How to Apply for a Bridging Visa B to Travel While Your Visa Is Pending

Why do you need a Bridging Visa B before travelling?

Australian bridging visas can keep a person lawfully in Australia while an immigration matter is being resolved, but they do not all permit international travel. The Department of Home Affairs states that only a Bridging Visa B (BVB) allows a bridging visa holder to leave and re-enter Australia while waiting for a decision on a substantive visa.

If you depart Australia while another type of bridging visa is in effect, that bridging visa will cease. This is particularly important for Bridging Visa A holders: a BVA lets an eligible person remain in Australia while a substantive visa application is processed, but it does not provide a right to return after overseas travel.

A BVB is therefore something to arrange before departure, not after you have already left Australia.

Check whether you can apply for a BVB

The Migration Regulations require a primary Bridging Visa B applicant to hold a Bridging Visa A or Bridging Visa B at the time of application.

The applicant must also satisfy one of the prescribed immigration-status pathways. For the common situation covered by this guide, that includes having made a valid substantive visa application in Australia, where that visa can be granted while the applicant is in Australia, and where the application has not been finally determined.

The regulations also provide BVB pathways for certain review and judicial-review situations. The precise eligibility rules depend on what immigration matter your existing bridging visa is connected to, so do not assume that merely having a pending matter automatically establishes BVB eligibility.

You need substantial reasons for leaving and returning

A core legal requirement for a Bridging Visa B is that you have substantial reasons for wishing to leave and re-enter Australia. Form 1006 specifically asks why you want to travel, where you intend to travel and your proposed departure and return dates.

Explain the real circumstances of your trip and provide documents that support them. The Department decides the application using the information in your form and supporting documents, so unsupported or inaccurate statements can weaken the application.

The grant criteria also require that your return to Australia would not be contrary to the public interest.

The BVB travel period is set by the Department

A Bridging Visa B is granted with a defined travel period. It is not an unlimited permission to leave and return whenever you choose.

The Department says that when deciding the BVB travel period it considers:

• why you want to travel; and
• when it is likely to make a decision on your substantive visa application.

Check the grant notice carefully for the dates that apply to you before finalising travel arrangements. Do not assume that a travel period given to another BVB holder will also apply to your case.

What should you prepare before applying?

Form 1006 asks for detailed information about your immigration status and proposed travel. Prepare the information relevant to your case before starting, including:

• your full personal and contact details;
• your residential address in Australia;
• passport and identity details;
• details of your current Bridging Visa A or Bridging Visa B;
• details of the substantive visa application or review connected with the bridging visa;
• your proposed departure and return dates;
• the country or countries you intend to visit;
• a clear explanation of your reasons for travel; and
• documents supporting those reasons and dates.

Form 1006 states that you must provide the address where you intend to live while the application is being dealt with and that a post office box is not accepted as the required residential address.

If your passport, visa or other contact information changes while an Australian visa application is pending, use the appropriate Department process. Helpydo also has a separate guide on updating your address, email or phone number on an Australian visa application.

Apply through ImmiAccount when your visa application was lodged online

If you applied for your substantive visa through ImmiAccount and have not applied for review, the Department instructs you to submit your bridging visa application through ImmiAccount.

Use the bridging visa function associated with the relevant application, complete the requested information, attach supporting evidence and follow the payment instructions shown for the application.

Do not use the separate bridging visa webform simply because it appears available. The Department specifies different application routes depending on how the substantive visa application was lodged and whether review proceedings are involved.

When do you use Form 1006 and the webform?

If your substantive visa application was made by paper, the Department's online bridging visa submission page provides a webform for eligible Bridging Visa A, B and C applications. The same form can also cover specified situations involving a bridging visa that ceased, review proceedings, changed conditions or a request for permission to travel.

For a BVB application submitted through this route, you must complete and attach Form 1006 – Application for a Bridging visa B.

The Department says you must also attach your supporting documents. The webform cannot be saved and completed later, so have Form 1006 and all documents ready on your computer or device before starting.

How much does a Bridging Visa B cost in 2026?

