Thank you for visiting the Visa and Citizenship Page. There is no Visa Office at the Australian Embassy Vienna.
For the latest information on Australia's immigration and border arrangements during the COVID-19 outbreak please visit https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/.
If you are currently in Australia and seeking advice about your options, please visit https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/staying-australia.
Visa information
All travellers to Australia must hold a visa in order to enter the country. The visa finder can help you determine the visa best visa for your personal circumstances. Further information on visa options and how to apply is available on the Department of Home Affairs website.
Please note that most applications must be lodged online via ImmiAccount at www.homeaffairs.gov.au/immiaccount
Some applications may still be lodged via post. Any paper applications for clients usually resident in Austria, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo, Slovakia and Slovenia need to be sent to:
Australian Embassy Berlin
Visa Office
Wallstrasse 76-79
D-10179 Berlin, Germany
If you require assistance with lodging a visa application, you may wish to consider employing the services of a registered Migration Agent. Further information about using a Migration Agent is available at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/who-can-help-with-your-application/using-a-migration-agent
You should not book flights or make travel commitments until you have a visa to travel to Australia. The department will not be liable for any financial loss incurred by clients whose visa application was finalised later than expected or was unsuccessful.
For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, please click here.
Online-only lodgement for Visitor visa (subclass 600)
The Department of Home Affairs (the Department) is introducing 100 per cent online lodgement for Visitor visas (subclass 600). The changes will be introduced in two phases commencing from September 2021. Following these changes, paper applications will not be accepted as valid for lodgement:
- From 30 September 2021 (phase 1), all applicants applying for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) from outside Australia in any stream must lodge their application online via ImmiAccount. Applicants applying for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) in Australia in the Tourist stream may lodge their application online via ImmiAccount or by posting their application to the Sydney office. The courier option will no longer be available.
- From early 2022 (phase 2), all applicants applying for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) in Australia in the Tourist stream must lodge their application online via ImmiAccount.
How can I apply for a Visitor visa online?
ImmiAccount is an online service that provides a simple, efficient and convenient way to apply for a visa. You can create an ImmiAccount, select the visa type you want to apply for, attach documents, submit family applications together and pay the application fee online at https://online.immi.gov.au
You can also get help from a family member, friend or migration agent to submit your application if required.
Australian Visa Application Centres outside Australia may also offer assisted online lodgement services, depending on local country arrangements.
Where can I get additional information?
Information about these changes will be updated on the Department’s website for each Visitor visa (subclass 600) stream page. A list of all streams is at:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/visitor-600
Information and guidance about applying online and using ImmiAccount is available on the Department’s website at:
https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-support/applying-online-or-on-paper/online
Austrian applicants for a Work and Holiday visa do not require a letter of Government support
Government letters of support are not required for Austrian applicants for a subclass 462 Work and Holiday visa for Australia. It is important to note that all other visa requirements remain unchanged, including the requirements for adequate funds, education and Functional English. For a list of acceptable evidence to demonstrate that you have at least Functional English, please refer to the Department’s website at https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/work-holiday-462/first-work-holiday-462#Eligibility, then scroll down to "Have this level of English language".
Beware of Visa Scams
To avoid being scammed, you can check the Register of Migration Agents on the OMARA website, to receive the protections of an OMARA registered Migration Agent.
There are Australian registered migration agents working all around the world in countries such as India, the United Kingdom, China and New Zealand, just to name a few. These agents are subject to the same Code of Conduct, professional development and regulations as registered migration agents based in Australia. More information about Australia’s efforts to ensure the integrity of the migration advice profession is available at: www.mara.gov.au
Citizenship
Detailed information about becoming an Australian citizen is available on the Departmentof Home Affairs website at General information on Australian citizenship
Once a person becomes an Australian citizen, he/she is eligible to apply for an Australian passport. Australian citizens entering Australia should do so on an Australian passport. Please note that it is not possible for an Australian citizen to be granted an Australian visa even if that person is also a citizen of another country and wishes to travel on that country’s passport
Citizenship by descent
From 1 May 2021, new Citizenship by Descent applications lodged outside Australia in the UK, Ireland, Europe and Israel will be processed in Australia instead of the Visa and Citizenship Office at Australian High Commission in London.
