Online visa application process
An overview of the online visa application process including how to choose a visa, the photos and file formats you need to upload, and how to pay online.
Applying for your visa online
- Online visa application process
- How to create a RealMe account
- Providing your passport for online applications
- Sharing your online application
- Including family in your online application
- Submitting group applications
- Working holiday visas
- File formats for uploading documents and photographs
- Travelling from the Pacific
Decide which visa to apply for
Check these visa options to make sure you apply for the correct one. You can also check the requirements you need to meet for each visa, the application process, and how long it may take.
Use our visa search and comparison tool to find and compare visas.
You cannot apply for some visas directly. You need to submit an expression of interest (EOI) first and wait for us to invite you to apply.
Prepare your documents
During the application you need to upload documents and photos to show us that you meet our visa requirements.
You need to provide:
- a photo of yourself that meets our requirements for visa photos
- medical and police certificates in English
- any other supporting documents in English — as well as the original or certified copies of those documents.
The specific supporting documents we need depend on your situation and visa.
For some online visa applications you only need to provide medical certificates after the application if we ask for them. This could be a few days after you submit your application.
Translating supporting documents into English
Create a RealMe account
For most visas you need a RealMe account before you can access the online application. We will direct you to set up your RealMe account when you apply.
How to create a RealMe account
You do not need a RealMe account for:
- Working Holiday Visas
- expressions of interest for Skilled Migrant Category Visas.
Complete your online application and pay
Upload any supporting documents and photographs and pay the fee. You can pay by credit card (Mastercard, Visa or UnionPay).
After you apply
We will contact you if we need any more information.
How long you wait for a decision about your visa depends on a number of factors, including:
- which visa you applied for
- where you apply from
- how many other visa applications we have received.
We receive high numbers of applications between November and March. This means it may take us longer to process your visa application during this time.