Visitor Visa – Business Visitor Stream

For short trips to attend meetings, negotiate or finalise a contract, or take part in a conference — not to work for an Australian business or sell goods or services here. It's a shorter stream than the others, generally allowing a stay of up to 3 months, and you can still fit in some tourism activities alongside the business purpose.

Key Requirements

You'll generally need to show that:

• you're genuinely visiting temporarily for a business purpose and intend to leave again at the end of your stay;
• you can financially support yourself for the length of the visit — Visitor visa holders aren't covered by Medicare, so private health cover is worth arranging;
• you meet the relevant health and character requirements; and
• you can show evidence of your circumstances at home and the genuine business purpose of your visit.

What You Can and Cannot Do

On a Business Visitor stream visa you may generally:

• attend conferences, meetings, negotiations or trade fairs;
• make general business or employment enquiries;
• negotiate or finalise a contract; and
• undertake tourism activities alongside the business purpose.

You cannot work for an Australian business, and you cannot sell goods or services directly to the public. Each person travelling needs their own separate application.

Applying for a Business Visitor Stream Visa

The process generally comes down to three steps: gathering your supporting documents (including evidence of the business purpose, such as a letter of invitation), getting anything not in English translated and everything scanned or photographed clearly, and lodging online. Some Visitor visa applications are decided very quickly, while others take longer depending on how complete the application is — I'd treat any specific processing estimate as a guide rather than a guarantee, since it shifts with the Department's workload.

Visa Cost

The visa application charge depends on the visa stream and where the application is lodged. Additional costs may apply for health examinations, biometrics, police certificates or other requirements.

How I Can Help

I can assist with:

• Business Visitor stream eligibility assessments;
• advice on which activities are permitted on the stream;
• preparation of supporting statements and documentation, including evidence of the business purpose;
• evidence of genuine temporary stay intentions;
• preparation and lodgement of Visitor visa applications; and
• responding to Department of Home Affairs requests.

Important Information

The information on this page is provided for general information purposes only and does not constitute migration advice for your individual circumstances.

Visitor visa requirements, streams, processing times and government fees can change. Meeting the general requirements described above does not guarantee that a visa will be granted.

Professional advice should be obtained based on your individual circumstances before lodging a Visitor visa application.