For people travelling to Australia for a holiday or to visit family or friends.
As the visa applicant, you must:
- genuinely intend to visit Australia for a holiday, to see family and/or friends, or for other purposes that are not related to business/work or medical treatment
- have access to sufficient funds to cover your costs whilst you are in Australia
- meet the relevant health and character criteria (this could include a requirement to obtain health insurance for the period of your stay in Australia)
APPLICATION PROCESS
Once you have provided the required information and supporting documents, we will prepare and lodge your visa application with the Department of Home Affairs (DOHA). The main criterion is that you meet the requirements referred to above.
If you are in Australia when your application is lodged, you must be in Australia when your visa is granted. Conversely, if you are outside Australia when your application is lodged, you must be outside Australia when your visa is granted.
APPLICATION FEE
- Apply in Australia: From AUD 490
- Apply outside Australia: From AUD 195
（Update date：2025.01）
PROCESSING TIME
- 50% of applications: 8 Days
- 90% of applications: 29 Days
（Update date：2025.01）
CHECKLIST
The Department of Home Affairs has a ‘step by step’ guide, which refers to the documents you need for your application.
- For applicants in Australia, you can click here to find the checklist.
- For applicants outside Australia, you can click here to find the checklist.
Visa Validity Period
Should your application be approved, you will be granted a temporary visa, allowing you to travel to Australia on a short-term basis. Depending upon your particular circumstances, you will be granted either a single entry visa (allowing you to enter Australia once, for a specified length of time) or multiple entry visa (allowing you to enter Australia multiple times for short periods whilst your visa is valid e.g. stays of up to 3 months at a time over a 12-month period).
NOTE: If you are the parent of an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen, you MAY be granted an extended Visitor visa, which could be valid for up to 5 years.
If you are eligible for this extended visa, you will be allowed to stay in Australia for up to 12 consecutive months per visit (though there is an added restriction that you must spend no more than 12 months in Australia in any given 18-month period). In addition, you must have health insurance covering the entire period of your stay in Australia, and you will not be permitted to apply for another visa whilst in Australia.
Visa Conditions
There are several conditions that apply to Visitor visas. In particular, visa holders MUST NOT:
- work or provide services to any business/organisation in Australia, or sell goods or services to the public whilst in Australia (unpaid genuine volunteer work MAY be permitted)
- study for more than three months in Australia
Other conditions may also be imposed by the DOHA in certain cases, including the requirement that the visa holder not apply for any further visas whilst in Australia.
PLEASE NOTE: The actual time taken by the DOHA to approve an application and grant a visa varies from case to case depending upon your particular circumstances. Each application is unique and the processing time may differ based on your country of origin and even the DOHA case officer assigned to your application.
