Visitor visa (Subclass 600)

Australia Visitor visa information

Australia's tourist visa is the Visitor visa (subclass 600) — a visa that allows you to stay in Australia for a set period for purposes such as tourism, holidays, and visiting relatives and friends. While there is also an electronic travel authorisation scheme (the ETA) for short-stay travellers, the Visitor visa (subclass 600) is different: it is positioned as a formal visa premised on individual assessment.
Each application is assessed on the basis of the applicant's purpose of travel, travel plans, past travel history, and similar factors, and the length of stay and conditions granted vary depending on the application. Even for tourism, a Visitor visa is required where a more detailed assessment is needed, or where there are circumstances the ETA cannot accommodate. The Visitor visa (subclass 600) does not permit work or long-term study in Australia; it is strictly a scheme premised on a temporary stay. It presumes that your purpose of travel is clear and that your stay remains within short-stay limits.

Important Notice

Australian visa rules, requirements, and administrative practice are subject to frequent change. This page is provided for general information about how the system works and does not guarantee the currency of specific requirements or their application to individual cases. For the latest information, please check the Australian Government’s official website.

For accurate, up-to-date information and advice tailored to your circumstances, please consult a Registered Migration Agent (RMA) registered with the Australian Government, including this site’s supervising editor, Kotaro Mizoguchi.

When a Visitor Visa Is Required

In cases such as the following, you may need to obtain a Visitor visa (subclass 600) rather than an ETA:

Your nationality is not among the ETA-eligible countries and regions
You wish to stay for more than three months
Your ETA application has been refused
Your past visa or travel history makes you ineligible for the ETA
Your purpose involves a somewhat longer stay, such as visiting family or caring for a relative

Compared with the ETA, the Visitor visa involves a more detailed assessment, with your purpose of travel and travel plans reviewed individually. This allows it to accommodate a wider range of circumstances, and it can be applied for even where the ETA's conditions cannot be met.
Even Japanese citizens may find that, depending on their length of stay, purpose of travel, or past travel circumstances, the Visitor visa is more appropriate than the ETA. If you are unsure about your travel circumstances, it is important to confirm the appropriate visa type in advance.

What You Can and Cannot Do on a Visitor Visa

Permitted Activities

The activities permitted on a Visitor visa are limited to private, non-working purposes premised on a short stay. The main activities envisaged are:

Tourism and leisure (sightseeing, experiencing nature, and so on)
Visiting friends and relatives
Short-term non-working activities (attending meetings, negotiations, site visits, and similar)
Short stays including port calls on a cruise
Short-term travel for medical treatment (subject to conditions)

All of these are limited to temporary stays that are not aimed at establishing a base for living in Australia. The Visitor visa exists to facilitate travel and private visits, and it is important that your activities during your stay are consistent with a tourism purpose. Your travel plans should be realistic and clear; if what you actually do differs significantly from what you declared in your application, this may cause problems.

Activities Not Permitted

The Visitor visa does not permit activities that go beyond a tourism purpose or that involve living or working in Australia. Typical examples include:

Work (including casual and part-time work)
Any activity involving remuneration
Long-term study (short training courses and classes excepted)
Travel premised on permanent residence

These activities fall outside the purpose and scope of the Visitor visa, and require an appropriate alternative such as a work visa or Student visa. Undertaking activities not permitted on a Visitor visa can not only cause problems during your stay but may also affect future visa applications and immigration clearance. Conduct during your stay should therefore be based on a full understanding of the Visitor visa's conditions.

Length of Stay and Conditions

How the Permitted Length of Stay Is Determined

The length of stay permitted on a Visitor visa is not fixed; it is determined individually based on the application and the assessment outcome. Stays of 3, 6, or 12 months may be granted, but the period you request will not necessarily be the period you receive.

The assessment takes a range of factors into account, including:

The content and itinerary of the travel plans submitted
Any activities involving remuneration
Past travel to and stays in Australia
Whether you have the funds to cover your living costs during the stay

As a result, even with the same tourism purpose, one traveller may be granted a stay of a few weeks while another is permitted several months. What matters is whether the length of stay reasonably matches the purpose of travel.
If you request a longer stay than would normally be needed, you should be able to clearly explain the reason.

