Key facts (updated October 2026)
- The Subsequent Temporary Application Charge (STAC) is currently $700 per person, on top of the normal visa application charge.
- It only applies when you apply in Australia for certain temporary visas (for example a further student, visitor, 407, 408 or 482 visa) and your current or last substantive visa was also applied for in Australia.
- Your first temporary visa application made in Australia after arriving on an offshore-granted visa does not attract STAC.
- STAC is never charged on permanent, bridging, criminal justice or enforcement visa applications.
- Each person in the application is assessed separately, based on their own visa history. Check current charges on our visa fees from 1 July 2026 page.
The subsequent temporary application charge applies to certain temporary visas.
This charge is payable by each person in your application and is based on their individual visa history. The subsequent temporary application charge, if applicable, is payable in addition to any other visa charges that apply to your visa application at the time of lodgement.
This charge is not paid for the following visa application:
- bridging, criminal justice or enforcement
- permanent.
Exemptions for the subsequent temporary application charge
The subsequent temporary application charge will not be charged for applications where at least one of the following applies:
- the base application charge for your application is nil (STAC did not apply to the former 408 COVID-19 Pandemic event visa, which is now closed)
- the visa pricing table does not show a subsequent temporary application charge
- the visa pricing table shows the subsequent temporary application charge as nil
- the visa pricing table shows the subsequent temporary application charge as N/A
- the applicant is outside Australia while making their substantive temporary visa application
- the applicant is making their first substantive temporary visa application in Australia
- the subsequent temporary application charge formula evaluates the charge to nil.
How to calculate the subsequent temporary application charge
The subsequent temporary application charge is calculated for each applicant.
| Step | Action | Result/Action |
| 1 | Are you in Australia applying for a visa of a kind specified in Table 1? | If yes,
If no,
|
| 2 | Do you hold, or was the last substantive visa you held, a visa of a kind specified in Table 2? | If yes,
If no,
|
| 3 | Did you apply for a visa specified in ‘Table 2’ when you were in Australia? | If yes,
If no,
|
| 4 | Do any of these situations apply? a) Was the ‘Table 2’ visa for a new-born child, born after the primary applicant applied for the visa? b) Was the ‘Table 2’ visa granted to the applicant by operation of law? c) Was the ‘Table 2’ visa granted as a result of the Minister exercising his or her ministerial intervention powers? d) Was the ‘Table 2’ visa granted without the applicant making an application? e) Was the ‘Table 2’ visa a student visa which you were required to apply for because an education provider defaulted and was no longer able to deliver a course? |
If a) or b) or c) or d) or e) is yes,
If a) and b) and c) and d) and e) is no
|
Definitions
Operation of law – Some visas are granted by operation of law. This may include:
- some Special Persons visas
- Enforcement visas
- Absorbed Persons visas
- Ex citizen visas
- visas granted to newborn babies.
Substantive visa means a visa other than:
- a bridging visa
- a criminal justice visa
- an enforcement visa.
Table 1 – Temporary visas being applied for
| Visa subclass | Title |
| 408 | Temporary Activity |
| 407 | Training |
| 457 | Temporary Work (Skilled) |
| 462 | Work and Holiday |
| 500 | Student |
| 590 | Student Guardian |
| 600 | Visitor |
| 676 | Tourist |
Table 2 – Previous visas applied for in Australia
| Visa subclass | Title |
| 408 | Temporary Activity |
| 402 | Training – Occupational Trainee stream |
| 415 | Foreign Government Agency |
| 417 | Working Holiday |
| 457 | Temporary Work (Skilled) |
| 462 | Work and Holiday |
| 500 | Student |
| 570 | Independent ELICOS Sector |
| 571 | Schools Sector |
| 572 | Vocational Education and Training Sector |
| 573 | Higher Education Sector |
| 574 | Post-Graduate Research Sector |
| 575 | Non-Award Sector |
| 576 | Foreign Affairs or Defence Sector |
| 580 | Student Guardian |
| 590 | Student Guardian |
| 600 | Visitor |
| 602 | Medical Treatment |
Current charges (from 1 July 2026)
The examples below were written using the charges and visa subclasses that applied at the time (for example the old 573 student visa and the 457 visa, which have since been replaced by the 500 student visa and the 482 Skills in Demand visa). The way STAC is worked out has not changed. Today’s main charges are:
| Visa | Main applicant | STAC if it applies |
|---|---|---|
| Visitor (subclass 600) Tourist stream, lodged outside Australia | $250 | Not charged (applied for outside Australia) |
| Visitor (subclass 600) Tourist stream, lodged in Australia | $630 | $700 per person |
| Student (subclass 500), most courses | $2,500 | $700 per person |
| Skills in Demand (subclass 482), all streams | $4,015 | $700 per person |
| Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) | $6,140 | Not charged (permanent visa) |
Government charges change, usually on 1 July each year. Always confirm the amount in the Department’s Visa Pricing Estimator before you lodge.