Applying online is the preferred way for you to apply and helps the Department to process your application faster. Apply online via the Department of Home Affairs website.
If you are unable to apply online, complete Form 118 Application for Australian citizenship by descent (PDF): Departmental forms (homeaffairs.gov.au)
Send the application, certified copies of documents and the payment receipt to the address on the form.
Please refer to the Department’s website regarding global processing times for Citizenship by Descent applications: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/citizenship/citizenship-processing-times
For online applications, persons should refer to ImmiAccount for the status of their application.
If the application is within the advertised global processing time, requests for priority processing will only be considered if exceptional compelling and compassionate circumstances exist and you have an imminent scheduled flight to Australia.
Should this apply to the application and you have not already confirmed this when your application was lodged, upload your claims for priority processing to ImmiAccount.
Pending Citizenship by Descent applications lodged prior to 1 May 2021 will also be processed in Australia.
Other useful links
- Character requirements & police clearance certificates
- Health requirements
- Panel doctors list
- Requests for international movement records
- Australian National Archives (requests for historical records of immigration to Australia)
- Australian Government entry point (for all government services; includes links to State & Territory government websites)
- Jobsearch
- Study in Australia
- Tourism Australian (tourist information)
- Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government (flying to Australia - security requirements)
- Australian Customs Service
- Department of Agriculture and Water Resources
- Therapeutic Goods Administration (taking medicines to Australia)
- Foreign Investment Review Board (buying a house – requirements for foreign investors)
Contact Us
Check our website for any visa and citizenship information. If you still have further questions or require more information please call us.
If you are calling from the Americas or Europe please call our Global Service Centre (GSC) located in Australia on +61 2 6196 0196, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm local time in your country.
If you would like to provide feedback to the Department of Home Affars, you can do so via https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/help-and-support/departmental-forms/online-forms/complaints-compliments-and-suggestions
You can view current global visa and citizenship processing times for most visa subclasses and citizenship types. To view current processing times, click here or see the product page for the specific visa subclass or citizenship type you are applying for. You can navigate to any product from Individuals and Travellers or Visa Support. On the product page, two processing times will be displayed, indicating how long it takes to finalise 75 and 90 per cent of all applications submitted globally.
Processing times apply from the date your complete application is lodged.
You can also use the Visa Finder to compare processing times for up to three different products.
Please note that applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, and that actual processing times may vary due to individual circumstances including:
- whether the applicant has lodged a complete application including all necessary supporting documents
- how promptly the applicant responds to any requests for additional information
- how long it takes to perform required checks
- how long it takes to receive additional information from external parties, particularly in relation to health, character, national security, and Assurance of Support requirements
- the number of places available in the migration programme (for permanent migration visas)
- surges in demand and peak periods
To ensure your application falls within the published processing times, we strongly encourage you to submit complete applications. The checklists provided on ImmiAccount will assist in making sure you have included all required documents during the application process.
Applicants who have completed three months (88 days) of work on their first Work and Holiday visa in specific industries in specific areas of Australia will be able to apply for a second Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). The work must have been undertaken after the commencement of the new regulations (18/11/2016).
The work must have been undertaken in the specific area defined as the Northern Australia region, which includes all of the Northern Territory, and those parts of Western Australia and Queensland above the Tropic of Capricorn).
Second Work and Holiday applications need to be lodged online or sent directly to the onshore processing centre in Brisbane, regardless of client location.
More information on the Work and Holiday Maker visa is available on the department's website, http://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/Trav/Visa-1/462-
The Australian Government collects biometrics from clients applying for Australian visas in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Biometrics will be collected from visa applicants, irrespective of their nationality, who are in Bosnia-Herzegovina at the time of making a visa application to enter Australia, unless they are excluded or exempted.
Biometrics will be collected at an Australian Biometric Collection Centre (ABCC) in Sarajevo, by appointment. The ABCC, operated by Teleperformance, will charge a fee for this service.
Visa applicants who mail their applications to the Australian Embassy in Berlin, or who lodge their visa applications online, will be sent a letter informing them that they need to attend the ABCC in Sarajevo to provide their biometrics.
Visa applicants should register, make an appointment and make payment for the biometric enrolment as per the instructions provided on the Teleperformance website prior to attending the ABCC. Applicants should also take a copy of the request letter and their passport to the ABCC.
For more information please click here:
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