Last updated: September 30, 2026
The Australian visitor visa is one visa with five doors. Subclass 600 covers tourists, people visiting family, short business trips, and two streams reserved for Chinese passport holders. Choose the right door at the start and the rest of the application is straightforward. Choose the wrong one and you can lose weeks and a non-refundable fee.
This guide walks through each stream, what the Department of Home Affairs actually assesses, the documents worth preparing, and how the online application works from start to finish.
Which stream fits your trip?
The five streams are:
- Tourist stream. For holidays, sightseeing, visiting friends or relatives, and other short recreational visits. You must apply from outside Australia. Most applicants from Asia and Africa use this stream.
- Sponsored Family stream. For visiting family in Australia when a relative who is an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen agrees to sponsor you formally. The sponsor takes on legal obligations, and may be asked to pay a security bond. You must apply from outside Australia.
- Business Visitor stream. For short business visits: attending conferences, negotiating contracts, or exploring business opportunities. You cannot work in Australia on this stream. You must apply from outside Australia.
- Approved Destination Status stream. Only for citizens of the People’s Republic of China travelling to Australia as part of an organised tour group.
- Frequent Traveller stream. Only for citizens of the People’s Republic of China who travel to Australia regularly. It offers longer validity with multiple entries.
A simple rule of thumb: if your trip is a holiday or a family visit and nobody is formally sponsoring you, the Tourist stream is yours. If a relative in Australia is sponsoring the visit, use the Sponsored Family stream. If the purpose is business meetings rather than tourism, use the Business Visitor stream.
Europe’s equivalent is covered in our Schengen tourist visa guide.
What Home Affairs actually checks
The department’s central question is always the same: is this person a genuine visitor who will leave when the visit ends? Every document you submit should help answer that question. Officers weigh several factors together rather than deciding on any single one.
Genuine intention to stay temporarily. Your stated purpose has to match your circumstances. A two-week holiday with a return ticket and hotel bookings reads clearly. A six-month visit with no clear plan invites scrutiny.
Ties to your home country. Stable employment, a business you run, close family members staying behind, property, or ongoing studies all show you have reasons to return. Applicants with steady jobs and a history of returning home from previous trips are in the strongest position.
Enough money for the trip. You need to show you can support yourself during the stay and pay for your return journey. Bank statements covering the last few months, showing regular income and genuine savings, matter more than a single large balance. A lump sum deposited days before the application, with no explanation, tends to raise questions rather than answer them.
Health and character. Depending on your country, your age, and how long you plan to stay, you may be asked to complete a health examination with an approved panel physician. Everyone answers character questions on the form. Previous visa refusals or immigration breaches anywhere in the world must be declared honestly — an undisclosed refusal damages credibility far more than the refusal itself.
The Sponsored Family stream in detail
This stream suits applicants whose own finances or travel history are modest but who have a settled relative in Australia willing to vouch for the visit. The sponsor must be at least 18 and usually an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or eligible New Zealand citizen. In most cases the sponsor is a relative of the applicant.
Sponsorship is not just a letter of invitation. The sponsor signs formal obligations: to support the visitor, provide accommodation and financial assistance if needed, and comply with any other conditions attached to the sponsorship. The department can also ask the sponsor to pay a security bond, which is refunded if the visitor complies with all visa conditions and leaves on time, and forfeited if they do not.
Choose your sponsor carefully and make sure they understand what they are signing — a financially stretched sponsor, or one whose previous visitors overstayed, weakens the application instead of strengthening it.
The Business Visitor stream: where business ends and work begins
This stream suits short, clearly defined business activities: attending a conference or trade fair, negotiating a contract, holding meetings with business associates, or making an exploratory visit for a potential investment. The key test is that the activity is genuinely short-term and does not amount to working in Australia.
What crosses the line: taking employment with an Australian employer, performing ongoing work for an Australian business, or selling goods or services directly to the Australian public. If your plans involve any of those, you need a work visa instead — our guide to Australia’s skilled migration pathways is the right starting point for longer-term plans. When in doubt, describe your exact planned activities in the application and let the department assess them, rather than hoping nobody notices.
