Australia Tourist visa
The Visitor visa subclass 600 is Australia's main tourist stream for nationalities that fall outside the eVisitor and ETA lists. Decisions on routine cases generally arrive within 1–5 days, with a 200 AUD application fee paid through ImmiAccount; profiles with prior refusals or weak financial substance commonly take longer. The grant typically authorises up to three months of tourism, with no work permitted and only short courses allowed. The case officer expects clear evidence of funds, ties to the home country, and a return or onward booking, with biometric collection at a Visa Application Centre often required before the assessment can complete. Some grants attach the no-further-stay condition (8503), which prevents extending or switching visas from inside Australia, so the grant notice should be read carefully before locking in long bookings.
| Visa required | Varies — verify on the official source |
|---|---|
| e-Visa available | Yes |
| Processing time | 12–29 days (source) |
| Visa fee | 200 AUD (source) |
Official resources
Requirements
Subclass 600 Tourist stream eligibility
- Hold a passport from a country eligible for the paid Visitor visa stream (subclass 600); confirm whether the cheaper eVisitor or ETA digital streams are available first.
- Provide a clear travel itinerary including arrival, internal travel, and a return or onward booking.
- Demonstrate financial capacity for the trip through three to six months of bank statements with stable balances.
- Show ties to the home country — employment, family, property, or business — to satisfy the case officer that the visit is time-bound.
- Hold a passport with at least six months' validity beyond the planned departure from Australia.
- Meet character requirements; declare prior refusals, overstays, or criminal history honestly to avoid PIC 4020 implications.
- Meet health requirements through Bupa Medical Visa Services where triggered, and provide biometrics at a Visa Application Centre when requested.
- For the Sponsored Family Visitor stream: have a sponsor in Australia who can lodge an Assurance of Support if requested by Home Affairs.
Documents checklist
For the Visitor stream, the case officer wants to see that the trip is funded, time-bound, and credible — not just that the form is completed.
- Passport bio page with at least six months' validity beyond the planned departure date from Australia.
- Recent digital photo meeting the size and background guidelines for ImmiAccount upload.
- Bank statements covering the last three to six months, demonstrating consistent balances.
- Confirmed return or onward flight reservation.
- Accommodation record (hotel bookings, host invitation, or short-stay rental confirmation).
- Day-by-day itinerary listing the cities and dates of intended stay.
- Employment letter or business registration confirming intent to return home.
- Travel insurance covering medical evacuation and repatriation.
- Sponsorship and Assurance of Support documents if applying under the Sponsored Family stream.
- Police certificates for character checks where requested by the case officer.
- Health declaration covering pregnancy, TB exposure, and time spent in higher-risk countries.
Application steps
- Confirm whether the passport is eligible for eVisitor or ETA before paying for subclass 600; the cheaper digital streams clear instantly for many nationalities and do not require the 200 AUD subclass 600 fee.
- Open or sign in to ImmiAccount on the Department of Home Affairs portal.
- Start a new Visitor visa application, choose the appropriate stream (Tourist, Sponsored Family, or Business Visitor), and complete the form honestly — declaring any prior refusals or overstays.
- Pay the 200 AUD fee through ImmiAccount; card, BPay, UnionPay, and PayPal are accepted, and refunds are not standard for refused cases.
- Upload supporting documents: passport bio page, recent photograph, travel itinerary, accommodation evidence, bank statements, and proof of ties to the home country. Add a sponsor's Assurance of Support if applying under the Sponsored Family stream.
- Attend a Visa Application Centre for biometric collection (fingerprints and photo) where requested.
- Complete a health examination through Bupa Medical Visa Services if triggered by the planned stay or country of residence.
- Wait for the grant notice in the ImmiAccount inbox — typically inside 1–5 days for clean cases — and read the conditions, especially condition 8503 if attached.
- Travel to Australia using the passport linked to the digital grant, presenting it at SmartGate or the immigration counter on arrival.
Processing time
12–29 days (source) (typical). Processing times may vary.
Visa cost
Fee (from our data): 200 AUD (source) . Fees are subject to change; check the official source before applying.
For the paid Visitor stream, the 200 AUD charge is the application fee taken when lodging through ImmiAccount, and it covers the case officer's check of identity, financial standing, and travel intentions.
Biometric collection at a VAC, courier returns, and any priority-processing add-on are billed separately, and any agent or visa-portal service fee sits outside the 200 AUD published amount. Payment is by Visa, MasterCard, American Express, BPay, UnionPay, or PayPal; refunds are generally not issued for refused applications.
Because Home Affairs reviews its fee schedule on a regular cycle, the 200 AUD figure shown should be cross-checked on the immigration site immediately before paying.
