South Africans visiting Australia as tourists apply for the Visitor visa (subclass 600), Tourist stream, outside Australia. You must be a genuine visitor who intends to stay temporarily, have or have access to enough money to support yourself, hold a valid passport and apply online through an ImmiAccount. The stream allows a stay of up to 12 months.
This page covers the Tourist stream first, then the separate Sponsored family stream for family visits. Details come from the Australian Department of Home Affairs.
Eligibility and Entry Requirements at a Glance
- Be a genuine visitor: you only intend to stay temporarily and will obey the conditions and stay period attached to your visa.
- Have, or have access to, enough money to support yourself in Australia.
- If you owe the Australian government money, you must have repaid it or arranged to repay it.
- Meet health examination requirements when the Department asks for them. You can do the examinations before applying or wait until you are told.
The Department’s page does not state a minimum remaining passport validity, so confirm this with the Department before you travel.
Passport and Travel Document Requirements
You need a valid passport or other travel document. If you need a new passport, get it before you apply. You provide the passport pages showing your photo, personal details and the issue and expiry dates, plus a national identity card if you have one.
Visa and Supporting Document Requirements
The Department lists evidence of genuine visitor intent and ties to home. For funds, it lists:
- itemised bank statements for a three-month period;
- pay slips, audited accounts or tax records;
- term deposits or credit card statements.
For reasons to return home, it lists a letter from your employer stating you plan to return to your job, proof of study, immediate family at home, proof you can return home, and a house or major assets.
- An invitation letter from a relative or friend in Australia can state the relationship, purpose and length of your visit and whether you will stay with them. If they are paying, include proof of their funds.
- Documents not in English must be translated into English, and you supply both the original and the translation. Documents need not be certified unless the Department asks.
- Scan or photograph documents in colour, one file per multi-page document.
- If you are under 18, you need a birth certificate showing both parents’ names. If a person with legal say over where you live is not travelling, you also need Form 1229 or a statutory declaration of consent, plus Form 1257 if you are not staying with a relative or guardian.
Financial, Health and Entry Conditions
You must be able to support yourself while in Australia. The documents above are how you show it. Health examinations apply when the Department asks for them, so there is no fixed list of medical requirements for every applicant.
The visa application charge and processing time are shown only in the Department’s Visa Pricing Estimator and processing time tools. Check the tools for the current amount for South African applicants before you apply.
How to Prepare or Apply
- Choose the Visitor visa (subclass 600) stream: Tourist, or Sponsored family if a relative sponsors you.
- Gather identity, funds and ties-to-home documents.
- Log in or create an ImmiAccount, attach your documents and pay the application fee. The Department will not process the application until the fee is paid.
- Complete health examinations if asked.
- Wait for the grant in writing before you travel. If you apply from outside Australia, you must be outside Australia when the visa is decided.
You may appoint a registered migration agent, legal practitioner or exempt person, but you do not have to use one. The Department will tell you if you need to provide biometrics. Check with the Department whether biometrics apply to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I get an Australian visa from South Africa?
Apply online through an ImmiAccount under the Tourist stream, or the Sponsored family stream if you are sponsored. Pay the fee, attach your documents and do not arrange travel until the visa is granted in writing.
Does having family in Australia hurt my application?
Having family there is not set out as a disqualifier on the Department’s pages. You can visit them in the Tourist stream with an invitation letter, but you must still show that you intend to stay temporarily and have reasons to return home.
What is a sponsored visitor visa?
The Sponsored family stream is for visitors sponsored by a family member. The sponsor must be a settled Australian citizen or permanent resident, who usually must have lived in Australia for the last two years, and a close relative such as a spouse or de facto partner, parent, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, aunt, uncle, niece or nephew. Fiance(e)s, in-laws, cousins and friends cannot sponsor except in set family-unit circumstances.
Does a sponsor have to pay a security bond?
A bond may be requested. It is usually AUD 5,000 to AUD 15,000 per person, though the Department can ask for any amount. It is refunded if the visitor complies with the visa conditions and leaves before the visa expires. The sponsor completes Form 1149 and provides documents proving the relationship. See the Sponsored family stream page.
What if I cannot prove the relationship?
Apply in the Tourist stream with an invitation letter instead.
Do I need a medical examination?
Health examinations are needed only when the Department asks. Confirm with the Department whether you will be asked.
For the wider picture see our guide to visa requirements and browse all travel and immigration requirements. Confirm the final requirements and fee with the Australian Department of Home Affairs before you apply.