Business Visitor Visa for Australia: What It Covers and How It Differs From a Work Visa

What counts as a 'business visitor' activity

The Business Visitor stream of the subclass 600 is for people coming to Australia to conduct general business activities that don't amount to being employed here. Home Affairs describes this as activities like making general business or employment enquiries, attending conferences or trade shows, negotiating or reviewing contracts, and undertaking official government-to-government visits.

The defining boundary is this: you can conduct business, but you cannot be paid by an Australian organisation for the work itself, and you cannot perform ongoing services or labour that an Australian entity is engaging you to do. A business visitor observes, negotiates, meets and represents — they don't get put to work.

What it does not cover — and where the 400 comes in

If your actual purpose is to come and do short-term, highly specialised work for an Australian business — installing specialist equipment, delivering technical training, undertaking short-term consultancy, or similar non-ongoing skilled work that genuinely needs someone from overseas — the Business Visitor stream is the wrong tool. That's the Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa, subclass 400, which is specifically built to authorise paid, specialised, short-term work in Australia, typically capped at a few months per stay.

Getting this distinction wrong matters: performing work that goes beyond permitted business-visitor activities while on a 600 visa is a breach of your visa conditions, with real consequences for your current stay and future visa applications. If there's any doubt about whether what you're actually going to do in Australia is 'business visitor' activity or genuine work, that's a question worth getting right before you travel, not after.

The free and low-cost alternatives: eVisitor and ETA

Both business-visitor activities and tourism are covered by Australia's fast electronic visa options for eligible passport holders, so a full subclass 600 application often isn't necessary at all. The eVisitor (subclass 651) is free and available to passport holders from most European countries, applied for entirely online through ImmiAccount. The Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) serves a different set of eligible passport holders — including the United States, Canada and Japan among others — applied for via the ETA app for a small service charge.

Both typically grant stays of up to three months per visit, with multiple entries allowed over a 12-month period, and cover the same permitted business-visitor activities described above. If your passport is eligible for either, it's almost always the faster and cheaper route than a full subclass 600 application — check the current eligible-country list before assuming you need the full visa.

When you do need the full subclass 600

The Business Visitor stream of the 600 is for passport holders who aren't eligible for the eVisitor or ETA — a large share of the world's passports, including major markets like China, India and much of the Middle East and Africa — and who need to undertake business-visitor activities in Australia. The base application charge for the Business Visitor stream, applied from outside Australia, matches the standard offshore Tourist stream charge (see our visitor visa 600 cost guide for the current figure, indexed each 1 July).

The application process mirrors the Tourist stream: lodge through ImmiAccount, provide evidence of your purpose (an invitation letter from the Australian business you're meeting, your own employment details, evidence of funds), and demonstrate you intend a genuinely temporary visit and will return home afterward.

Documents to prepare

A well-prepared business visitor application typically includes a letter of invitation from the Australian business or organisation you're visiting, setting out the purpose, planned activities and expected duration of your visit; a letter from your own employer confirming your position and that you're travelling in a business capacity, not seeking local employment; evidence of sufficient funds to support yourself during the trip; and a clear itinerary consistent with the stated business purpose.

As with any visitor visa application, evidence of ties to your home country — ongoing employment, property, family — helps demonstrate the visit is genuinely temporary, particularly for applicants from countries the Department assesses as carrying a higher risk of overstay.

Can I do paid work in Australia on a business visitor visa?

No. The subclass 600 Business Visitor stream permits activities like meetings, negotiations and conferences, but not being paid or employed by an Australian organisation for work performed here. Paid, specialised short-term work needs the subclass 400 visa instead.

What's the difference between the subclass 600 Business Visitor stream and the subclass 400?

The 600 Business Visitor stream is for general business activities — meetings, negotiations, conferences — with no local pay involved. The subclass 400 authorises short-term, highly specialised paid work for an Australian business. Using the wrong one for what you actually intend to do breaches your visa conditions.

Do I need a full visitor visa for a business trip to Australia?

Not necessarily. If your passport is eligible for the free eVisitor (651) or the low-cost ETA (601), both cover permitted business-visitor activities for stays of up to three months and are faster and cheaper than a full subclass 600 application.

How much does the Business Visitor stream cost?

The base charge for the Business Visitor stream applied from outside Australia matches the standard offshore Tourist stream charge — see our visitor visa 600 cost guide for the current figure, which is indexed every 1 July.

What documents does a business visitor application need?

Typically an invitation letter from the Australian business or organisation being visited, a letter from your own employer confirming your role and travel purpose, evidence of sufficient funds, a clear itinerary, and evidence of ties to your home country demonstrating a genuinely temporary visit.