If you applied for your next visa from inside Australia, you are probably on a Bridging visa A (BVA) while you wait. A BVA keeps you lawful in Australia but does not support return travel. A Bridging visa B (BVB) does: it lets you leave and return within a set travel period while your substantive visa application is processed (Department of Home Affairs, checked 2026-09-29).
- Item
- Charge
- Detail
- A$575 in FY 2026-27, one charge for everyone included
- Item
- When to apply
- Detail
- No more than 3 months and not less than 2 weeks before you travel
- Item
- Where you must be
- Detail
- In Australia when you apply and when it is decided
- Item
- Processing time
- Detail
- Not published by Home Affairs
- Item
- Travel
- Detail
- Single or multiple trips until a specified date in your grant
- Item
- Passport label
- Detail
- None. The visa is linked to your passport digitally.
Who can apply
Home Affairs lists these requirements for a BVB:
- You are in Australia when you apply, and when the BVB is decided.
- You hold a BVA or a BVB, and you have held a substantive visa.
- You applied in Australia for a substantive visa that can be granted while you are in Australia, and that application has not been finally decided. People seeking judicial review of a refusal have separate rules.
- You give a reason, with supporting documents, for why you need to leave and return while your application is processed.
- You meet the character requirement. There is no age limit.
What it costs
The base charge is A$575 in FY 2026-27 (Department of Home Affairs visa pricing, checked 2026-09-29). There is no extra charge per person. Family members who applied with you for the substantive visa can be included in one BVB application for one charge, but each must meet the BVB requirements, and Home Affairs says to include only those with substantial reasons to travel. Family members who are staying can remain on their current bridging visas. From 1 July 2026, a lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens.
When to apply
Home Affairs says to apply no more than 3 months, and not less than 2 weeks, before the date you want to travel. Apply too early and it can be hard for Home Affairs to judge whether your substantive visa will be ready for a decision, because some visas can only be granted while you are in Australia. Leave it too late and you risk not having the BVB before you are due to leave. If that happens, you might not hold a visa that lets you return, and you would need a new substantive visa, with no guarantee of a grant.
Stays in your browser. Nothing is sent or saved.
What to give Home Affairs
- A written reason for the trip, with supporting documents. Home Affairs asks you to explain why you need to depart and return while your substantive visa is being considered. Its page does not publish a list of accepted reasons.
- Colour copies of the passport pages showing your photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates, for everyone included in the application.
- A national identity card if you have one, and proof of any change of name.
- English translations of non-English documents. Home Affairs says documents do not need to be certified.
- For a child included in the application, consent from anyone with a legal right to decide where the child lives who is not travelling with them, on Form 1229 or a statutory declaration.
You usually need a valid passport for the grant. If you plan to renew your passport, Home Affairs suggests doing it before you apply.
How to apply
VEVO
Check what you hold
Confirm in VEVO that you hold a BVA or BVB, and check that your passport is valid for the trip.
3 months to 2 weeks before travel
Lodge inside the window
Use the calculator above to find the dates for your trip.
ImmiAccount or webform
Apply the same way as your substantive visa
If you applied for your substantive visa in ImmiAccount, apply for the BVB in ImmiAccount. If you applied on paper, or you have applied for review of a decision, pay the charge and submit Form 1006 by webform with the payment receipt details.
A$575
Pay the charge and attach documents
Attach the reason for travel, supporting documents and passport copies. ImmiAccount applicants can add missing documents after lodging; webform applicants must attach everything before submitting.
Grant in Australia only
Stay in Australia until it is granted
You must be in Australia when the BVB is decided. Home Affairs does not publish processing times or give processing updates.
Grant letter and VEVO
Read the travel period
The grant says when the travel period ends and whether it allows one trip or several. Return before that date.
How long it takes
Home Affairs publishes no processing times for the BVB and says it does not give updates on processing times. That is the reason for the two-week minimum: lodge inside the recommended window and do not rely on a last-minute grant.
The travel period
- The BVB travel facility may be granted for a single trip or multiple trips, valid until a specified date.
- If you are outside Australia when the travel period ends, the BVB ceases and you cannot return on it.
- If the travel period has ended, or does not have enough time left for a new trip, you need a new BVB granted before you leave.
- You cannot extend a BVB or change its conditions. To change conditions, such as work rights, you apply for a BVA.
Work rights on a BVB
A BVB may allow work if the substantive visa you held or the visa you applied for allows it. Your grant letter sets out the conditions, and VEVO shows them. While your substantive visa is still in effect, its conditions continue to apply; the BVB conditions start when it ceases.
Partner visa applicants waiting in Australia
Onshore partner visa applicants (subclass 820/801) often need a BVB, because Home Affairs says partner processing times vary and can be longer than expected. The BVB matters for the gap between lodging and the 820 decision: Home Affairs says you can be in or outside Australia when it decides the temporary 820, and once the 820 is granted it lets you travel to and from Australia as many times as you want. Family visas are processed under Ministerial Direction 117, covered in the partner visa changes guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a bridging visa B?
The base charge is A$575 in FY 2026-27. Family members who applied with you for the substantive visa can be included in the same application without an extra charge, if each meets the requirements.
How long does a bridging visa B take?
Home Affairs does not publish processing times for the BVB and does not give processing updates. It recommends applying no later than 2 weeks before you travel.
How far in advance should I apply for a BVB?
No more than 3 months and not less than 2 weeks before the date you want to travel, according to Home Affairs.
Can I leave Australia on a bridging visa A?
You can leave, but if your BVA is in effect it ceases when you depart and you cannot return on it. To travel and come back while your application is processed, you need a BVB granted before you leave.
Can I travel more than once on one BVB?
It depends on the grant. Home Affairs may grant the travel facility for a single trip or multiple trips, valid until a specified date. Once that date passes, you need a new BVB for another trip.
What counts as a substantial reason to travel?
Home Affairs asks you to explain why you need to depart and return while your substantive visa is being considered, with supporting documents. Its page does not publish a list of accepted reasons, so each application is decided on the reason and evidence provided.
Do BVB documents need to be certified?
No. Home Affairs says you do not need to have documents certified. Scan or photograph them clearly in colour, and have non-English documents translated.