Visas and citizenship applications are managed by the Department of Home Affairs.
For information on entering and leaving Australia, please visit entering and leaving Australia.
Please note that Australian citizens are expected to travel to Australia using an Australian passport.
If you require additional information, you may telephone the Global Service Centre on +61 2 6196 0196, Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm your local time.
International calls may be subject to charges imposed by your local carrier. You may wish to consider using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) provider to avoid potentially high charges.
All non-citizens need to obtain a visa prior to travelling to Australia.
Use ImmiAccount to lodge your application, make a payment, update your details or circumstances, upload documents, and track the progress of your application. If you have provided documents by email to the Department, you will receive an automated acknowledgement. Please remember to check your junk folder and add us as a safe sender.
If you are experiencing technical issues with ImmiAccount, please visit help and support.
It is recommended that applicants do not make non-refundable financial commitments in relation to their travel prior to receiving a visa to Australia.
The Department is committed to building more efficient and effective ways of delivering accessible services through the use of digital channels as our default form of delivery. As such, you can complete a number of services online without needing to contact the Department directly. This includes:
Check status of your Australian visa online
Please note that we are unable to provide any updates on the progress of your application if it is within standard global processing times.
For current global visa processing times, please visit visa processing times.
Please ensure that any supporting documents required with your application are attached at lodgement of your application. A decision may be made at any time after the application is submitted.
Any document in a language other than English must be accompanied by an English Translation.
The Australian Department of Home Affairs is moving towards a global visa processing model. This means that any application may be processed in an office other than where it is lodged. As such it is important that all supporting documents attached to the application which are not in English, be accompanied by an English translation.
The English translations must be appropriately endorsed translations. In Australia, translators must be accredited by the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. Their accreditation details must be recorded on the translation.
Translations provided by non-accredited translators outside Australia should be endorsed by the translator with their full name, address, telephone number, and details of their qualifications and experience in the language being translated.
Please ensure that when providing an English translation, that a copy of the original document is also provided. Failure to provide an English translation of supporting documentation may delay processing and result in the document not being considered as part of the visa application.
For Departmental policy relating to supporting documentation, please visit who can help with your application.
Criminal Information Certificates (Police certificates) from Israel
The information on this page relates to Criminal Information Certificates required for Australian visa and citizenship applications only. If you require a certificate for other purposes, including employment and professional registration, you should discuss procedures with the Israeli police and should NOT ask the police to send the certificate to our office. One of the options is to ask the police to send the certificate to the Embassy of Israel in the relevant country. For example, if you require the certificate for employment or professional registration purposes in the United States, you should ask for the certficate to be sent to the Embassy of Israel in the United States. The Embassy of Israel in the relevant country may be authorised to hand it to you or to your representative or send it directly to the entity that requested it. This should be discussed directly with the Embassy of Israel.
Israeli criminal records and Criminal Information Certificates (Police Certificates) procedures are administered in Israel by the Israeli Police, under The Crime Register and Rehabilitation of Offenders Law, 5741 -1981. According to this law, it is unlawful for the Police AND the Australian Embassy to provide Israeli police certificates directly to the client.
Please do NOT apply for your Criminal Information Certificate before you lodge your application AND you are invited to provide one by your Case Officer.
Please note that we are unable to apply for the police certificate on your behalf. You must apply for it. If you are an Israeli citizen or resident with a valid Israeli ID, you may apply for your Criminal History Certificate online on the website of the Israeli Police. Otherwise, you may apply at the Israeli police station or Israeli Embassy/Consulate nearest to you. The process will usually take 2-4 weeks.
When you apply for the Criminal Information Certificate for Australian visa and citizenship applications, you should ask the police to send it to the Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv. We will keep your certificate on file for 12 months or until we receive a referral/request from the Case Officer processing your Australian visa/citizenship application. When we receive a request from the Case Officer processing your application, we will send the certificate directly to them.
To ensure that your Criminal Information Certificate reaches your Case Officer, please ask your Case Officer to send a "referral/request" to The Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv and request the certificate.
For privacy and other operational reasons, we are unable to advise clients directly whether we have received their Criminal Information Certiricate and if/when it was sent to their Case Officer. If there are any significant delays or difficulties, you should contact your Processing Office/Case Officer directly and they will contact our office, if necessary. Please feel free to refer your Case Officer to this page of our website.
If you do not have contact details/email address for your Case Officer, please upload a copy of this page to your online application and name it “Israeli police certificate information”. Your Case Officer will then read the message and take the appropriate action to retrieve your certificate from the Australian Embassy in Tel Aviv.
IMPORTANT - Please do NOT apply for the Criminal Information Certificate before you are requested to do so by your Case Officer.
Applying for Australian citizenship by Descent
You may be eligible for Australian citizenship by descent if you were born outside Australia and one (or both) of your parents was also an Australian citizen at the time of your birth. Check your eligibility before you apply.
Apply online through ImmiAccount. For more information on how to apply, please visit applying online.
For information on citizenship processing times, please visit citizenship processing times.
Applying for Evidence of Australian citizenship
An Australian citizenship certificate is an official document that shows that a person is an Australian citizen. If you meet requirements, you can get a certificate, or replace one that has been lost, destroyed or damaged. Check your eligibility before you apply.
Apply online through ImmiAccount. For more information on how to apply, please visit applying online.
For information on citizenship processing times, please visit citizenship processing times.
Visa applicants may be required to provide their biometric identifiers (digital facial image and fingerprint scan). If required, you will be contacted to complete this process. Please visit biometrics collection process.
To find the nearest Australian Biometrics Collection Centre, please visit offices outside Australia.
If you have been requested to provide biometrics but are unable to do so, please attach a written statement to your application using your ImmiAccount explaining your circumstances.