Business visitor activities are specific
Home Affairs lists general business or employment enquiries, investigating or negotiating a contract, an official government visit, and taking part in a conference, trade fair or seminar as business visitor activities. The organiser cannot pay you to take part. You can also undertake ordinary tourist activities during a permitted business visit.
You cannot work for or provide services to a business or organisation based in Australia, or sell goods or services directly to the public on the Visitor 600 Business Visitor stream. A short visit does not turn hands-on work into a visitor activity. If the activity is outside the visitor list, check a suitable temporary work visa before travelling.
Official permitted and prohibited activities · Compare short-term work 400 with a business visit → · Compare work visa starting points →
Visitor 600 Business Visitor, ETA or eVisitor?
The Visitor visa (subclass 600) Business Visitor stream is a starting point for an eligible short business visit. You must be outside Australia when applying for that stream and when Home Affairs decides the application. Its usual stay limit is up to three months, but your grant letter controls the actual period and entries.
Some passport holders may instead be eligible for an ETA (subclass 601) or eVisitor (subclass 651), which also permit business visitor activities. An ETA uses the official Australian ETA app; eVisitor is applied for online. Check the exact passport type, full eligibility and application channel. Residence in an ETA or eVisitor country does not make a different passport eligible. Australian and New Zealand citizens have separate entry rules.
Business Visitor 600 · ETA 601 · eVisitor 651 · Compare short-visit routes →
Explain the event, contacts and temporary trip
For a Visitor 600 Business Visitor application, Home Affairs gives examples of an invitation from the Australian host, conference registration, a letter from your employer explaining the trip, a schedule and Australian contacts, proof of current work or professional qualifications, an active-business record, and earlier contact with Australian businesses. Choose real evidence that helps explain your visit. An invitation or conference ticket alone does not guarantee a visa.
Also show how you will fund the stay and departure and why you are a genuine temporary visitor. Home Affairs lists financial records, an employer return letter, study, family, a right to return and assets as possible examples. Use the official application prompts rather than treating every example as a mandatory document. Translate non-English records under the current rules.
Official business and genuine-visitor evidence examples · Translation and upload guide →
Use the selected visa's own instructions
For Business Visitor 600, Home Affairs directs applicants to ImmiAccount, where you answer the form and attach evidence. A paper Form 1415 is for limited cases after written permission from the Department, so an old form found online is not the default application route. For ETA or eVisitor, use their separate official channels and document prompts.
Check the current fee with the official estimator and processing time with the live guide rather than relying on an old number. After lodging, watch for requests, then read the written decision and conditions. Business visitor permission does not give general work rights; check your grant and VEVO before doing anything beyond the described activities.
Current Business Visitor 600 application steps · Official fee estimator · Check visa conditions
Check the role, not just the trip label
“I am attending a conference.”
Participation can be a business visitor activity, but Home Affairs says the organisers cannot pay you to take part. Confirm what you will do there and who pays you.
“I am signing a contract, then delivering the service.”
Negotiating or entering a contract is on the visitor list. Providing services to an Australian organisation is outside it. If both are planned, find the visa that permits the full trip before travelling.
“I already hold a visitor visa.”
Read the grant notice and VEVO for its conditions. Do not assume every visitor visa or stream permits the same activities or stay period.
Make a business-visit starting checklist
Choose the passport you will travel on and where you live, then select Meetings or conference. The checklist records questions and evidence to verify; it does not decide your eligibility.