Trip checklist: Australia

For South African passport holders. Last checked 5 October 2026.

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Visa requirement

South Africans need to apply online for an e-visa before travel to Australia.

Permitted stay

Visitor visa (subclass 600) Tourist stream: stay of up to 3, 6 or 12 months, as set by the case officer and shown on the grant notice. The permitted period is decided per application, not a fixed allowance.

Before you go

• Purpose of visit

  Tourist stream: holiday, cruise, visiting family and friends, short non-award study up to 3 months. Business Visitor stream: business enquiries, contract negotiation, conferences (no work for an Australian employer). Sponsored Family stream: visiting family with an Australian sponsor (bond possible). Work is not permitted on any stream.

• Passport validity

  Passport must be valid for the whole period of stay. Home Affairs does not publish a fixed six-months-beyond-stay rule; the visa is linked electronically to the passport, so a new passport requires updating details in ImmiAccount before travel.

• How to apply

  Online via ImmiAccount (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au). Base application charge for the Tourist stream applied from outside Australia: AUD 250 per applicant from 1 July 2026 (was AUD 200 from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026). Business Visitor and Sponsored Family streams AUD 250. Card surcharge may apply. Processing: Home Affairs publishes live times in its Global Visa Processing Times tool (not readable via our fetch); third-party summaries cite roughly 12 days for 50% and 29 days for 90% of offshore Tourist applications. The visa is electronic (no label in passport).

• Where South Africans apply

  Lodge online through ImmiAccount. If biometrics are requested, they are given at the Australian Visa Application Centres run by VFS Global in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town, Durban and Gqeberha (VFS took over from TLScontact on 10 March 2025). The Australian High Commission in Pretoria states its staff cannot assist with visa enquiries; contact the Home Affairs Global Service Centre (+61 2 6196 0196).

• Travel insurance

  Not mandatory for most Visitor visa grants; Home Affairs strongly recommends private health insurance because visitors are not covered by Medicare (South Africa has no reciprocal health care agreement). Condition 8501 (maintain adequate health insurance) can be imposed on some Visitor visa grants, typically older applicants or Sponsored Family stream.

• Return or onward ticket

  Not a stated grant requirement for the Visitor visa; airlines and ABF may ask for evidence of onward or return travel. Genuine-visitor assessment considers intention to leave.

• Proof of funds

  Applicants must show they have enough money to support themselves during the stay (bank statements, pay slips, tax records, or a sponsor's support). No fixed minimum amount is published.

• Accommodation or invitation

  Not mandatory. An invitation letter from family or friends is useful supporting evidence. Sponsored Family stream requires an eligible Australian sponsor and may require a security bond.

• Vaccinations, including yellow fever on return to South Africa

  No yellow fever requirement for travel from South Africa: South Africa is not on Australia's list of yellow fever declared places. Travellers aged 1+ arriving within 6 days of staying overnight in a declared country are strongly expected to carry a valid yellow fever certificate. Australia is not a yellow-fever-risk country, so no certificate is needed for return to South Africa.

• Arrival forms

  Paper Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) required on arrival. A digital Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) is being piloted (Qantas app, up to 72 hours before travel) and is due nationally before end-2027; until then the paper card remains standard.

• Extending your stay and overstaying

  To stay longer, apply in Australia for a new Visitor visa (Tourist stream applied in Australia: AUD 630 from 1 July 2026) before the current visa expires, unless condition 8503 (No Further Stay) is on the grant. Overstaying makes you an unlawful non-citizen, liable to detention and removal, and can trigger a 3-year exclusion period.

• Transit

  Transit Without Visa (TWOV) is available to South African citizens: arrive by air, hold a confirmed onward flight to a third country departing within 8 hours, hold documents for the destination, and stay in the airport transit lounge. Otherwise a Transit visa (subclass 771, up to 72 hours) or Visitor visa is needed.

• Travelling with children

  Each child needs their own visa application. If a child under 18 travels without one or both parents, the non-accompanying parent(s) may need to sign Form 1229 (Consent to grant an Australian visa to a child under 18). South Africa's own rules for minors departing SA still apply.

• Confirm with the embassy

  Rules change. Check the official source before you book.

Where to apply

• Australian Department of Home Affairs https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/visitor-600/tourist-stream-overseas
• Australian High Commission, Pretoria https://southafrica.embassy.gov.au/pret/Visas_and_Migration.html
• Australian High Commission, Pretoria https://southafrica.embassy.gov.au/

Research sources

1. 1. Australian Department of Home Affairs (Official, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/visitor-600/tourist-stream-overseas
2. 2. Australian Department of Home Affairs (Official, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/visitor-600
3. 3. Australian High Commission, Pretoria (Official, southafrica.embassy.gov.au) https://southafrica.embassy.gov.au/pret/Visas_and_Migration.html
4. 4. Australian Department of Home Affairs (Form 1415) (Official, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1415.pdf
5. 5. Australian Department of Home Affairs (Official, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/meeting-our-requirements/health/adequate-health-insurance
6. 6. Australian High Commission, Pretoria (Official, southafrica.embassy.gov.au) https://southafrica.embassy.gov.au/
7. 7. Australian Department of Health (Official, health.gov.au) https://www.health.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-04/yellow-fever-fact-sheet.pdf
8. 8. Australian Immunisation Handbook (Department of Health) (Official, immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au) https://immunisationhandbook.health.gov.au/contents/vaccine-preventable-diseases/yellow-fever
9. 9. Australian Border Force (Official, abf.gov.au) https://www.abf.gov.au/newsroom-subsite/Pages/Australia-Travel-Declaration-to-be-rolled-out-nationwide.aspx
10. 10. Australian Border Force (Official, abf.gov.au) https://www.abf.gov.au/entering-and-leaving-australia/crossing-the-border/at-the-border/incoming-passenger-card-(ipc)-faqs
11. 11. Australian Department of Home Affairs (Official, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/transit-771/travellers-eligible-to-transit-without-visa
12. 12. Australian Department of Home Affairs (Form 1229) (Official, immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/forms/1229.pdf
13. 13. Wikipedia (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_policy_of_Australia
14. 14. Wikipedia (Reference, en.wikipedia.org) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visa_requirements_for_South_African_citizens
15. 15. Migratio (migration agent) (Commercial, migratio.com.au) https://migratio.com.au/blog/australia-visitor-visa-600-cost-fees
16. 16. RACC (migration agent) (Commercial, racc.net.au) https://www.racc.net.au/single-post/australia-visa-fee-increase-1-july-2026
17. 17. Asia Pacific Group (migration agent) (Commercial, asiapacificgroup.com) https://asiapacificgroup.com/blog/australian-tourist-visa-cost-fees/
18. 18. VisaMet (News and guides, visamet.com) https://visamet.com/guides/australia-visitor-visa-600-guide-2026
19. 19. This is Australia (News and guides, thisisaustralia.com) https://www.thisisaustralia.com/news/visa-fee-increases-1-july-2026/
20. 20. Tern Visa (News and guides, ternvisa.com) https://ternvisa.com/en/blog/evisitor-visa-australia-europeans
21. 21. Tourism Update / TravelNews (News and guides, travelnews.co.za) https://www.travelnews.co.za/article/new-handler-for-australian-visa-biometrics
22. 22. SA People (News and guides, sapeople.com) https://www.sapeople.com/news/vfs-global-to-manage-australian-visa-biometrics-in-south-africa/

From doineedavisa.co.za/australia. Always confirm with the embassy before you travel.