Visa condition 8570 on a 785 Temporary Protection visa in 2026: what travel is allowed and how to get written approval

If you hold a Temporary Protection visa (subclass 785), travel is restricted in two different ways: you cannot return to your home country under any circumstances, and you can only enter another country if you have compassionate or compelling reasons and the Australian Department of Home Affairs has given you written approval before you leave Australia. As at August 2026, the Department of Home Affairs' official Temporary Protection visa (Subclass 785) page sets out these rules under visa condition 8570 (Restricted travel).

What does visa condition 8570 actually prohibit?

Visa condition 8570 has two limbs, and they work independently of each other.

Home country: an absolute ban. You cannot travel to the country from which Australia granted you protection. There is no approval that can be given for this. Entering that country even for a short time breaches condition 8570.
Any other country: permitted only with prior written approval. You need compassionate or compelling reasons for the travel, and you need the Department's written approval before you depart Australia.

The consequence of breaching either limb is severe. The Department's page states that if you travel overseas without written approval, you breach condition 8570 and the Department may cancel your visa, and the visas of members of your family unit, while you are offshore. It separately states that if you enter the country from which you were granted protection, even for a short time, you also breach condition 8570 and the Department may cancel your visa and the visas of members of your same family unit.

What happens if you travel on your home country passport?

Using your home country passport is treated as a separate problem, not just a documentation issue. The Department's guidance says you should not use the passport or travel document issued by your country of nationality. Doing so may lead the Department to consider that you no longer require Australia's protection, and it may cancel your visa.

For example, a 785 holder who travels to a third country for a family emergency using a passport issued by their country of nationality, and who transits through the airport of the country from which protection was granted, would combine three risks set out on the official page: travel without written approval, entry to the country from which protection was granted, and use of a home country travel document.

What counts as compassionate or compelling reasons?

The official page uses the phrase "compassionate or compelling circumstances" but does not publish a checklist, a definition, or examples of what qualifies. The assessment therefore turns on the circumstances and supporting information you put forward in your request, and the Department decides each case on its own facts.

This article is general information only and is not advice on your own circumstances; because these decisions are individual, confirm the current wording on the official page or get advice from a qualified professional before acting on any of it.

How do you request written approval before you leave?

Follow these steps in order, and do not book travel that depends on approval you have not yet received.

Check your visa conditions and travel facility in VEVO.
Confirm your visa will remain valid for the entire time you plan to be outside Australia.
Apply for a travel document from the Australian Passport Office of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
Check that your DFAT travel document allows you to enter the country you want to visit.
Complete Form 1454 Request for approval to travel under condition 8570.
Email the completed form to travel.request@homeaffairs.gov.au.
Wait until you hold written approval before you leave Australia.
Update your travel document details with the Department if you later get a new travel document.

Which travel documents can you use instead of a passport?

Temporary Protection visa holders are eligible to apply for a travel document issued by DFAT. The official page refers holders to the Australian Passport Office to apply for a Convention Travel Document or a Certificate of Identity.

Your visa is digitally linked to your travel document or your ImmiCard; you do not receive a visa label in a travel document. You can use VEVO to show your visa and its conditions, including your travel facility, to someone who needs to see them.

What should you know about consular help and re-entry?

Consular assistance is limited. The Department's page states that consular assistance is only available to Australian citizens, and only to permanent residents in crisis situations. It also says that if you travel overseas, with or without approval to travel, you do so at your own risk.

Two exit and re-entry points matter in practice:

While a TPV application is undecided: if you leave Australia before the Department decides your application, your bridging visa expires and you cannot re-enter unless you hold another valid visa.
While a granted TPV is current: if you are overseas when your TPV expires, you will not be able to return to Australia or apply for another TPV or a Safe Haven Enterprise visa (subclass 790). The visa is granted for 3 years.

Does condition 8570 affect the rest of your family?

Yes. Cancellation risk is not limited to the person who travels. The Department's page states that cancellation following a breach of condition 8570 may extend to the visas of members of your same family unit, and that where the breach is travelling overseas without written approval, the cancellation can occur while you are offshore.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I get approval to visit my home country for a family funeral?

No. The Department's official page states you cannot travel to your home country under any circumstances, and that entering the country from which you were granted protection, even for a short time, breaches condition 8570 and may lead the Department to cancel your visa and the visas of members of your same family unit.

Do I need approval if I am only transiting through another country?

Yes, on the face of the condition. Condition 8570 requires compassionate or compelling reasons and prior written approval to enter any country other than your home country, so transit through a third country is still entry to another country.

What form do I use to request approval?

You complete Form 1454 Request for approval to travel under condition 8570 and email it to the address the Department publishes for travel requests. The request must set out compassionate or compelling circumstances justifying your travel.

Can I travel on my home country passport if I already have approval?

No. The official guidance says you should not use the passport or travel document issued by your country of nationality, and that doing so may lead the Department to consider you no longer need Australia's protection and cancel your visa.

What if my visa expires while I am overseas?

If your TPV expires while you are outside Australia, you will not be able to return to Australia or apply for another Temporary Protection visa or Safe Haven Enterprise visa. Check your expiry date in VEVO before you book travel.

Will the Australian government help me if something goes wrong overseas?

Consular assistance is only available to Australian citizens, and only to permanent residents in crisis situations. The Department's page states that travel overseas, with or without approval, is at your own risk.