- Digital nomad visa
- No
Overall4/10Harder visas than about 75% of cities
Good to know
Good to Know
- Check your specific eligible visa (eVisitor vs ETA) based on nationality before booking flights — using the wrong app or website can cause delays, and only the official ETA app or ImmiAccount should be used.
- None of these standard visitor visas allow you to legally work for an Australian company, which matters if you're doing more than remote work for overseas clients — get specific advice if in doubt.
- Be wary of third-party websites charging inflated 'service fees' to process ETAs or eVisitors — the official process is free (eVisitor) or a small app fee (ETA), and the Australian government explicitly warns about this scam pattern.
- If you want to stay in Melbourne longer than 3 months at a time, none of these baseline entry visas support that — you'd need to look at a dedicated longer-stay visa pathway (covered separately).
- There is no such thing as an 'Australia digital nomad visa' — anyone telling you otherwise is describing a repurposed tourist, working holiday, or skilled visa.
- If you're on a Visitor, eVisitor, or ETA visa, keep your remote work strictly for overseas clients/employers — these visas are not meant to authorise work, and border officials can and do question intent.
- The 183-day tax residency rule is widely misunderstood — spending fewer than 183 days in Australia does NOT automatically make you a non-resident, and Australians abroad in particular can remain tax residents indefinitely if they haven't established a genuine permanent home overseas.
- Medicare (Australia's public healthcare) generally does not cover Visitor, eVisitor, ETA, or non-resident Working Holiday visa holders, so private travel/health insurance is essential.
- Get personalised advice from a registered tax agent before treating any stay beyond a few months as tax-neutral — the ATO's residency tests are fact-specific, not a simple day-count.
Visa Free Entry
- Overview
- Australia has no true 'visa-free' entry for any nationality except New Zealand — every other traveler must obtain an electronic visa before departure, even if it is free and auto-granted within minutes. For most nomads this baseline entry is one of three short-stay visitor visas: the eVisitor (subclass 651), the Electronic Travel Authority/ETA (subclass 601), or the Visitor visa (subclass 600).
- Length Of Stay
- eVisitor and ETA both permit multiple entries within a 12-month validity period, with a maximum stay of up to 3 months (90 days) per visit. The Visitor visa (subclass 600) generally grants up to 3 months but can be issued for 6 or 12 months in some circumstances.
- Official Source
- https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/evisitor-651 and https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/electronic-travel-authority-601
- Work Restriction
- None of these visitor visa types (eVisitor, ETA, or Visitor visa 600) permit working for an Australian employer or providing paid services to an Australian-based business — this includes most forms of local remote-for-a-local-client work. Breaching this condition can lead to visa cancellation and deportation.
- New Zealand Exception
- New Zealand passport holders are the one true exception and can apply for a Special Category visa on arrival rather than pre-departure.
Cost
- EVisitor 651
- A$0.00
- ETA 601 App Service Fee
- A$20
- Visitor 600 Tourist Stream
- A$190
Process
- ETA
- Must be applied for via the official 'Australian ETA' smartphone app (App Store/Google Play) before departure — it cannot be applied for via a website, and applicants must be outside Australia at the time of application. There is no visa application charge, but there is an app-based service fee.
- EVisitor
- Apply for free online via an ImmiAccount before travel; most applications are auto-granted within minutes, though some nationalities face manual/additional document checks. Cannot be extended from within Australia.
- Visitor 600
- Applied for online through an ImmiAccount; requires more supporting documentation (finances, itinerary, ties to home country) and a processing fee, and takes longer than the electronic options.
Who Qualifies
- ETA 601
- Available to passport holders from a specific list of about 8 eligible countries and territories, predominantly Asia-Pacific plus the United States and Canada.
- EVisitor 651
- Free visa available exclusively to passport holders from the European Union and a defined list of other European countries (including the UK, Iceland, Norway, Switzerland, and several microstates) — roughly 36 eligible countries/territories.
- Visitor Visa 600
- Open to all nationalities, including those not eligible for eVisitor or ETA, and is the required route for anyone needing more flexibility (e.g. a longer stay or with prior visa refusals/criminal history issues).
Digital Nomad Visa And Tax
- Summary
- Australia has no dedicated digital nomad visa, and Melbourne follows national immigration rules since visas are federal, not city-level. Remote workers typically piece together a stay using the Visitor visa, eVisitor, ETA, or a Working Holiday visa, none of which were designed for remote work but are used in practice.
- Renewal Path
- Visitor, eVisitor, and ETA visas generally cannot be extended from within Australia once granted — a fresh application (often from outside the country) is required to stay longer. The Working Holiday visa (417) allows a second-year application if the holder completed specified regional/seasonal work during the first year, and in some cases a third year under similar conditions; there is no indefinite renewal path for remote workers, and none of these routes lead directly to permanent residency.