Common mistakes to avoid
The Visitor visa subclass 600 sits behind a 200 AUD fee with a 1–5 day target turnaround, but the figures only hold for clean low-risk profiles — past refusals, weak funds, or vague itineraries push cases into the manual queue.
- Treating tourist as a single product. Subclass 600 has a Tourist stream, a Sponsored Family stream, and a Business Visitor stream; selecting the wrong one forces a withdraw-and-reapply cycle that costs the full 200 AUD again.
- Skipping evidence of ties to your home country. Employment letters, property records, or family commitments are the single biggest reassurance an officer needs to rule out overstay risk; without them, even fast-track cases stall.
- Booking non-refundable flights before grant. Five days is a target, not a guarantee; processing extends quickly when supporting documents are missing.
- Applying with a passport that expires within the requested stay. Most officers expect six months of validity beyond the planned entry date; renew first.
- Misjudging the permitted stay. The default tourist grant gives three months, not the 12-month label some travellers see; longer periods need explicit justification and usually attract the 8503 no-further-stay condition.
- Mixing tourism with paid work. Even small gigs, remote work for an Australian client, or volunteering in exchange for accommodation can breach the visa conditions; describe the purpose of the trip accurately.
- Paying through unofficial portals charging well above the 200 AUD government fee. Use ImmiAccount directly to avoid markup.
Country context & recent trends
The Visitor visa subclass 600 sits at 200 AUD with a 1–5 day target for low-risk applications, but the streams differ in document expectations: the Tourist stream relies on the applicant's own resources, while the Sponsored Family stream requires a sponsor in Australia and may add an Assurance of Support.
Recent updates
Home Affairs has been tightening character-related checks for visitor cases since 2023, and applicants from countries with elevated overstay rates increasingly see Section 47 requests for additional information. The 200 AUD fee is reviewed periodically against the CPI, so the current portal figure should be the reference rather than older quotes.
Peak-season notes
December–January and June–July are the high-volume months, with processing routinely drifting outside the 5-day target. VAC biometrics in Manila, Delhi, Bali, and Beijing fill the fastest in those windows; book the appointment in the same week the application is lodged.
How it compares to nearby destinations
Travellers planning a wider Asia-Pacific itinerary often layer Australia alongside neighbouring tourism destinations; the visa products differ noticeably in speed and cost.
| Destination | Visa required | Typical processing | Indicative fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (subclass 600) | Often yes | 1–5 days | 200 AUD |
| New Zealand | NZeTA for many | 10 minutes – 72 hours | ~ 100 NZD (incl. IVL) |
| Indonesia (Bali) | VOA / B1 | On arrival or 3–5 days online | ~ 500,000 IDR |
| Fiji | Visa-free for many | On arrival | 0 (with onward ticket) |
Australia is one of the more expensive options on this table; planning a regional loop with VOA-eligible destinations can save on per-trip fees if eligibility allows.
Frequently asked questions
-
How long does the Tourist visa take to process?
The published target for subclass 600 Tourist stream is 1–5 days for clean low-risk applications, with most decisions arriving inside that window. Files referred for officer review for character, financial, or document concerns extend to several weeks, so plan refundable bookings or wait for the grant notice email before locking in flights.
-
What is included in the 200 AUD application fee?
The 200 AUD charge is the Department of Home Affairs application fee paid through ImmiAccount, covering the assessment and issuance of the digital grant. It excludes biometrics at a VAC, courier handling, optional priority processing, and any service-portal markup, all of which are billed separately.
-
Can I work or study on the Tourist visa?
The Tourist stream does not authorise paid work, even short freelance gigs or remote work for an Australian client. Short courses of up to three months can be undertaken, but anything longer or vocational in nature requires a different visa stream.
-
What happens if my Tourist visa is refused?
Visitor refusals lodged offshore have no AAT merits review and typically require re-lodgement after addressing the refusal grounds. Refusals must be declared on subsequent applications to Australia and most other countries, so a complete first application — with strong financial and ties evidence — is the practical path.
-
Can I bring my children on a Tourist visa application?
Each child needs an individual visitor application linked to the parent's ImmiAccount, and parental consent is required for minors. Group lodgements are still individually assessed, individually charged the 200 AUD fee, and may receive different decisions depending on each applicant's circumstances.
-
Will I need to give biometrics?
Many visitor applicants are asked to attend a Visa Application Centre for fingerprints and a photo, particularly first-time applicants and nationals of certain countries. The 1–5 day timeline effectively pauses until biometrics are received, so book the appointment within a day or two of lodging.
-
Can I extend my stay from inside Australia?
If the grant notice does not impose condition 8503 (no further stay), a new visitor application can be lodged in ImmiAccount before the current visa expires, with a fresh assessment of finances and intent. Where 8503 is imposed, the visa cannot be extended in-country, and the next visit must be applied for from outside Australia.