About this visa stream (V6)

With this visa you can

• visit family and/or friends
• be here as a tourist, for a cruise or for any purpose except business or medical treatment

You can study or train for up to 3 months on this visa. But if your main reason for travelling to Australia is study, a student visa might be more appropriate.

You can’t work.

You should check if a Visitor (subclass 600) visa in the Tourist stream might better suit you. The Visitor visa (subclass 600) Tourist stream visa also lets you holiday in Australia to see family and friends and does not require a sponsor.

Cruise

You will need a visa if you enter Australia during a cruise.

If your cruise is a round trip cruise, the time you spend on the cruise counts as time spent in Australia. We do not consider you to have left Australia. A round trip cruise will not reset your stay period on your visa.

Ask your cruise operator or travel agent if we consider your cruise to be a round trip cruise.

How long you can stay

This is a temporary visa. We might grant it for up to 12 months.

We determine the length of your visa on a case by case basis. Things we might consider when determining your stay period include:

• how long you want to stay
• why you want to stay in Australia

You might not be granted the length of stay you want.

Generally we grant this visa with only one entry permitted. This means that after you leave Australia you need to apply for another visa before you can return. We might grant a stay of up to 12 months in certain circumstances.

Stay longer

You can’t stay in Australia longer by extending this visa. You must apply for another visa in Australia.

You can apply for a new visa if your current visa does not have a condition that prevents further stay, such as condition 8503 – No Further Stay. We can waive a no further stay condition in limited circumstances.

If you want to stay longer or permanently in Australia you will need to apply for a visa that allows this.

Explore your visa options.

Include family

You can’t include family members in your application.

Each family member, including those listed on your passport, must submit a separate application.

Cost of the visa

This visa costs from AUD195.00 for each applicant.

You might also have to pay other costs for:

• health checks
• police certificates
• biometrics 

To work out what your visa will cost use the Visa Pricing Estimator. The estimator does not take into account the other costs.

Apply outside Australia

To be eligible for this visa, you must be outside Australia when you apply and when we decide your application.

See other eligibility requirements.

Processing times

For an indication of processing times for this visa, use the visa processing time guide tool. This will show the processing times for recently decided applications. It is a guide only and not specific to your application.

Your obligations

You must comply with all visa conditions and Australian laws.

Learn more about visa conditions.

Health insurance

You are liable for all your healthcare costs while you are in Australia. Insurance can help limit your financial liability. To cover any unexpected medical treatment you might need in Australia, we strongly recommended you take out adequate health insurance.

Learn more about health insurance for overseas visitors.

Reciprocal healthcare agreements

Some countries have a reciprocal healthcare agreement with Australia. Find out more from Services Australia about reciprocal healthcare agreements.

Travel

If we grant you a multiple-entry visa, you can travel outside Australia and return as many times as you want while the visa is valid.

If we grant you a single-entry visa and you leave Australia, you can’t re-enter on the visa. You must apply for another visa to come back.

Check if you have multiple or single entry in Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO) or your visa grant letter.

Visa label

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.