Who needs this service and why
You need this service if you are travelling to Australia from Thailand and your passport is not eligible for an ETA or eVisitor. That includes Thai nationals, who apply for a full visitor visa rather than an electronic authority.
Australia asks for more detail than most countries. Home Affairs wants to see your finances over time, your employment in context, and a travel plan that fits both. The good news is that all of this is documentary. It is a matter of gathering the right papers, presenting them in the right form, and making sure they agree with each other.
That is our job. We go through your documents thoroughly, check them against what Home Affairs expects to see, tell you which additional documents would strengthen the file, and then lodge the application for you. Where something is missing or unclear, we tell you what to obtain rather than leaving you to find out after the decision.
The three visa types Thai applicants ask about
1. Visitor visa (subclass 600)
The tourism and visiting visa, and the one most people from Thailand apply for. It has two streams that matter here:
- Tourist stream. For holidays, sightseeing, study tours or visiting friends and relatives. Grants of 3, 6 or 12 months are possible, decided by the case officer. Most first time applicants receive 3 months.
- Sponsored family stream. For visiting a family member who is an Australian citizen or permanent resident. Your relative in Australia acts as your formal sponsor and may be asked to lodge a security bond.
The application charge is AUD 250 following the fee increase of 1 July 2026, paid to Home Affairs.
2. Working Holiday visa (subclass 462)
For Thai nationals aged 18 to 30 who want to work and travel in Australia for up to a year. There is a limited annual quota for Thailand, so timing matters. You need an English test result of IELTS 4.5 or above and a qualification at diploma level or higher.
3. Student visa (subclass 500)
For formal study in Australia. You need a Confirmation of Enrolment from a registered institution before you can apply.
This page covers the subclass 600. Tell us if you need 462 or 500 and we will quote those separately.
Who this is for
- Thai nationals going to Australia on holiday or to visit friends and family.
- People visiting family who are Australian citizens or permanent residents, where the sponsored family stream may be the better fit.
- Business owners with a registered, trading company in Thailand.
- Foreigners living in Thailand who need an Australian visitor visa and hold documented long stay status here.
- Families travelling together, where marriage and birth certificates form part of the file.
Requirements
1. Personal documents
- Valid passport.
- National ID card.
- Passport sized photograph.
2. Financial evidence
- Bank statements covering the last 3 months.
- Bank certificate, if available.
- Payslips.
- Proof of assets, if available.
3. Employment and education documents
- Employment certificate.
- Business registration certificate, for business owners.
- Student enrolment certificate, for students.
4. Travel documents
- Flight reservation. You do not need to buy the ticket outright.
- A travel plan for the trip.
5. Additional documents
- Invitation letter from your host in Australia.
- Copy of the host's passport or proof of their immigration status.
- Marriage certificate, if travelling with your spouse.
- Child's birth certificate, if travelling with a child.
How it works
First, we review your documents thoroughly. You send us what you have: your passport, bank statements, employment papers, and details of anyone you know in Australia. We go through all of it against the subclass 600 requirements and confirm which documents you already qualify with. Where something is missing, out of date, or would read better in a different form, we tell you exactly what to obtain and from where. This is the part that saves people the most time, because gathering the right document once is quicker than being asked for it later.
Second, we build and lodge the file. We complete the online application in ImmiAccount, prepare your financial evidence so the source of your funds is clear on the page, obtain the employment and leave documents in the form Home Affairs expects, and build a travel plan that matches your flight reservation and your budget. We write the statement explaining your purpose and your ties to Thailand. Where a host in Australia is involved, we brief them on the invitation letter and the status evidence they should provide. Then we lodge and pay.
Third, we manage the case to decision. We monitor the application, and if Home Affairs requests further information or biometrics, we prepare and submit the response inside the deadline. There is no interview for most visitor applications, so a request for more information is an opportunity, and we treat it as one. When the visa is granted we explain the stay period you received and the conditions attached to it.
Process summary
- Apply online through ImmiAccount for the Visitor visa subclass 600, Tourist stream, from outside Australia.
- Pay the visa application charge and monitor the status.
- Provide biometrics if requested.
- Wait for the decision.
What the case officer looks at closely
Knowing what draws attention lets you prepare for it properly. These are the areas we spend the most time on:
- How your savings accumulated. Officers read the pattern, not just the closing balance. A recent large deposit is fine when it is documented, so if you have one, we help you evidence where it came from.
- Your employment record. A long held position with an approved leave letter and a return date speaks for itself. Where your work is newer or less conventional, we present it in a way that makes it legible.
- Your commitments in Thailand. Property, family, an operating business, ongoing studies. We identify which of yours are documentable and put them in the file.
- Whether the trip fits the budget. The itinerary and the funds need to agree. We build them together rather than separately.
- Your host, if you have one. A relative in Australia is a real asset when their invitation and status are properly documented, and we make sure they are.
FAQ
1. How long will I be allowed to stay?
The case officer decides between 3, 6 and 12 months. Most first time applicants from Thailand receive 3 months. We will discuss what length to request based on your actual travel plans, so the request and the itinerary support each other.
2. Do I need travel insurance?
It is not a mandatory requirement for the subclass 600 in the way it is for Schengen, though Home Affairs may require health insurance in specific cases, particularly for older applicants or longer stays. We will tell you if your case is one where it should be included, and we recommend holding it regardless.
3. Do I have to buy my flights first?
No. A reservation is what is required at application stage. Wait for the grant before purchasing.
4. Is there an interview?
Usually not. Decisions are made on the documents. Occasionally Home Affairs requests additional information, and we prepare that response for you.
5. How much money should I show?
There is no published minimum. What matters is that the funds are genuinely yours, that their history is visible, and that they comfortably cover the itinerary. We review your statements and tell you what else would round out the picture.
6. My sister is an Australian citizen. Does that help?
It can help, through the sponsored family stream, where she formally sponsors your visit and accepts responsibility for you. Home Affairs may require a security bond. We compare the tourist stream and the sponsored family stream for your situation and recommend the one that suits you.
7. How long does the decision take?
Processing times vary by season. Applying two to three months before your intended travel gives comfortable room, and we work backwards from your dates when we plan the case.
8. I was refused before. Can I apply again?
Yes. Send us the refusal notice, which states the criterion that was not met. We build the new file specifically around evidencing that point, which is what makes the second application different from the first.
9. Can I work in Australia on a visitor visa?
No. It is for tourism and visiting only. If you want to work, the Working Holiday visa 462 is the route for Thai nationals aged 18 to 30, with its own quota, English and education requirements.
10. I am a foreigner living in Thailand. Can I apply from here?
Yes, with legal long stay status here. Your Thai visa, employment or business, lease and local financial history all form part of the evidence explaining your base in Thailand.
11. What if I do not have every document on the list?
Very few applicants do, and several items are marked "if available" for that reason. Tell us what you have and we will work out what is genuinely needed for your circumstances and what can be evidenced another way.
12. What exactly am I paying you for?
A thorough review of your documents against the subclass 600 requirements, a clear list of anything else worth obtaining, the full application prepared and lodged, your host briefed where relevant, and any request from Home Affairs answered properly and on time. The decision is theirs. Everything that is within your control, we handle.
Australia is a documentary process, and documentary processes reward preparation. Send us what you have and we will go through it properly, tell you what else is worth gathering, and put the strongest version of your application in front of Home Affairs.
