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Transit visa (Subclass 771)

AustraliaTransit

Explore the five recorded questions, answers and sources for this pathway.

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Explore pathways in Australia Read the five questions ↓

Which travellers require a transit visa/permission and which officially documented exemptions are important?

A Transit visa (subclass 771) allows entry to Australia for up to 72 hours purely to travel on to another country, or to join an eligible ship as crew. Travellers who already hold another valid Australian visa that permits transiting, NZ passport holders eligible for a Special Category (subclass 444) visa, and those eligible for an Electronic Travel Authority, Visitor visa, eVisitor visa or APEC Business Travel Card may not need this visa, since those alternatives also permit transit and allow a longer stay.

See recorded sources
  • Overview tab
    This visa allows you up to 72 hours to transit Australia on your way to another country. You can also use this visa if you need to join a ship as a crew member and you hold a Maritime Crew Visa.
  • About this visa tab — You might not need it
    You may not need a Transit visa if you already hold another valid Australian temporary or permanent visa, and that visa permits you to transit Australia.
  • About this visa tab
    You may not need a Transit visa if you are: a NZ passport holder who meets the eligibility requirements for a Special Category (subclass 444) visa (SCV) eligible for: an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) a Visitor visa an eVisitor visa an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Travel Card (ABTC). These visas permit the holder to Transit through Australia. They also permit a longer period of stay.

Can the traveller remain airside, and under what circumstances must immigration control be crossed?

A traveller who will be in Australia for less than 8 hours and does not leave the airport may not need to apply for a visa before travelling (transit without visa / airside transit); anyone leaving the airport, staying 8 hours or more, or not eligible for airside transit must cross immigration control under a Transit visa or another qualifying visa.

See recorded sources
  • Overview tab
    If you will be in Australia for less than 8 hours and you are not leaving the airport you may not need to apply for a visa before you travel.
  • Overview tab
    Check if you are eligible to transit without a visa.
  • About this visa tab — You might not need it
    All non-citizens need a visa or permission to enter Australia. This includes those staying for a short time or just transiting and not leaving the airport.

What officially documented baggage collection, terminal, separate-ticket or self-transfer situations affect the immigration requirement?

A traveller who needs to clear immigration, for example to collect and transfer baggage or to board an onward flight from a different terminal, must have an Australian visa, such as a Transit (subclass 771) visa, even if they meet all other requirements of transit without a visa. Transit without a visa requires that the traveller does not need to clear immigration or leave the airport transit lounge for any reason before boarding the onward flight. Australian airports may have limited transit facilities, and the department advises checking transit arrangements with the travel agent or airline before considering visa options. The official source does not state specific rules for separate tickets or self-transfer.

See recorded sources
Limits of the record
  • The official source does not state specific rules for separate tickets or self-transfer.

What maximum transit period, overnight, airport-change or multiple-stop rules matter?

The maximum transit period is 72 hours from arrival, and the visa cannot be extended to stay longer (a different visa must be sought for that). The exception is a Maritime Crew visa (MCV) holder entering by air to join an eligible ship, who has 5 days from arrival to sign onto the ship — after which the MCV ceases and a new Transit visa is needed for each further air entry to join a ship.

See recorded sources

If permission is required, what permission is it, where/how is it obtained, and what core onward-travel evidence is required?

If a Transit visa (subclass 771) is required, it is free and applied for online through ImmiAccount; the applicant must be outside Australia when applying and when the decision is made. Core evidence is identity documents (passport pages and a photo) plus, for ordinary transit, confirmation of a booking to another country within 72 hours and evidence of the right to enter that next country; sea-crew applicants instead provide employment, ship-eligibility and shipping-agent documents. Family members cannot be included on one application; each traveller, including infants, must apply separately.

See recorded sources

These are the answers currently recorded in the catalogue. A missing or partial answer is not an eligibility decision.

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