Australia Visas, Taxes and Money for Digital Nomads

Most nomads arrive on one of these two electronic visas. Both are valid for 12 months (or until your passport expires, if sooner), allow multiple entries, and let you stay for up to three months each time you enter. Neither can be extended inside Australia.

• Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601): for passports from countries including the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brunei, the UK and several Western European countries. You apply only through the Australian ETA app, which scans your passport chip and takes a live photo, for a A$20 service fee. Most are granted almost immediately.
• eVisitor (subclass 651): free, for EU citizens and other European passports including British citizens, applied for online through ImmiAccount.

Your visa is linked to your passport; if you renew the passport, you need a new ETA or eVisitor. Leaving and coming back resets the three-month stay, but Home Affairs says that if you stay for long periods or visit often, you may be asked about your purpose at the border, and if you aren’t considered a genuine visitor the visa can be cancelled. Back-to-back three-month stays with short trips out are a known red flag.

Visitor visas are not work visas. Home Affairs says you can’t work for, or provide services to, a business or organisation based in Australia, or sell goods or services to the public. Business visitor activities, such as meetings, negotiating contracts and attending conferences, are allowed.

Remote work for an overseas employer or overseas clients, done on your laptop while on holiday, isn’t directly addressed in the visa rules. It is widely treated as acceptable when it is incidental to a genuine visit, but it is a grey area, especially for long stays where work is the main activity. Never take Australian clients or Australian-paid work on a visitor visa.

People who aren’t eligible for an ETA or eVisitor apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa online, with a fee and documents such as proof of funds. Home Affairs usually grants a stay of three months, and sometimes up to 12 months, case by case. Some ETA and eVisitor nationals apply for a 600 to ask for a longer single stay; it’s discretionary, and the same no-work rule applies.

Australia’s Working Holiday Maker programme is the best long-stay route for anyone young enough. It gives 12 months in Australia with multiple entry, the right to do any kind of work (usually up to six months with each employer) and up to four months of study.

• Working Holiday (subclass 417): for passports from Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and the UK.
• Work and Holiday (subclass 462): for about 30 countries including the US, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Chile, Greece, Indonesia, Israel, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and Thailand. Most need tertiary education and functional English, and some need a support letter from their government. Every country except the US has an annual cap, and China, India and Vietnam passport holders must win a ballot to apply.
• Age limits: you must apply before you turn 31, or before you turn 36 for Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, South Korea and the UK. Cyprus, Finland, Germany and South Korea were raised to 35 in 2026. All 462 countries have a limit of 30.
• Money: you need about A$5,000 in funds plus an onward ticket, and you apply from outside Australia, without dependent children. Application charges rose on 1 July 2026; check the current fee before applying.
• Second and third years: most people need three months of “specified work” (such as farm, fishing, mining, construction, or tourism in northern and remote areas) in regional Australia for a second visa, and six months for a third. British citizens have been exempt from this requirement since July 2024.

Processing now takes about three months on average, so apply well ahead.

• New Zealand citizens can live and work in Australia indefinitely on the Special Category visa (subclass 444), granted on arrival.
• Student visa (subclass 500): for full-time courses, with limited work rights. It is expensive and suits people who genuinely want to study.
• Skilled and employer-sponsored visas: such as the Skills in Demand visa, need an Australian employer and an occupation in demand.
• National Innovation visa: a permanent visa for people with exceptional, internationally recognised achievements in their field.

There is no retirement visa open to new applicants, and no route for self-employed people working for overseas clients.

If you stay past your visa, you become an unlawful non-citizen and can be detained and removed. Overstaying by more than 28 days can also lead to a three-year exclusion from most future visas, and you may have to repay removal costs. If something goes wrong, contact Home Affairs before your visa ends.

Australia taxes residents on their worldwide income and foreign residents only on Australian-source income. Residency depends on several tests, including whether you “reside” here and the 183-day test: being in Australia for more than half the income year (1 July to 30 June) can make you a resident, unless your usual home is overseas and you don’t intend to live here. Most short-stay nomads with a home base elsewhere remain foreign residents.

• Residents pay progressive rates from 0% on the first A$18,200 to 45% at the top, plus a 2% Medicare levy.
• Foreign residents pay 30% from the first dollar of Australian-source income, with no tax-free threshold.
• Working holiday makers pay 15% on their first A$45,000 of Australian income, and need a Tax File Number (TFN) for local jobs. Employers also pay superannuation, which you can claim back when you leave, though it is heavily taxed.

Salary for work physically done in Australia can count as Australian-source income even when the employer is overseas, though tax treaties often exempt short stays. This is a general guide, not tax advice; if you stay close to six months, work for Australian clients or take local jobs, get advice from an Australian tax agent. See our taxes for digital nomads guide for the bigger picture.

Visitors are personally liable for their healthcare costs. Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with 11 countries: the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Belgium, Finland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden. Their citizens and residents can get some medically necessary treatment through Medicare during a visit, after enrolling at a Services Australia centre with their passport and visa. Cover varies by agreement, and none of them pays for ambulances, private hospitals, dental care or repatriation, so carry nomad health insurance as well.

Australia uses the Australian dollar (AUD, A$). Cards and phones are used almost everywhere, including for small purchases, and many shops and cafes rarely see cash. Some businesses add a card surcharge, usually 1% to 2%, which must be shown at the till. Tipping isn’t expected, though rounding up in restaurants is common.

Foreign cards and phone wallets work everywhere, so short-stay nomads rarely need a local account. ATMs are widespread; some charge foreign cards a fee shown on screen. Always decline the ATM’s or card terminal’s currency conversion and pay in Australian dollars.

Working holiday makers and longer-stayers usually open an account with one of the big four banks (Commonwealth Bank, Westpac, ANZ and NAB), often online before arrival, then verify identity in a branch with their passport. A local account gives you instant PayID transfers, makes renting easier and is needed for wages and superannuation. Wise and similar services are useful for moving money in and out.