A Bridging visa B (BVB) is a temporary visa. It allows you to leave and return to Australia while your application for a substantive visa is being processed.

Provided you return to Australia within the specified travel period, a BVB will then allow you to stay in Australia while your substantive visa application is being processed.

You can hold a substantive visa and a BVB at the same time.

If you still hold a substantive visa that allows you to travel and you believe you can return to Australia before your substantive visa ceases, it is your decision whether or not you want to apply for and be granted a BVB before you travel.

If you decide not to get a BVB but use your substantive visa to travel, you will need to apply for a new bridging visa of the same type as your previous one as soon as you return to Australia and before your substantive visa ceases.

What this visa lets you do

A BVB allows you to leave and return to Australia during a specified period of time while your substantive visa application is being processed. The department will take into consideration your reasons for travel and when your substantive visa application is likely to be finalised.

Once you have been granted a BVB, the specified travel period cannot be changed or extended.

If you still hold a substantive visa when your Bridging visa is granted, you must abide by any conditions that are on that substantive visa. When your substantive visa ceases, the conditions of your BVB will apply.

Before you apply

If you get a new passport

If you plan to get a new passport you should do this before applying for your visa. Your visa is linked to the passport number you used in your application and you must use the same passport to travel to Australia.

Why do I need a bridging visa?

You need a bridging visa to stay in Australia if your substantive visa ceases before another substantive visa is granted. If you are in Australia without a visa, you become an unlawful non-citizen for that period of time. Being an unlawful non-citizen in Australia can cause problems for you, such as:

• if you are granted a permanent residence visa and you later want to apply for Australian citizenship, you may find you cannot do it as soon as you would like to because you were an unlawful non-citizen for a period of time
• if your substantive visa application is refused and you leave Australia and you later apply for another visa at an Australian Immigration office outside Australia, you might find that you have an exclusion period (which prevents you from returning to Australia) and you have to explain why you think this exclusion period should be waived.