Visas and Immigration

All non-citizens need to obtain a visa prior to travelling to Australia.

For information about different visa options, you can use the Visa Finder. 

Applications for the following types of temporary and permanent entry visas lodged in Myanmar are processed in Yangon. Please click on the relevant links below for further information, including checklists of documents you should include with your visa application.

Please note this is not a comprehensive list of visa types. For other visa options, please use the Visa Finder. 

Temporar entry visas

Visitor (Tourist stream) Subclass 600	For holiday or visiting family and friends.
Visitor (Business Stream) Subclass 600	For business people travelling to Australia for a short business trip.
Temporary Work (Short Stay) Subclass 400	For short-term, highly specialised, non-ongoing work.
Temporary Activity Subclass 408	For undertaking specific activities on a temporary basis with the support of an individual, organisation or approved sponsor in Australia.
Transit Subclass 771	For passengers transiting in Australia on their way to another country.
Student Subclass 500	For studies at an approved Australian education institution.
Student Guardian Subclass 590	For guardians of students under 18 years of age.

You should lodge your application online through ImmiAccount. 

Online lodgement offers benefits such as 24/7 accessibility, faster processing, electronic payment and the ability to check the status of your application.

If you are unable to lodge an application online, you may be able to lodge a paper application at an Australian Visa Application Centre (AVAC) operated by VFS Global in Myanmar. You should make an appointment at VFS Global. There is no option to lodge by mail.

For more information about paper application lodgement procedures, fees charged, contact details, office locations and office hours, please visit VFS Global Australia in Myanmar.

For general information on application lodgement, click here.

There is a Visa Application Charge (VAC) for most visas. The VAC will not be refunded if your application is unsuccessful, or if you decide to withdraw your application.

Visas lodged in Myanmar must be paid for in US dollars.

For information on fees and charges for visas, please click here.  

VFS Global will charge fees for biometrics collection. VFS Global will also charge a fee for visa lodgement if you choose to lodge a paper application. These fees are in addition to the VAC set by the Australian Government for visa applications. For VFS Global fees, please click here.

For faster processing, you should submit a complete application online and provide your biometrics as soon as possible. Actual processing times can vary due to individual circumstances and not all applications can be decided within the stated processing time.

For current global visa processing times, please click here.

Requests for Urgent Processing

If your application is urgent due to compelling or compassionate reasons (for example, a close family member has become ill suddenly in Australia), please email us a Compelling and compassionate request for travel. Please ensure your request contains supporting documentation or other information (for example, medical certificate). Your application may not be able to be expedited if you do not provide relevant supporting evidence.

We do not consider urgent requests to travel to attend business meetings or where your flight is departing soon as genuine emergencies. We try to process all applications as quickly as we can, however we cannot be held responsible if you have pre-booked your travel and your application is not lodged early enough to allow the processing of your application. Some applications will also require us to undertake further assessments, which may take more time.

All applicants in Myanmar must complete biometric (face photograph and fingerprint scan) collection for each application lodged, irrespective of their nationality, unless they are excluded or exempt from the program.

Biometrics are collected through a quick and easy process that captures a photograph of your face and a 10-digit electronic fingerprint. Applicants will be required to provide their biometrics each and every time they apply for a visa.

Whilst biometric data is recorded and kept for future reference, in line with the Department’s published policy on the retention of data, this does not override the requirement for applicants to submit their biometric data should they lodge a fresh application.

The biometric data collected during the visa application process is checked against previous records and also on entry to Australia (e.g. at the airport when your passport is checked at immigration) – this process enhances the basic identity assurance of a passport document, which can be forged or altered more easily than a person’s biometric data, to ensure that the person applying for an Australian visa is indeed who they claim to be.

When you lodge your application online, you will be sent a request to provide personal identifiers (biometrics) via email. You should make an appointment to attend the Australian Visa Application Centre (AVAC) in person to provide your biometrics. Take a copy of that email and your passport to the appointment.

You must provide your biometrics within 14 days of online lodgement or notify the relevant processing office if unable to do so. In the event that you do not provide your biometrics within this timeframe, your application will be refused. 

If you lodge a paper application at the AVAC, you will be asked to provide your biometrics at the same time.

In Myanmar, VFS Global operates one AVAC in Yangon. The AVAC will charge a service fee for the lodgement of applications and collection of biometrics.

