Can I Apply for a Bridging Visa A (Subclass 010) From Outside Australia in 2026?
No — a Bridging visa A (Subclass 010) requires you to be in Australia when you apply and when it is granted. Here's what that means if you're offshore.
No. A Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) cannot be applied for from outside Australia, and it cannot be granted to you while you are outside Australia. The Australian Department of Home Affairs states on its Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010) page that you — and anyone included in your application — must be in Australia when the application is submitted, and must still be in Australia when the decision is made. This page reflects the version of that guidance current as at August 2026.
This article is general information only. It is not advice about your individual circumstances, and your outcome depends on your own visa history, so treat the official Home Affairs page as the authority and confirm anything time-sensitive against the latest published version.
What does "you must be in Australia" actually require?
It is a double requirement, not a single one. The BVA has to be lodged onshore and decided onshore.
| Point in time | What the official page requires |
|---|---|
| When you lodge | You and anyone included in your application must be in Australia |
| When a decision is made | You and anyone included in your application must be in Australia |
| If you leave while the BVA is in effect | The BVA ceases, and you cannot return to Australia on it |
That second row catches people by surprise. Being outside Australia at the moment the department makes its decision is enough to prevent a grant, even if you were onshore the day you applied.
Why does being outside Australia end the matter?
Because a BVA exists to keep you lawful in Australia while a substantive visa application is being processed. It is not a travel document. The Home Affairs page says plainly that the BVA does not support return travel to Australia, and that a BVA which is in effect ceases upon departure.
The criteria in the Migration Regulations 1994 run in the same direction: the substantive visa application must have been made in Australia, and the applicant must be in Australia and not in immigration clearance. So the onshore element is not a processing preference — it is built into the visa itself. If you are outside Australia, there is nothing for the bridging visa to bridge.
I already left Australia — what happens to a BVA I was granted?
If the BVA was in effect when you departed, it ended the moment you left. It does not pause while you are away and it does not resume when you return.
If you want to travel and come back while your substantive visa application is still being processed, the official page says you need to have been granted a Bridging visa B (BVB) before you leave. Departure on a BVA is a one-way door.
Suppose an applicant holds a BVA tied to a partner visa application, flies out for a family emergency, and then tries to board a return flight. The BVA that kept them lawful before they left no longer exists, and re-entry depends on holding some other visa that permits travel to Australia.
Can I come back to Australia and apply then?
Returning to Australia first removes one obstacle, but not automatically all of them. Once you are back onshore you can meet the "in Australia" requirement in principle, but the rest of the criteria still have to be satisfied — including that the substantive visa application you are relying on was itself made in Australia, and that you held a substantive visa at the time you made it.
The Migration Regulations 1994 also require that an applicant not be in immigration clearance at the relevant time. And remember that getting back to Australia requires a visa with travel facilities in the first place — which, for someone whose bridging visa has already ceased, is a separate question from the BVA.
When is a separate BVA application needed at all?
Most people never apply for one. The official page states that nearly all bridging visas are applied for automatically as part of applying for a substantive visa, and that the department will tell you if this happens; you can check whether you already hold one through VEVO.
A separate application may be necessary where:
- your substantive visa application did not also constitute an application for a BVA
- you were granted a BVA or a BVB but it has ceased, and you meet the requirements for another BVA
- you are seeking a further BVA without work restrictions
- you have applied for judicial review
The visa is free to apply for. Which channel you use depends on how the substantive visa was lodged: ImmiAccount if that application went through ImmiAccount, or the webform if you applied by paper form or have applied for review of a decision.
What ends a BVA, and how long does it last?
A BVA ends immediately if you leave Australia while it is in effect, if you are granted the substantive visa you applied for, if you are granted another bridging visa such as a BVB in relation to the same substantive visa application, or if your BVA or the associated substantive visa is cancelled.
Otherwise, the clock runs off the outcome of the substantive visa application. For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, it ceases 35 calendar days after a refusal decision or an Administrative Appeals Tribunal decision on the associated substantive visa application, or 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal or you withdraw a related judicial review application. Different, shorter rules apply to BVAs granted before that date.
If a merits review tribunal upholds a refusal and you apply for judicial review, the official page notes you will need to apply for a bridging visa to remain lawful during those proceedings — and that in that situation you can only apply by webform.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I lodge a BVA application in ImmiAccount while I'm overseas?
No. The Home Affairs page requires you and anyone included in your application to be in Australia when the BVA application is submitted, regardless of which channel you use. Lodging from overseas does not create a valid onshore application.
I left Australia after lodging but before the decision — will it still be granted?
No. The same page requires you and anyone included in the application to be in Australia when a decision is made. Departing between lodgement and decision means the grant requirement cannot be met.
Do my partner and children have to be in Australia too?
Yes. The requirement is stated for "you and anyone included in your application", so every family member included must be onshore at both lodgement and decision. If a family member is overseas at either point, that affects their place in the application.
Does being at the airport in immigration clearance count as being in Australia?
No. The Migration Regulations 1994 require the applicant to be in Australia and not in immigration clearance, and being in immigration clearance is among the situations that prevent a BVA application from succeeding.
Is there a fee for a BVA application?
No. The official page lists the cost as free. The substantive visa application you are bridging from may carry its own charges, which are listed on that visa's page.
Can I use a bridging visa while my citizenship application is decided?
No. The Home Affairs page states you cannot use a bridging visa while you wait for a citizenship application to be decided. Your stay needs to be covered by a visa in its own right.
My BVA ceased when I departed — can I get another one from overseas?
No, not from overseas. The onshore requirement applies to a fresh BVA as well, and the visa is only relevant to staying in Australia. Any return to Australia depends on holding a visa that allows travel.