Australian Visitor Visa Subclass 600: Streams and Eligibility

To qualify for an Australian Visitor Visa (Subclass 600), you must apply under the stream that matches your reason for visiting, satisfy the Genuine Temporary Entrant test, pass character and health checks, and show you have the money to support your stay and depart on time. Application fees start at AUD 200 for most streams, and nearly all applications are lodged online through ImmiAccount.¹

The Subclass 600 is the visitor route for travelers whose passports don’t qualify for the faster eVisitor (Subclass 651) or Electronic Travel Authority (Subclass 601). If you hold an EU, UK, US, Canadian, Japanese, South Korean, or other eligible passport for those products, you generally use them instead and won’t be dealing with the full document-based assessment described here. Everyone else, including citizens of India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Bangladesh, most African nations, and Middle Eastern countries, applies for the Subclass 600.

Pick the Right Stream First

The Subclass 600 has five streams. Applying under the wrong one can lead to delays or refusal, so match the stream to your actual purpose before doing anything else.

Tourist Stream

This is the most common pathway and covers leisure travel and visiting friends or family. Stays of 3, 6, or 12 months can be granted depending on your circumstances. The fee is AUD 200 applying from outside Australia and AUD 500 from inside.¹

Business Visitor Stream

For professionals attending conferences, negotiating contracts, making general business inquiries, or exploring investment opportunities. You cannot work for an Australian business or sell goods and services directly to the Australian public.² The fee is AUD 200.

Approved Destination Status Stream

Limited to citizens of the People’s Republic of China (excluding Special Administrative Regions) traveling in an organised tour group arranged by an approved travel agent. The fee is AUD 200.¹

Frequent Traveller Stream

A visa valid for up to 10 years with multiple entries and a maximum stay of 3 months per visit. Total time in Australia cannot exceed 12 months in any 24-month period. Eligibility is limited to passport holders from China, Brunei, Cambodia, the Philippines, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and Timor-Leste. You must be outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made, and each family member needs a separate application. The fee is AUD 1,480, and biometrics are always required.⁴

Core Eligibility Requirements

Every stream tests the same four things: temporary intent, character, health, and money. Falling short on any one will sink an application.

Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE)

Officers assess whether you genuinely intend to visit temporarily and leave before your visa expires. They weigh your ties to your home country, such as employment, family, property, and financial commitments, alongside your immigration history and the overall circumstances of the visit. A weak GTE case is one of the most common reasons for refusal, particularly for applicants from countries with high overstay rates. If your ties are limited or your travel history is patchy, put extra effort into documenting why you’ll return.

Character

Character sits under Section 501 of the Migration Act 1958. The Department checks for a substantial criminal record, which includes any sentence of imprisonment of 12 months or more, regardless of time actually served. If asked, you must supply a police certificate from any country where you lived for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Police certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.⁵

Health

Whether you need a medical exam depends on your country of origin, the length of your stay, your age, and what you plan to do in Australia. The Department classifies countries by tuberculosis risk, and that classification drives most of the screening triggers:

Low TB risk country: generally no health exams required regardless of stay length.
High TB risk country, staying less than 6 months: generally no exams unless special circumstances apply.
High TB risk country, staying 6 months or more: medical examination, chest x-ray (if aged 11 or older), and a serum creatinine/eGFR test (if aged 15 or older).
Applicants aged 75 or older: medical examination and serum creatinine/eGFR test regardless of country risk level.

Additional screening applies if you intend to work in or visit healthcare, aged care, or childcare facilities.⁶ Any time spent in Australia in the previous 28 days counts toward the length-of-stay calculation for health screening purposes.

Visitor visa holders generally cannot access Medicare and are responsible for the full cost of any medical treatment received in Australia.⁷ Long-stay applicants and those aged 75 and older may be asked to provide evidence of health insurance.

Financial Capacity

You must show you can support yourself for the visit and cover your departure. The Department does not publish a fixed dollar figure; officers assess your circumstances against your planned stay length. Typical evidence is recent bank statements, payslips, tax returns, or a letter from your sponsor confirming financial support. The point is to demonstrate you won’t need to work or rely on Australian government assistance.¹

Documents to Have Ready

At a minimum, gather the following before you start the online application:

A valid passport. Your personal details in the application must exactly match the machine-readable zone.
Financial evidence: recent bank statements, payslips, or an employer letter showing you can cover your expenses.
Evidence of your purpose: a travel itinerary, invitation letter from a host, conference registration, or similar.
Evidence of ties to your home country: employment contracts, property records, family information, or enrollment documents.