- Visa Ease Tier
- moderate
- Income Requirement
- There is no published minimum income figure for the Visitor, eVisitor, or ETA pathways. The official requirement is only that applicants show they have or have access to enough money to support themselves during the stay (typically evidenced with bank statements). The Working Holiday/Work and Holiday visas require proof of sufficient funds for the initial period plus a return or onward ticket, but likewise no fixed minimum income for remote work is specified.
- Visa Ease Tier Rationale
- Australia offers easy short-term e-visa entry (eVisitor/ETA) for many nationalities and a Working Holiday option for under-35s, but has no dedicated digital nomad visa, no work rights on visitor visas, no in-country extensions, and complex tax-residency tests for longer stays.
- Has Dedicated Digital Nomad Visa
- No
Tax Notes
- 183 Day Rule
- Under the 183-day test, a person present in Australia for 183 days or more in an income year (1 July–30 June) is generally treated as a tax resident, unless their usual place of abode is outside Australia and they do not intend to take up residence there.
- Double Taxation
- Australia has double tax treaties with many countries that can provide a foreign income tax offset to prevent double taxation, but treaties do not exist with several popular nomad destinations, so tax residents of Australia earning income in those places can face double taxation without careful planning.
- Residency Tests
- The Australian Taxation Office (ATO) uses four tests to determine tax residency — the ordinary resides test, the domicile test, the 183-day test, and the Commonwealth superannuation test. Passing any single one of these makes a person an Australian tax resident for that period.
- Non Resident Treatment
- Genuine short-term visitors working remotely for an overseas employer/clients and who do not trigger any of the four residency tests are typically taxed only on Australian-sourced income, if any, and not on their foreign remote-work earnings.
- No Special Nomad Tax Regime
- Australia does not offer any special tax regime, tax holiday, or reduced-rate scheme for digital nomads or remote workers on visitor-type visas.
- Worldwide Income If Resident
- If deemed an Australian tax resident under any of the four tests, a person must declare and pay Australian tax on worldwide income, not just Australia-sourced income.
- Domicile Risk For Australians
- This is a particular trap for Australian citizens/former residents living nomadically: because their domicile is Australia by origin, they generally remain Australian tax residents under the domicile test unless they can prove they have established a genuine 'permanent place of abode' overseas, which typically requires evidence such as a long-term lease abroad and settled ties there.
- GST Note
- Self-employed nomads doing business activity while physically in Australia may need to consider Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration if income is Australian-sourced.
- Exit Tax Note
- Individuals who cease Australian tax residency face a 'deemed disposal' event on certain assets (e.g. shares, managed funds — not Australian real estate), which can trigger capital gains tax liability at the point residency ends.
Practical Pathways
Visitor Visa (Subclass 600)
- Eligibility
- Open to applicants of most nationalities.
- Typical Stay
- 3, 6, or 12 months depending on the stream granted; generally not extendable from within Australia — you must depart and reapply for further time.
- Application Fee
- A$190
- Description
- The most commonly used route for remote workers. It is a tourist-purpose visa, so it does not officially authorise work in Australia — nomads on this visa are expected to work only for overseas clients/employers, with tourism as the stated primary purpose.
eVisitor (Subclass 651)
- Eligibility
- Limited to specific eligible passports (mostly European).
- Typical Stay
- Up to 3 months per visit, multiple entries over 12 months.
- Application Fee
- A$0.00
- Description
- A free, streamlined visitor visa available to eligible passport holders (mainly EU/EEA and a few other nationalities), used the same way as the Visitor visa for informal remote work.
Electronic Travel Authority (Subclass 601)
- Eligibility
- Available to citizens of a defined list of countries.
- Typical Stay
- Up to 3 months per visit, multiple entries over 12 months.
- Application Fee
- A$20
- Description
- Similar function to the eVisitor but for a different set of eligible passport holders.
Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) / Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)
- Eligibility
- Generally ages 18–30 (up to 35 for a handful of nationalities including Ireland, Canada, UK, France); subclass 462 also requires functional English and, for some nationalities, proof of tertiary study.
- Typical Stay
- 12 months, with a possible second (and in some cases third) year if eligibility conditions (e.g. specified regional work) are met.
- Application Fee
- A$635
- Description
- The main longer-stay option for younger nomads. Unlike the visitor pathways, this visa does permit local employment (with a limit of six months per single employer), which many remote workers use to add local income or simply to have full work rights while also freelancing remotely.
Application Documents
- Valid passport with sufficient validity
- Recent passport-style photo
- Proof of sufficient funds (bank statements) to support the stay
- Evidence of ties to home country / intent to depart (for Visitor visa) — e.g. return ticket, employment or business ties abroad
- Health insurance or travel insurance (strongly recommended; not automatically covered by Medicare for most visa holders)
- Character/police clearance documents where requested
- For Working Holiday/Work and Holiday visas: proof of age, functional English (462 stream), and in some cases tertiary education evidence
- All applications are lodged online via an ImmiAccount on the Department of Home Affairs website
AI-generated estimateData refreshed July 2026
Sources cited for this category
These are the sources cited in this visas research for this city. Individual figures may not each trace to one of them.
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Data last updated July 2026 · Verify anything important.