PrideNomad

Does Australia Have a Digital Nomad Visa? No. Here Are the Visas People Consider Instead.

Reviewed November 12, 2026

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Visa details checked against Home Affairs on November 12, 2026.

The four visas nomads look at

Four visas come closest to what nomads want.

  1. ETA (Electronic Travel Authority, Subclass 601). AUD $20 service charge, applied for in the Australian ETA app from outside Australia. You can visit as often as you like within 12 months, up to three months each time. US passports are on the Home Affairs list of ETA-eligible passports (checked November 12, 2026). If you hold a different passport, check the eligible-country list on the Home Affairs ETA page for yours. It is for visits, and it suits slow travelers who don't mind leaving every three months or so.
  2. Visitor visa (Subclass 600). The tourist stream starts at AUD $250 if you apply from outside Australia and AUD $630 if you apply from inside. Stays can be up to 12 months, and a grant may be for 3, 6 or 12 months. It is a visit visa, not a nomad visa. Details are on the Home Affairs Visitor visa page.
  3. Working Holiday visa (Subclass 417). AUD $840 for the first visa, with 12 months of stay, for ages 18 to 30, or up to 35 for some countries. A second and third year need 3 and 6 months of specified work. Your passport must be from an eligible country, so check the list on the Home Affairs 417 page.
  4. Work and Holiday visa (Subclass 462). AUD $840 for the first visa, with 12 months of stay, for ages 18 to 30. A second 462 visa is available after 3 months of specified work and costs AUD $1,000. Your passport must be from an eligible country, so check the list on the Home Affairs 462 page.

The ETA is not a work visa

Home Affairs says on its ETA page: "The ETA is not a work visa. You cannot undertake paid work for an Australian employer." It adds that if you work or intend to work on an ETA, it may be canceled and you may be removed or refused entry. The Visitor visa's business visitor stream says you can't work or sell goods or services. To work in Australia, Home Affairs says you must hold a visa that permits you to work.

Don't plan around the ETA or a visitor visa as a way to work from Australia. By contrast, the 417 and 462 let you work in Australia while you hold them, subject to their conditions, so confirm those conditions on Home Affairs. If you plan to work remotely from Australia, confirm your specific situation with Home Affairs or a registered migration agent before you book anything.

What this means for LGBTQ+ travelers

Same-sex marriage has been legal in Australia since December 2017. Federal anti-discrimination law has covered sexual orientation, gender identity and intersex status since 2013, with religious exemptions. None of that changes the visa rules above.

Fees and visa rules change. Confirm the current charge on the Department of Home Affairs website before you apply.