The Visitor Visa (600): Tourism, Family Visits and Business Trips.
This is the main visa for coming to Australia for a while without settling here. A holiday, time with family, a wedding, a conference, a round of meetings. The 600 covers all of it through a handful of streams, and it can be lodged whether you're overseas or already here.
The standard temporary visa for spending time in Australia without working.
People use it for holidays, visiting family and friends, attending weddings and graduations, and short business activities like meetings and conferences. It doesn't let you take up a job here, and it doesn't lead to permanent residence. It's built for visits, plain and simple.
It runs through a few streams, so the right one depends on why you're coming.
Tourist Stream
For holidays, seeing family and friends, and general tourism. The most common stream for this visa.
Business Visitor Stream
For short business activities - meetings, negotiations, conferences. Not for actual paid work in Australia.
Sponsored Family Stream
An eligible Australian relative formally sponsors the visit. Useful when a standard tourist application is high risk. Full details →
Frequent Traveller Stream
For those who travel to Australia regularly for business, suited to repeat visitors with a strong travel history.
Business visitor is not the same as working. The Business Visitor Stream covers meetings, conferences and negotiations. It doesn't cover doing actual work for, or being paid by, an Australian business. If your trip involves real work, the 600 is the wrong visa and we'll point you to the right one before you apply.
Which stream fits the trip you have in mind.
All four streams sit under the one Subclass 600 (Visitor) visa, but they suit different reasons for coming and carry different expectations. The table below is a guide to where each one usually fits. The right stream for your situation depends on your purpose, your circumstances and your travel history, and we confirm it with you before you lodge.
| Stream | Typically suits | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Tourist | Holidays, visiting family and friends, weddings and graduations, general tourism. | The most common stream. Genuine visitor evidence and ties to home matter most here. Can be lodged onshore or offshore. |
| Business Visitor | Short business activities - meetings, negotiations, conferences and exploratory talks. | Does not cover paid work for an Australian business. If the trip involves real employment, this is the wrong visa. |
| Sponsored Family | A visit supported by an eligible Australian relative who formally sponsors it. | Useful where a standard tourist application would be higher risk. The sponsor takes on real obligations and a security bond may be required. |
| Frequent Traveller | Regular travellers to Australia for business with a strong, established travel history. | Suited to repeat visitors. Eligibility and access depend on your circumstances and country. |
What it costs to apply. The Tourist Stream carries a government application charge of around AUD 190, though the exact charge varies by stream and where you apply, and the government reviews it over time. If you ask us to act for you, our professional fee is separate and we set it out in writing before any work begins. We confirm the current government charge with you before you lodge.
Stay periods are decided case by case.
Grants are commonly for up to three, six or twelve months depending on the stream, your circumstances and the decision-maker. The exact period and whether you get single or multiple entries varies with the case - we'll confirm what's realistic for your situation before you lodge.
Watch for the No Further Stay condition (8503). Some 600 visas are granted with condition 8503, which stops you applying for most other visas while you're in Australia. If you might want to apply onshore for something else later, that condition matters a great deal. We check for it - and, where appropriate, can look at whether a waiver is possible.
This is where most applications live or die.
To grant a 600, the Department needs to be satisfied you're a genuine visitor - that you intend to stay temporarily and will leave when your visa ends. They want to see that you have reasons to return home, the funds to support your trip, and a clear, honest purpose for visiting. A weak case on genuineness is the most common reason these visas are refused.
We build the application around that expectation directly, with the right evidence of your ties, your funds and your plans - and we advise on whether to apply onshore or offshore and on any conditions that could affect your next steps.
Visitor Visa 600 questions.
Written and reviewed by Brian Chan, Registered Migration Agent (MARN 2217857)
Visa Store Australia, Perth · Last reviewed June 2026 · Verify on the MARA register · General information only, not personal migration advice.
Planning a visit?
Tell us why you're coming and we'll work out the right stream and the strongest way to apply.