the images stay on your device.
2. Combine pages of the same document. If you have separate PDFs (for example, one per statement month), put them in order with Merge PDF and download one file. The pages are copied without recompression.
3. Get each file under 5 MB. Open Compress PDF. Start with Recommended, or type a target such as 4500 KB in "Compress to X KB" mode for a safety margin. The tool shows the size before and after. If it can't reach the target, it tells you so instead of producing an unreadable file.
4. Remove any security from the PDF. If a downloaded statement or certificate is protected and you have the right to use it, Unlock PDF removes the password (you type it once) and owner restrictions such as no-printing. It doesn't guess passwords. If a file still won't attach, Home Affairs' own suggestion is to print and scan a new copy.
5. Check each file. Open the final PDF, zoom in on names, dates and reference numbers, and count the pages.
6. Attach in ImmiAccount. Choose the applicant, the evidence type and the document type. Browse for the file and select "Attach". A green tick and the "Received" heading confirm the upload.

Naming your files

Home Affairs doesn't set a file-naming rule on this page, but you'll also type a description in ImmiAccount. Clear names help you avoid attaching the same file twice or the wrong one to an applicant:

• applicant1-passport.pdf
• applicant1-bank-statements-commbank-2026.pdf
• applicant2-birth-certificate-with-translation.pdf

About the facial image

The photo is a separate process with its own rules. It must be a JPG, you position your face in a frame, and then confirm. Photographs should be between 70 KB and 3.5 MB. Don't run your photo through PDF tools: keep the original JPG from your camera or photographer and check its size in your file browser.

Common mistakes

• Attaching the wrong document to a submitted application. You can't delete it after submission. Home Affairs says to use the "Notification of incorrect answers" form and attach the correct document as soon as possible.
• Hitting the document limit. Grouping similar documents into one PDF from the start avoids running out of slots.
• Secured PDFs from banks or government sites. These are the most common cause of files that won't attach.
• Trusting ImmiAccount as your archive. Keep your own copies, because you can't download them from ImmiAccount later.
• Waiting too long before submitting. Attached documents are deleted after 30 days if the application isn't submitted.

If an attachment fails

Check the size (5 MB, or 70 KB to 3.5 MB for photos), the extension against the list above, and whether the PDF is secured. Compress or unlock the file and try again. If the PDF is damaged and won't open on your own computer either, re-scan it rather than trying to force it through.

Checklist

• A list of evidence types and files for each applicant.
• One PDF per document or group of similar documents.
• Every file under 5 MB and readable.
• No encryption or passwords.
• Your own copies saved before you attach.