Visitor visa
For tourism or visiting family and friends. The overseas tourist stream has its own location, funds, health and character requirements.
Start with the purpose of your trip.
Your passport, current location and travel purpose all matter. Use this page to compare starting points, then check the current official rules for the exact visa. These pathways are not eligibility decisions.
BEFORE CHOOSING
Four checks in the right order
- Name the main purpose. A holiday, a registered course, paid work, joining family and an airport transit call for different permission.
- Check the travel passport. ETA 601, eVisitor 651 and Working Holiday Maker visas have passport lists; residence alone does not put a passport on those lists.
- Check where you can apply and receive a decision. Current visa status and physical location matter for several routes, especially Student 500 under the 2 October rules.
- Build the exact evidence list. Open the subclass and stream instructions, then record the current charge, documents, conditions and any local biometrics request.
Electronic Travel Authority
Available only to eligible passport holders for permitted short visits. Review the passport list and application method.
eVisitor
Available only to eligible passport holders. Check the full criteria and conditions before applying.
Student visa
For eligible international students with an enrolment in a registered course. The course, CoE, evidence and current location all matter.
Business visitor
For permitted meetings, negotiations or conferences. This is separate from working for an Australian organisation.
Read our business visit guide
Official Business Visitor stream
Working Holiday Maker
For an extended holiday with short-term work if your passport and age meet the chosen subclass rules. First-462 education, English, ballot and cap steps can also apply.
Compare 417 and 462 →
Official first-417 page · First-462 page
Employment or skilled migration
Check the actual activity, occupation and employer. Sponsored, points-tested and regional pathways have different nomination, invitation and location rules; a Visitor visa is not work permission.
Join family or visit temporarily?
A short family visit, joining a partner and parent migration are different routes. Match the relationship, sponsor and intended length of stay before gathering evidence.
Transit visa
For an onward connection when Transit Without a Visa does not fit. Check the eight-hour airside rules, airport transfer and the 72-hour visa limit.
Travelling for treatment or to support a patient?
Check the Medical Treatment visa (subclass 602) for treatment or consultation, organ donation, or supporting a patient or donor holding this visa. Eligibility includes other specific circumstances; choosing a country does not establish eligibility.
Organise three separate evidence checks
- Your role. Write down privately whether you are the patient, donor or support person. Check each traveller's application requirements; travelling together does not automatically cover everyone.
- The treatment arrangements. For treatment or donation, the official steps request an Australian doctor's letter describing the condition, treatment, timeframe and cost. Payment evidence is a separate check; public hospitals have additional letter requirements.
- The visit and application. Check accessible funds for treatment, living costs and accompanying people. Review current location and visa status before applying through ImmiAccount. Applying inside or outside Australia affects where you must be when the visa is granted.
Important distinctions: treatment evidence does not replace requested migration health examinations. Form 1507 is listed for treatment applicants who apply inside Australia without a substantive visa, not every applicant. Stay length and entry conditions depend on the grant; work is generally restricted with limited exceptions.
Identity records and children
Check passport identity pages, any national identity card and evidence of applicable name changes. For an applicant under 18, review birth or alternative identity records, legal guardianship and adoption or court orders where relevant.
A person with a legal right to decide where the child lives who is not travelling with them must provide Form 1229 or a consent statutory declaration, with photo-and-signature identification. If the child is not staying with a relative or legal guardian, the official steps also request Form 1257 signed by the person they will stay with.
Official child consent Form 1229 (PDF) · Official care undertaking Form 1257 (PDF)
Keep your follow-up record on your own device
Download blank preparation record ↓
In your own notes, record the official section checked, date checked, outstanding evidence, who will obtain it and the next action. Keep diagnoses, medical letters and application identifiers in your private records and official application channels. MyAusVisa does not need them.
This is a starting aid, not a complete attachment list. Use the live eligibility and step-by-step instructions for children, identity records and special circumstances.
Official Medical Treatment 602 eligibility and application steps · Migration health examinations · Check the current charge
Make the starting point yours
Choose the passport you will actually travel on, your current residence and the purpose. The plan links to passport-specific guidance where available and the official route for the final check.
Check current visa costs → · Two passports or a travel document → · Explore all Australian visa options
Get my starting plan →Prepared by MyAusVisa with AI assistance · Sources reviewed 4 October 2026