The United States has a similar concept with its own business visitor rules, covered in our US B1/B2 visa guide.
How much does it cost?
The subclass 600 carries a visa application charge, paid in Australian dollars through ImmiAccount when you lodge. The charge is not refunded if the visa is refused or withdrawn, which is why getting the stream and the evidence right the first time matters.
The charges below were verified on 30 September 2026: the Tourist stream costs from AUD 250 when you apply outside Australia (raised from AUD 200 on 1 July 2026), AUD 630 when you apply in Australia, and the Frequent Traveller stream costs AUD 1,845. The Department of Home Affairs runs a Visa Pricing Estimator that gives the exact charge for your stream and circumstances. Budget separately for the costs around the application: biometrics where required, health examinations, document translations, and travel insurance.
Australia does not make travel insurance mandatory for visitor visa holders, but visitors cannot use the public health system, and a single hospital visit can cost more than the whole trip. A basic policy covering medical emergencies is one of the cheapest sensible purchases in this process.
How long does it take?
Processing times for the subclass 600 move with demand, the stream you apply under, and how complete your application is. The department publishes current processing times on its global visa processing times page — check that page when you are ready to apply rather than relying on anyone’s quoted figure, including this one. Indicative 2026 figures reported by immigration agents put the Tourist stream at roughly 18 days for half of applications and up to about 38 days for 90% of applications, the Business Visitor stream at 7–20 days, and the Sponsored Family stream at around 46 days to three months — but always check the official processing-times page when you apply.
Two planning rules hold whatever the current times say. First, apply as soon as your plans are firm; an application lodged early costs nothing extra and removes the main source of travel stress. Second, do not book non-refundable flights or accommodation before the visa is granted. Officers occasionally request additional documents, and a fixed departure date a week away does not speed them up.
Your document checklist
Prepare these before you open the application form. Having everything ready makes the online form far quicker than hunting down documents mid-application.
- A valid passport, with a clear scan of the bio-data page and any pages carrying previous visas or entry stamps.
- A recent passport-style photograph meeting the department’s specifications.
- Bank statements covering the last few months, showing regular income and genuine savings.
- Evidence of employment or business: a letter from your employer stating your position, salary, approved leave dates and expected return date; or business registration documents if self-employed.
- Evidence of ties to home: property documents, family details, or proof of ongoing studies.
- A travel itinerary: intended dates, places you plan to visit, and where you will stay.
- For the Sponsored Family stream: the sponsor’s identity and status documents, proof of the relationship, and evidence of their address and financial capacity in Australia.
- For the Business Visitor stream: an invitation letter from the Australian business or conference organiser, and a letter from your employer explaining the purpose of the trip.
- Previous visa grants or refusals from any country, with honest explanations where needed.
- A travel insurance policy, if you have arranged one already.
Any document not in English needs a certified translation. Scan everything clearly — a blurred bank statement that cannot be read is the same as a missing one.
Applying step by step
Every subclass 600 application goes through ImmiAccount, the department’s online portal. The sequence below is the order that causes the fewest delays.
- Confirm your stream and gather documents. Use the checklist above. Check the official subclass 600 page for any stream-specific additions before you start.
- Create an ImmiAccount if you do not have one, and start a new Visitor visa (subclass 600) application. Select your stream carefully — it cannot be changed after lodgement without a new application and a new fee.
- Complete the form in full. Dates, travel history, family details, and employment information must match your documents exactly. Small inconsistencies — a job title that differs from the employer letter, a travel date that contradicts the itinerary — are a common reason applications stall.
- Upload clear scans of every document. Label files sensibly so the officer can find things.
- Pay the application charge and lodge. Keep the receipt and the transaction reference number.
- Complete biometrics and health examinations promptly if asked. These requests come after lodgement. Book the earliest available appointment — your application cannot be finalised until they are done.
- Respond quickly to any request for more information. If the department asks for one more document, reply fast and completely.
- Read your decision and your grant letter carefully. The grant letter states exactly how long you may stay on each visit, how many entries you have, the date by which you must enter, and the conditions attached to your visa. These details vary from person to person — never assume your visa matches someone else’s.