Examples of when the subsequent temporary application charge is paid
The following examples relating to the Subsequent Temporary Application Charge are given as a general illustration of charges. There are a number of variations in the fees and charges, and you should consult the Visa Pricing Table to verify which charges apply to you.
Example 1. Single Applicant.
1. Fritz applies for, and is granted a Visitor (subclass 600) visa, Tourist stream in his home country. Fritz has to pay the base application charge for this visa as the main applicant.
- The subsequent temporary application charge does not apply as the visa was granted while the applicant was outside Australia.
Therefore, the visa application charge is made up of:
1 x base application charge of AUD130 for Fritz as the main applicant
=
Total visa application charge of AUD130
2. While he is in Australia and before his Visitor visa expires, Fritz applies for a further Visitor (subclass 600) visa in the Tourist stream.
- Fritz has to pay the base application charge for this visa as the main applicant.
- He does not have to pay the subsequent temporary application charge as the visa Fritz currently holds was applied for when he was outside Australia.
Therefore, the visa application charge is made up of:
1 x base application charge of AUD335 for Fritz as the main applicant
=
Total visa application charge of AUD335
Fritz successfully lodges the visa application and the visa is granted.
3. Before the Visitor visa expires, Fritz applies for another Visitor (subclass 600) visa in the Tourist stream. This is the second temporary visa that Fritz is applying for while he is in Australia.
- Fritz has to pay the base application charge for this visa as the main applicant.
- Fritz now has to pay the subsequent temporary application charge as,
- Fritz is applying for the visa that is liable for the subsequent temporary application charge
- Fritz is applying for the visa while he is in Australia
- the visa Fritz currently holds counts towards the subsequent temporary application charge and was applied for while Fritz was in Australia.
The visa application charge is made up of:
1 x base application charge of AUD335 for Fritz as the main applicant
+
1 x subsequent temporary application charge of AUD700 for Fritz
(this is his second application for a temporary visa that he made in Australia)
=
Total visa application charge of AUD1035*
Note: If Fritz had left Australia before the expiry of the first Visitor visa that he applied for while in Australia, and applied for further Visitor visa in his home country or another location outside Australia, the subsequent temporary application charge would not have applied.
Example 2. Family.
Jill is currently studying a Bachelors of Accounting in Australia on a Student visa (subclass 573, Higher Education Sector) which she applied for in the UK.
Veronica is Jill’s 15 year old daughter and was included in Jill’s application as her dependant.
Jill and Veronica have not applied for any other visas since their arrival in Australia on the 573 student visa.
Mark is Jill’s husband and initially came to Australia on a Visitor visa (subclass 600) and subsequently decided to apply for a dependant visa under Jill’s student visa. His student visa (as a dependent of Jill) was granted whilst he was in Australia.
Jill and her family have decided to apply for a further Student visa (subclass 573). They are applying for this visa online.
What is the Visa Application Charge for their application?
