Bridging visa B (BVB)

This is a temporary visa. The BVB travel facility may be granted with single or multiple travel and will be valid for use until a specified date. If the travel facility has ended or does not have sufficient validity remaining to cover your proposed journey, then you will need to apply for and be granted a new BVB prior to leaving Australia. Check if you already hold a Bridging visa B (BVB) with VEVO.

A separate application for a BVB will be needed where you have applied for judicial review and wish to travel. It is not possible to apply to change conditions on your BVB. If you want to change visa conditions, then you must apply for a Bridging visa A (BVA). You cannot change the conditions on a Bridging visa that is granted based on a judicial review application.

You can’t use a bridging visa while you wait for a citizenship application to be decided.

A BVB comes into effect when:

• it is granted (if your substantive visa has ceased since applying for the BVB or where the BVB is more beneficial than your current bridging visa)
• your current substantive visa ceases.

Visa holders must adhere to the conditions imposed on their visa. Where you are granted a BVB, you will be notified about the conditions that apply.

If you hold a substantive visa when your BVB is granted, you must continue to comply with the conditions of the substantive visa. When your substantive visa ceases, the conditions of your BVB will apply.

You might be allowed to work if the substantive visa you had or the visa you applied for lets you work. Your grant letter will tell you about the conditions that apply to your BVB.

If the visa you had, and the visa you applied for have work restrictions you will not be able to work with a BVB. See if you have work restrictions in VEVO.

If you hold a BVB that does not permit work, and you want to change the conditions, you must apply for a BVA. As part of this process, you must prove that you are in financial hardship.

If a merits review tribunal upholds our decision to refuse your substantive visa application, and you apply for judicial review, you must apply for a new bridging visa. This will allow you to maintain your lawful status during the judicial review proceedings. If you have applied for judicial review, you can only apply for a bridging visa by webform.

• Stay lawfully in Australia until your substantive visa application is finally determined, or if granted based on judicial proceedings, until those proceedings are complete.
• Leave and return to Australia in the defined travel period.

One of the following outcomes will determine when your BVB ceases:

• your substantive visa application is refused
• your merits or judicial review is decided
• you withdraw your application for the substantive visa, merits review or judicial review
• a merits review tribunal tells you that it has no jurisdiction to consider your application for review
• we grant you the substantive visa that the BVB is associated with
• we cancel your BVB or the substantive visa that you held when you were granted a BVB.

Once you have been notified of an outcome you can see exactly how long you can stay in Australia in VEVO.

BVB granted on or after 19 November 2016
Your BVB will end 35 calendar days after:

• our refusal decision or a decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) in relation to your associated substantive visa application
• a determination that your substantive visa application or an application for review by the AAT is invalid
• you withdraw your substantive visa application or application for review by the AAT.

You BVB will end 28 calendar days after:

• a judicial review body upholds the decision to refuse your substantive visa application
• you withdraw a related judicial review application.

BVB granted before 19 November 2016
Your BVB will end 28 days after the date that one of the following happens:

• we notify you that your substantive visa application is not valid
• we notify you that your substantive visa application has been refused
• you withdraw your substantive visa application
• a merits review tribunal notifies you that it has upheld our decision to refuse your substantive visa application
• a merit review tribunal notifies you that it has no jurisdiction to consider your application for review
• you withdraw your application for merits or judicial review from a merits review tribunal or a judicial review body
• a judicial review body upholds the decision to refuse your substantive visa application.

You can’t stay in Australia longer by extending this visa. You must apply for a new visa if you wish to stay longer. Explore your visa options.

If you and your family have applied together for a substantive visa in Australia, you can include them in your BVB application providing they are members of the family unit. This means you and your family must complete only one application form and pay one visa application charge. But each member of the family must meet the requirements for a BVB individually.

Only those family members who have substantial reasons for needing to travel outside Australia should be included in your BVB application. If some of your family members do not need to travel outside Australia, they can stay in Australia on their current bridging visas.

AUD575.00 (Concessions apply in limited circumstances)

Cost for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste visa applicants

From 1 July 2026, a lower visa cost applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste citizens who lodge a valid visa application.

Eligible applicants will need to pay the lower visa application cost to submit a valid BVB application. We will recognise eligible applicants by the valid passport from the specified countries used in the application when they apply.

In instances where the lower cost is not recognised when the application is lodged, the Department will refund any difference.

The applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of the following countries:

• Federated States of Micronesia
• Fiji
• Kiribati
• Nauru
• Palau
• Papua New Guinea
• Republic of the Marshall Islands
• Samoa
• Solomon Islands
• Timor-Leste
• Tonga
• Tuvalu
• Vanuatu.

You and anyone included in your BVB application must be in Australia to make a valid application and to be granted the visa.

You and anyone included in your application must:

• comply with all Australian laws
• comply with the conditions of the current visa
• comply with the conditions of your BVB when it comes in to effect

You can find your visa conditions in your grant letter or VEVO.

Working

We will let you know which conditions apply to your BVB if we grant the visa.

When we grant your BVB, we will tell you when the specified travel period ends.

If you hold a BVB where the specified travel period has ended, you must apply for another BVB if you need to travel outside Australia again. You must be granted this visa before leaving Australia.

If you are outside Australia when the specified travel period on your BVB ends, the visa will cease. You can't return to Australia with a ceased BVB.

We will digitally link your visa to your passport. You will not get a label in your passport.

You must have held a Substantive visa.

You must already hold a BVA or a BVB.

You must have made a valid application for a substantive visa and either:

• that application has not been finally determined, or
• that application was refused and you have made an application for judicial review (within the prescribed timeframe), and the judicial review proceedings have not been completed.

You must apply for review within the prescribed timeframes.

Administrative Appeals Tribunal

You must apply for review within the prescribed timeframe.

If you have applied within the prescribed timeframe you may not need to apply for a further bridging visa.

Judicial review

The timeframe for applying for judicial review is 35 days from the date of the Tribunal's decision.

If you have not applied for judicial review within the statutory timeframes, this may affect your eligibility to apply for a further bridging visa.

You must provide a reason and attach any supporting documents to explain why you need to depart and return to Australia while your substantive visa is being considered or while you are waiting for the outcome of a judicial review.

You can be any age to apply for this visa.

You must meet the character requirement.

What you can do when you have this visa

• stay lawfully in Australia until a decision is made on your substantive visa application
• leave and return to Australia within the defined travel period while your application for a substantive visa is being processed

To see your specific conditions, use VEVO.

What you must do on this visa (your obligations)

• comply with all Australian laws
• comply with the conditions of your current visa
• comply with the conditions of your Bridging visa B (BVB) when it comes into effect

Working

We will let you know which conditions apply to your BVB if we grant the visa.

Tell us if things change

Things you need to let us know about include:

• changes to your phone number, email, address or passport
• you want to withdraw your application

See how to let us know if there is a change in your situation.