Upload clear scans or photos. Blurry or illegible documents slow processing and can trigger requests for more information.

Applicants Under 18

If a child under 18 is traveling without both parents, the non-accompanying parent or legal guardian must complete Form 1229 (Consent to Grant an Australian Visa to a Child Under 18), accompanied by a certified copy of the child’s birth certificate and a certified copy of the non-accompanying parent’s identification showing their signature.⁸ If one parent has sole legal responsibility, only that parent needs to sign, but supporting legal documentation such as a court order is required.

How to Apply

Nearly all Subclass 600 applications are lodged online through ImmiAccount. You create an account, complete the application, upload supporting documents, and pay the fee. The Department will not begin processing until the fee is paid.⁹ Paper applications on Form 1419 are only accepted in limited circumstances: from inside Australia, or where the Department has given you written notice that you may apply on paper.

Some applicants will be asked to provide biometrics, meaning a facial photograph and fingerprint scans of all ten fingers. The Department will notify you if this applies and direct you to an Australian Biometrics Collection Centre operated by VFS Global. Inside Australia, collection is by appointment only.¹⁰ Communication runs through the email address you register, so check it regularly.

Conditions You’ll Be Held To

A grant is not the end of the requirements. Every Subclass 600 is issued with mandatory conditions that limit what you can do in Australia, and breaching them can lead to cancellation and a re-entry ban. The specific conditions appear in your grant notification. The most common are:

Condition 8101 (no work). Work means any activity a person would normally be paid for, even if you do it for free.¹¹
Condition 8201 (study limit). You cannot study or train for more than 3 months during your stay.¹²
Condition 8503 (no further stay). If attached, you cannot apply for most other visas while in Australia. You must leave before your visa expires and cannot switch to another visa onshore.

The no-further-stay condition catches people off guard more than any other. If it is on your visa and your circumstances change dramatically, such as a serious illness, a natural disaster in your home country, or the death of a close family member, you can request a waiver. The Department only grants waivers for events that were both major and outside your control. Getting married, becoming pregnant, or not knowing the condition existed are not valid reasons.¹³ The waiver decision is final and cannot be reviewed by the Administrative Review Tribunal.

Extending From Inside Australia

If you are already in Australia on a Subclass 600 and want to stay longer, you can apply for a new Tourist stream visa onshore, provided your current visa does not carry condition 8503. The onshore fee is AUD 500, and an onshore grant can be for up to 12 months.¹ You must apply while your current visa is still valid, and the Department will reassess your GTE credentials and finances. Extended time already spent in Australia can prompt officers to question whether you genuinely intend to leave.

If You’re Refused or Overstay

A refusal notification will explain the reasons and state whether you can seek review at the Administrative Review Tribunal.¹⁴ Not every Subclass 600 refusal is reviewable, and decisions made personally by the Minister cannot be reviewed. Where review isn’t available, the practical path is to fix the weaknesses the Department identified and apply again.

Overstaying is a far bigger problem than a refusal. The moment your visa ends you become an unlawful non-citizen, and immigration officers have a mandatory duty to detain anyone they know or reasonably suspect is unlawful. Overstaying by more than 28 days can trigger an exclusion period of up to 3 years, and in some cases a permanent bar.¹⁵ If removed by the government, you may also be charged for the removal and barred until the debt is repaid. If you realise your visa has expired or is about to expire and you cannot leave immediately, contact the Department promptly. A Bridging Visa E (Subclass 050) can temporarily restore lawful status while you arrange departure, and there is no fee to apply.¹⁶

1
Department of Home Affairs. Visitor Visa (Subclass 600)
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Department of Home Affairs. Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) – Business Visitor Stream
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Department of Home Affairs. Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) – Sponsored Family Stream
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Department of Home Affairs. Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) – Frequent Traveller Stream
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Department of Home Affairs. Character Requirements
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Department of Home Affairs. What Health Examinations You Need
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Department of Home Affairs. Adequate Health Insurance for Visa Holders
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Department of Home Affairs. Form 1229 – Consent Form to Grant an Australian Visa to a Child Under the Age of 18 Years
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Department of Home Affairs. Visitor Visa (Subclass 600) – Tourist Stream (Apply Outside Australia)
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Department of Home Affairs. Biometrics
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Department of Home Affairs. Check Visa Details and Conditions
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Department of Home Affairs. Check Visa Details and Conditions – Condition 8201
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Department of Home Affairs. No Further Stay Waiver
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Administrative Review Tribunal. Immigration and Citizenship
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Department of Home Affairs. Re-Entry Ban
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Department of Home Affairs. Bridging Visa E (BVE) – Subclass 050 and 051