Jill
- Jill has to pay the base application charge for this visa as the main applicant
- Jill works out whether she has to pay the subsequent temporary application charge by using the table on Subsequent Temporary Application Charge – Calculation
Jill works through the table as follows:
| Step | Action | Jill’s answers/actions |
|---|---|---|
| (i) | Are you in Australia applying for a visa of a kind specified in Table 1? | Yes Jill looks at next question |
| (ii) | Do you hold, or was the last substantive visa you held, a visa of a kind specified in Table 2? | Yes Jill looks at next question |
| (iii) | Did you apply for a visa specified in ‘Table 2’ when you were in Australia? | No Therefore, Jill does not have to pay the subsequent temporary application charge. |
Mark
- Mark has to pay the additional applicant charge (18 and over) as a dependant applicant
- Mark works out whether he has to pay the subsequent temporary application charge by using the table on Subsequent Temporary Application Charge – Calculation
Mark works through the table as follows:
| Step | Action | Marks’s answers/actions |
|---|---|---|
| (i) | Are you in Australia applying for a visa of a kind specified in Table 1? | Yes Mark looks at next question |
| (ii) | Do you hold, or was the last substantive visa you held, a visa of a kind specified in Table 2? | Yes Mark looks at next question |
| (iii) | Did you apply for a visa specified in ‘Table 2’ when you were in Australia? | Yes Mark looks at next question |
| (iv) | Do any of these situations apply?
|
No Therefore, Mark has to pay the subsequent temporary application charge. |
Veronica
- Veronica has to pay the additional applicant charge (under 18) as a dependant applicant
- Veronica works out whether she has to pay the subsequent temporary application charge by using the table on Subsequent Temporary Application Charge – Calculation
Veronica works through the table as follows:
| Step | Action | Veronica’s answers/actions |
|---|---|---|
| (i) | Are you in Australia applying for a visa of a kind specified in Table 1? | Yes Veronica looks at next question |
| (ii) | Do you hold, or was the last substantive visa you held, a visa of a kind specified in Table 2? | Yes Veronica looks at next question |
| (iii) | Did you apply for a visa specified in ‘Table 2’ when you were in Australia? | No Therefore, Veronica does not have to pay the subsequent temporary application charge. |
Total visa application charge is calculated as follows.
| Name | Components payable |
Price |
|---|---|---|
| Jill | Base Application Charge | $535 |
| Mark | Additional Applicant Charge (18 and over) | $405 |
| Subsequent Temporary Application Charge | $700 | |
| Veronica | Additional Applicant Charge (under 18) | $135 |
| TOTAL Visa Application Charge Payable | $1775 |
Example 3. Single applicant.
Mary arrived in Australia as a student visa holder and after she has completed her studies, she applied for and was granted a Temporary Work (subclass 457) visa whilst she was in Australia. Her employer now wishes to sponsor Mary for a permanent visa.
Mary is now applying for a visa under the Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186).
What is the Visa Application Charge for her application?
- Mary checks the Visa Pricing Table and sees that she has to pay the base application charge for Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) visa.
- Mary sees that the Visa Pricing Table does not show the Subsequent Temporary Application Charge for subclass 186.
- Just to be sure, Mary then works out whether she has to pay the subsequent temporary application charge by using the table on Subsequent Temporary Application Charge – Calculation
Mary works through the table as follows:
| Step | Action | Mary’s answers/actions |
|---|---|---|
| (i) | Are you in Australia applying for a visa of a kind specified in Table 1? | Mary is in Australia but her visa (Subclass 186) is not listed in Table 1. The answer is: No Therefore, Mary does not have to pay the subsequent temporary application charge. |
The Base Application Charge for Employer Nomination Scheme (subclass 186) is $3520. Mary does not have any dependents therefore will not need to consider any additional applicant charges payable.
The total Visa Application Charge for Mary’s application is $3520.
STAC: frequently asked questions
How much is the Subsequent Temporary Application Charge in 2026?
The STAC is $700 per person who has to pay it. It is added to the base and additional applicant charges for the visa.
Do I pay STAC on my first visa application in Australia?
No. If your current visa was granted from an application you made outside Australia, your first application in Australia does not attract STAC. It usually applies from your second onshore temporary application.
Does each family member pay STAC?
STAC is worked out for each applicant on their own visa history. In one family, one person may pay it and another may not, as Example 2 above shows.
Can I avoid STAC by applying from outside Australia?
STAC does not apply to applications made while you are outside Australia. Whether applying offshore makes sense depends on the visa, travel costs and whether you need a bridging visa while you wait, so get advice first.






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