Conditions on the visa
Your grant letter lists the conditions attached to your visa. The most common ones on visitor visas are:
- No work. Visitor visas do not permit work in Australia, paid or unpaid, for an Australian employer or otherwise.
- Limited study. Study or training is generally limited to three months.
- No further stay (sometimes). Some grants include a condition that prevents you from applying for most other visas while in Australia. If your grant letter carries it, you must leave Australia before applying for another visa.
Stays of up to three, six, or twelve months per visit are typical, and multiple-entry grants are common for applicants with good travel histories. Whatever your grant letter prints is what applies to you.
A note on switching to a student visa inside Australia
Some travellers arrive on a visitor visa and later decide they want to study in Australia. Be aware that on 17 September 2026 the Australian government announced restrictions on applying for a student visa from inside Australia after arriving as a visitor, as part of a broader package against so-called visa hopping. The proposal was still being implemented as of late September 2026, so the exact rules in force may have changed since this article was written.
The practical advice is unchanged regardless: do not enter Australia on a visitor visa with a plan to switch to a student visa onshore. If studying is your goal, apply for the student visa from your home country through the proper channel.
If your application is refused
A refusal is disappointing but not the end of the road. The application charge is not refunded, so a second offshore Tourist stream application costs another AUD 250 — which makes understanding the refusal reason essential before reapplying.
A refusal letter states the legal basis for the decision, usually in plain terms: the officer was not satisfied you are a genuine visitor, your funds were not convincing, or information in the application was inconsistent. Address that specific reason with new evidence rather than resubmitting the same file. If the concern was weak ties to home, add stronger employment or family evidence. If it was funds, show a longer savings history. If it was purpose, provide a clearer itinerary with bookings. Reapplying immediately with an unchanged application almost always produces the same result, so take the time to fix the weakness the refusal identified.
Planning your trip budget
The visa charge is only one line in the real cost of the trip. Before you apply, sketch the full budget so the funds evidence you submit matches the trip you describe. Three common trip shapes:
| Budget line | Short city break (1–2 weeks) | Family visit (3–4 weeks, staying with relatives) | Multi-city tour (4–6 weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visa application charge | Check the current figure on the official Visa Pricing Estimator | ||
| Return flights | One return ticket, shoulder season | One return ticket; flexible dates help | One return ticket plus domestic flights or long-distance coaches |
| Accommodation | Hotel or apartment, nightly rate × nights | Mostly with family; budget a few hotel nights | Mix of hotels and hostels across cities |
| Daily spending | Meals, transport, attractions × days | Lower daily cost; contribute to household expenses | Higher daily cost; intercity travel days |
| Travel insurance | Medical cover for the full trip duration — non-negotiable line item | ||
| Contingency | 10–15% buffer for price changes and surprises | ||
Fill in this table with real quotes before you apply — officers notice when the money and the plan do not match.
Frequently asked questions
Can I work in Australia on a visitor visa?
No. The subclass 600 does not permit work of any kind. The Business Visitor stream covers meetings and conferences, not employment. Working in breach of your conditions can lead to visa cancellation and affect future applications.
How long can I stay on each visit?
Your grant letter states the permitted stay — typically up to three, six, or twelve months per visit, depending on what the officer granted. The stay period is not negotiable after grant, so request a realistic duration in your application and support it with your itinerary and funds.
Can my whole family apply together?
Each traveller, including children, needs their own visa application, though family members can be linked in ImmiAccount. Children apply under the Tourist stream with a parent’s application, and need their own passport and documents.
Can I extend my stay while in Australia?
It depends on your grant letter. If it includes a “no further stay” condition, you cannot apply for another visa onshore and must leave before reapplying. Without that condition, a further visitor visa application from inside Australia is possible but not guaranteed — apply well before your current stay expires.
Do I need travel insurance?
It is not a visa requirement, but it is strongly recommended. Visitors cannot access Australia’s public health system, and private medical costs are high. Get cover for the full duration of your stay before you travel.
Does this visa let me visit New Zealand too?
No. Australia and New Zealand run separate immigration systems. A New Zealand trip needs its own New Zealand visitor visa, applied for separately.