Item	Summary
Permitted stay	Not fixed — determined individually based on the application and purpose of travel
Key factors	Clarity of purpose, reasonableness of travel plans, funds, and travel history
Typical stays	A few weeks to a few months is commonly granted
Longer stays	A legitimate reason must be explained; long stays inconsistent with the purpose are unlikely to be granted

Multiple Entries

A Visitor visa may allow multiple entries, or it may be limited to a single entry. This depends on the visa type and the conditions granted.

Where multiple entries are permitted: you may re-enter within the validity period, subject to the conditions
Where entry is single only: once you leave, you cannot re-enter on that visa

Even where you need multiple entries, they are not granted automatically; the travel plans and the need stated in your application are taken into account. Note too that even where multiple entries are permitted, the length of each individual stay is separately limited. Your conditions of stay are also checked each time you enter, so planned, orderly use of the visa is expected.

Item	Summary
Number of entries	Single entry or multiple entries (depending on visa conditions)
Multiple entries	Re-entry may be possible within the validity period
Points to note	Even with multiple entries, each individual stay is limited
Immigration clearance	Conditions of stay are checked at every entry

Extending Your Stay

Because the Visitor visa is premised on a short stay, extensions are not envisaged as a rule. The basic expectation is that you will leave within the period of stay granted at the time of application.
That said, where there are unavoidable circumstances, an extension may exceptionally be considered.

Examples where an extension may be considered

Health-related reasons
Changes to travel plans caused by events beyond your control

On the other hand, simple extensions for tourism, or applications that amount in practice to a long-term stay, tend not to be granted. Travel plans that rely on an extension carry risk, so if you wish to stay long term it is important to consider obtaining the appropriate visa from the outset.

Item	Summary
General rule	Extensions of stay are not envisaged as a rule
Exceptions	Unavoidable circumstances such as health-related reasons
Unlikely to be granted	Simple extensions for tourism, or applications amounting to a long-term stay
Points to note	Travel plans that rely on an extension carry a high level of risk

Differences from the ETA (Electronic Travel Authority)

The Main Cases Where a Visitor Visa Is Needed

The ETA is limited to certain nationalities, and the length of stay is capped at three months. The Visitor visa is therefore the better fit in cases such as the following:

Travellers whose nationality is not ETA-eligible
Travellers wishing to stay for more than three months
Travellers whose ETA application has been refused
Travellers unable to use the ETA due to their past visa history or similar

Because the conditions of a Visitor visa are set individually based on the application, it is used where there are circumstances the ETA cannot accommodate.
Even for tourism, the Visitor visa may be more suitable where your travel plans are complex or you are planning an extended visit. Where the ETA is a simplified scheme, the Visitor visa can be thought of as one premised on a more careful and flexible assessment.

ETA or Visitor Visa at a Glance

Item	ETA (subclass 601)	Visitor visa (subclass 600)
Eligible nationalities	Designated countries and regions only	A wide range of nationalities
Maximum stay	Up to 3 months	Depends on the assessment (3–12 months)
How to apply	Official app	Online application
Processing time	Usually a few minutes to 12 hours	A few days to a few weeks
Additional documents	Usually not required	May be requested
Multiple entries	Available	Depends on the assessment

Learn more

Key Points When Applying

What the Assessment Looks At

The Visitor visa assessment considers, in the round, whether the applicant will stay temporarily for tourism purposes and leave in compliance with the conditions. The main points of focus are:

A clear purpose of travel — whether the purpose, such as tourism or a private visit, is specific and reasonable
Sound travel plans — whether the itinerary and destinations are realistic and consistent with a tourism purpose
Funds for the stay — whether you have sufficient funds to cover accommodation and living costs yourself
Intention to return home — whether your ties at home (work, study, family, and so on) are clear

These factors are not judged in isolation; the application is reviewed for its overall consistency. What matters most is that your travel plans, funds, and intention to return home fit together naturally. As the Visitor visa is premised on a short stay, your explanation should be consistent with that premise.

Common Reasons for Refusal

Although the Visitor visa is comparatively accessible, applications can be refused depending on their content. Typical examples include:

A vague purpose of travel, with no specific description of the planned tourism
Insufficient evidence of funds for the intended length of stay
Application details that raise suspicion of a long-term stay or work
Unclear plans or ties at home after the trip
Past stays judged to have been problematic

What these have in common is an inconsistency with the Visitor visa's underlying purpose of a temporary stay. To avoid refusal, it is important to keep your application concise and specific, and to make clear that your purpose is tourism.