For applications made from 1 July 2026, the Bridging B (Class WB), subclass 020 base visa application charge is AUD $575. The 2026 amendments increased the charge from the previous AUD $190 level.

Additional applicant charges for applicants aged 18 or older and those under 18 are nil under the Bridging B fee structure, although each family member who needs BVB travel authority must satisfy the applicable requirements and be properly included where a combined application is permitted.

The Department warns that visa charges can change and that payment surcharges can apply depending on the payment method. Check the current Visa Pricing Estimator or pricing table immediately before lodging.

If you submit a BVB using the Department's bridging visa webform, the Department instructs you to pay before submitting through the My Payments section of ImmiAccount. Form 1006 states that the application is not valid until the required visa application charge is paid.

Apply before you leave Australia

The Department does not publish a single guaranteed processing time for every Bridging Visa B application. Your safest planning rule is therefore straightforward: apply before your intended trip and do not leave Australia until the BVB has actually been granted.

Lodging a BVB application does not itself give you a right to return. If you leave while a Bridging Visa A is in effect, the BVA ceases on departure.

If your proposed departure is approaching, provide the travel dates and evidence clearly in the application. The Department also maintains an urgent BVB webform for cases that meet the applicable submission route, but using an urgent submission route does not mean a visa has been granted.

Do not lodge duplicate applications just to chase a decision

The Department expressly tells applicants who are concerned about processing not to submit another bridging visa application, because duplicate applications contribute to processing delays.

Monitor ImmiAccount and Department correspondence instead. If your circumstances change after lodgment, Form 1006 requires you to inform the Department of the new circumstances.

Check the grant notice before booking or departing

A BVB grant does not give indefinite travel rights. Read the grant notification and confirm:

• the period during which you are permitted to travel;
• the date by which you must return;
• the visa conditions that apply; and
• whether anything has changed in the underlying substantive visa application.

You can use VEVO to check details of a visa that is currently in effect, including the visa type, expiry information and conditions. VEVO does not display a bridging visa that is not yet in effect, for example where a substantive visa remains current.

For a step-by-step explanation of the service, see how to check your Australian visa details and conditions in VEVO.

Do not travel overseas on a BVA expecting to return on it

A Bridging Visa A does not provide a travel facility. Home Affairs states that a BVA ceases when you leave Australia.

This is why a BVB should be granted before departure when you need bridging-visa travel authority. Do not treat a pending BVB application, a flight booking or your unresolved substantive visa application as permission to return to Australia.

Keep monitoring your substantive visa application

A BVB exists in the context of an unresolved immigration matter. The Department considers when it is likely to decide the substantive visa application when setting the BVB travel period.

Continue monitoring ImmiAccount and Department messages before and during travel. A decision on the substantive application can change your immigration position and the visa you would rely on for travel.

If you are waiting on an onshore partner visa application, for example, the substantive application and BVB travel permission remain separate issues. The application process itself is covered in the guide to applying for an onshore Partner visa subclasses 820 and 801.

Common Bridging Visa B mistakes to avoid

• Leaving before the BVB is granted: an application is not travel permission, and a BVA ceases when its holder departs Australia.
• Assuming every bridging visa holder can apply: subclass 020 has specific eligibility criteria, including the requirement to hold a BVA or BVB at application.
• Giving only vague reasons for travel: explain the substantial reasons and provide relevant supporting evidence.
• Using the wrong lodgment route: applicants whose substantive visa was lodged through ImmiAccount and who have not applied for review must use ImmiAccount for the bridging visa application.
• Forgetting Form 1006 when the webform route applies: a BVB webform submission requires the completed Form 1006 and supporting documents.
• Submitting before paying when using the webform: Home Affairs instructs BVB applicants to pay in ImmiAccount before webform submission.
• Assuming the travel period is unlimited: a BVB is granted with a defined travel period.
• Submitting duplicate applications: the Department warns that this contributes to processing delays.
• Relying on VEVO to show a BVB that is not yet in effect: VEVO only shows the current in-effect visa.