·         For more information about biometric collection procedures, fees charged, contact details, AVAC locations, or to book your biometrics appointment, please visit VFS Global.

·         For more information on meeting our biometrics requirements, please click here.

The health requirement will depend on your personal circumstances and the visa that you have applied for. All permanent visa applicants and certain temporary visa applicants will be required to undergo health examinations as a part of the visa application process.

If you have been requested to undertake a health examination there is no guarantee of a positive visa outcome. If you fail to meet the health requirement your visa may be refused, however this will depend on the visa subclass you have applied for. Some visa subclasses allow a health waiver to be exercised in certain circumstances.

For more information about the health requirement, including how to contact a panel physician near you, please click here.  

If a child under 18 years of age intends to travel to Australia, any non-accompanying parent(s) or person(s) with parental responsibility are required to sign a consent form to give permission for the child/children to be granted an Australian visa.

If one parent, or person(s) with parental responsibility, has lawfully been made solely responsible for making decisions as to where the child/children is/are to live, then only that parent or person needs to sign the consent form.

See: Consent to Grant an Australian visa to a child under the age of 18 years 

Applicants may need to provide:

• Form 1229 to be completed by both parents (or persons with parental responsibility), with evidence of their signatures (ie bio-data pages of passport or other document containing evidence of their signature).
•  If Form 1229 cannot be signed by both parents (or persons with parental responsibility), the following should be included:

      o    Evidence of sole custody, or permission from the relevant court authority permitting removal of the child from   Myanmar for example:

• A court order from Myanmar permitting the removal of the child, or
• Death certificate, or
• Divorce certificate with memorandum covering the custodial circumstances of the applican

Certified copies are copies authorised or stamped as being true copies of originals, by a person or agency recognised by the laws of the person’s home country. All personal documents such as Birth Certificates, Marriage Certificates, Household Registration Book, Educational Qualifications, etc. must be certified by the relevant local district office.

In Myanmar, documents can be certified at the Australian Visa Application Centre operated by VFS Global.

In Australia, copies may be certified by a Justice of the Peace, Commissioner for Declarations, or person before whom a statutory declaration may be made under the Statutory Declarations Act 1959.

Please note: Photocopies of certified copies are NOT acceptable.

Documents that are not in English must be translated and accompanied by an English translation when you lodge your application.

If you are outside Australia when you apply, you should engage a reputable translation company.  The translation should be endorsed by the company and include their full name, contact details and credentials. We are not able to provide any recommendation for professional translators in Myanmar.

You must provide certified copies of both of the following with your application:

• the official translation of the document

• the document that is not in English. 

The Australian Embassy in Yangon receives a significant amount of correspondence each day. While we aim to respond to communication in a timely manner, please read the information contained in our Frequently asked questions before making contact with us.

If your query is addressed in our Frequently asked questions we will not provide a response. 

We value your feedback. Your compliments, complaints or suggestions provide the Department with information to help improve the quality of our services.

If you wish to provide feedback or suggestions, please click here.

Visit the Department of Home Affairs website for further information regarding visas or citizenship.

For general enquiries about visa requirements and lodgement, contact the Australian Visa Application Centre (AVAC) operated by VFS Global.

Address: #512, 5th Floor, Hledan Center, Corner of Hledan Road & Pyay Road, Kamaryut Township,
Yangon, Myanmar

Telephone: +95 9 791 089 461, +95 9 791 089 462

Email: info.aurgn@vfshelpline.com

Website: http://www.vfsglobal.com/australia/myanmar/

If you have an ongoing application outside global processing times, you can email us. If your query is addressed in our Frequently asked questions we will not provide a response.

The Australian Government is committed to protecting Australia's borders, combating people smuggling in our region, and preventing people from risking their lives at sea.

Operation Sovereign Borders is a military-led border security operation that was established in 2013 to deliver on this commitment.

Anyone who attempts an unauthorised boat voyage to Australia will be turned back to their point of departure, returned to their home country or transferred to another country.

No-one who travels illegally to Australia by boat will be allowed to remain in Australia.

People smugglers use false promises of settlement in Australia to convince people to hand over their money. Do not believe their lies. The truth is that no-one who pays a people smuggler for an illegal boat journey to Australia will get what they paid for.

There is only one way to gain entry into Australia — with an Australian visa.

For more information, please click here.

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                       Last updated 21 November 2019