Need a tourist visa from the Philippines to Australia? Australian tourist visa, also known as Visitor Visa. Commonly called “holiday visas” too, travel visas, visa 600’s, or very often “Just a simple tourist visa”. Well, actually they are not a simple visa application as many imagine, although many assume otherwise that such a visa application will be a mere formality (and are shocked when it’s refused!)
Anyone who is not an Australian Citizen requires a visa to enter Australia. No visa, no entry. This especially applies to tourist visa applications. And Australian tourist visas, because many believe they are easy and quick, are the preferred choice of those dishonest and non-genuine visa applicants who intend to overstay in Australia to work illegally on the black market. So if you ARE a genuine visitor visa applicant, you need to prove that you are NOT intending to overstay and breach visa conditions!
Refusal of tourist visa applications to Australia from the Philippines and other less-affluent countries is surprisingly common. There are a lot of scams and clever schemes designed to “trick” the Embassy, often sadly encouraged by Filipino travel agents or by well-meaning family and friends, or from the various online advice forums and Facebook groups. Fortunately Down Under Visa know all of the urban myths and are familiar with all the dreadful advice about what to say and what visitor visa requirements are supposedly necessary (like “show money”), and we can keep you on the straight-and-narrow path to an honest tourist visa grant.
If you are a genuine visitor, ie. if you want to go to Australia for a short visit for tourism purposes or to visit friends or family, we stand a great chance of getting you a tourist visa from Philippines to Australia.
Note that visitor visas for recreation, holidaying, sightseeing and seeing Australia as a genuine tourist are less common from Philippines due to the costs involved which are often out of reach to the average Filipino (which the Embassy Case Officers know only too well). But please ask us, and be assured of an honest appraisal of your case.
Our greatest successes (in fact we have exceptional success rates) are with the Australian Filipina couples who meet and fall in love, and want her to visit Australia to enhance their relationship ie. see if she likes Australia and if she will be happy there with her Australian man on a permanent basis and to visit the friends and relatives of the Australian sponsor. If you are in a Filipina lady or Filipino man in a genuine loving relationship with an Australian, or if you are an Australian who wants their sweetheart from Philippines to visit you, then please use the FREE ASSESSMENT FORM at the top of the page. We have a very high success rate with genuine visa applicants and have had thousands of visa grants over the years, particularly where they have met in person as a sign of their commitment to each other.
Back in the good ol’ days we had very little difficulty in dealing with visa refusals. Clients would come to us after having a try-and-fail tourist visa refusal from an application they did by themselves. We would use our expertise and re-apply for them and usually get a tourist visa grant for them!
Well…..things have changed over the last year or so. Nowadays it’s extremely difficult and sometimes apparently impossible to get a tourist visa grant after a visa application is refused! If you put together a moderately detailed application and it was refused? Very unlikely that even experienced professionals like us to make them change their minds about you!
It’s now very hard to get a tourist visa grant after a tourist visa refusal. Please read CLICK HERE.
Strongest suggestion? If the outcome of this application matters, and you don’t want to be stuck apart for the near and the distant future? Use the experts to manage your tourist visa application professionally, as we do hundreds of times every year.
DISCLAIMER
Information contained in this page is of a general nature. Informative, yes, but not a formula for preparing visa applications and should not be relied on as such. The devil is in the detail, rest assured. Australian migration law is complicated and Departmental decisions are inflexible and often final. Readers and future visa applicants and sponsors are advised to rely on professionals to ensure a happy outcome.
So if you are a genuine visitor from Philippines, especially if you want to spend time with your Australian boyfriend or girlfriend (or an Australian fiancee, fiance or spouse) or even a family member, then we can help you by preparing a visa application which is complete and honest and which meets the Regulations in Australian Migration Law.
We can give you precise visa requirements for an Australian tourist visa that are right for your situation, and we can then check those visa requirements that you send us for correctness. We are thorough and we are absolutely honest. No lies or scams, and no promising a fast visa grant.
Yes, we lodge Australian visa applications online with our business IMMI Account, but that doesn’t make it go faster. No clever schemes to fool the authorities. Our success rate very high, all without ever telling lies. And what’s more, we won’t take you on as a client unless we believe you will be successful.
Myth #1: The universal checklist of requirements for Filipino passport holders
“What are my requirements?” is a common request, because many people assume that an Australian tourist visa application is “simple” and that there must be a simple list available. Some of the travel agent sites will give you a “checklist” of what you need, which is quite amateurish. 80%+ of the value of a tourist visa application is in providing sufficient and correct documentation to present your case well. A professional will assess your case and will provide you with a personalised and detailed To-Do List, and will guide you to ensure you get it right.
Myth #2: Booking flights before applying for a tourist visa
The Embassy advise you not to book flights first. So do Down Under Visa. Booking flights, booking hotels, etc before having a visa? A great way to lose a whole lot of money if the visa is refused, or even if it’s granted after your flight date!
Myth #3: Depositing money into a bank account aka “Show Money”
This is a common myth. A popular one amongst scamming Filipino females too, I might add! The belief is that if you dump AUD$5,000.00 into a bank account in the Philippines first, you can use this as evidence that she is wealthy. This is attempted fraud.
Myth #4: She must be employed or you won’t get an Australian tourist visa
90%+ of successful Down Under Visa tourist visa clients are unemployed. Many have never had a job in their lives, and very few have banks accounts either. It’s never been an issue for us! The issue is that they need to believe the visa applicant is a genuine visitor to Australia, and is of a low-risk of breaching visa conditions (ie overstaying, working illegally etc). They need to believe she will return at the end of the visit, and they also need to see she would be supported financially during her stay in Australia. There are other ways of demonstrating that she is low-risk, and a professional and experienced Registered Migration Agent knows how to do this.
Myth #5: She must attend the CFO (Commission for Filipinos Overseas) before traveling to Australia
Not correct. The CFO runs seminars for migrating spouses with Partner Visas to Australia, and yes this is a requirement. It is not a requirement for Australian tourist visa holders.
Myth #6: Filipinos Must have vaccinations
Currently Australia does NOT require any vaccinations for tourist visa holders.
Myth #7: Filipinos Must have a medical examination
On occasions they will ask for a medical examination. Most of the time they won’t. If they do require a medical examination and/or an xray, they will request this after the visa application has been lodged. There is nothing gained by seeing a private clinic beforehand.
Myth #8: I can decide to apply for a partner visa and remain in Australia
Technically, yes you can. You may do this as long as you don’t have a No Further Stay (Condition 8503) on your visa grant, which stops you applying for other visas inside Australia. However, from a practical point of view a partner visa is a monster-sized application! Plus you will have a wedding to organise. Trying to do all of this in less than 3 months is a great way to mess everything up. Either you run out of time, or you lodge a substandard rush-job partner visa application. Get some professional advice if you want a partner visa!
Myth #9: I want a one year (12 month) tourist visa
Yes, the Department website lists this as an option. And if the applicant is wealthy enough to take a 1 year holiday in Australia, yes maybe it’s a possibility. Otherwise? It’s a good way to get a refusal of your tourist visa application. Get some professional advice, and be realistic with your expectations.
Now, over to you the client (or potential client)! We value our clients opinions, and we believe in keeping all well-informed. What would YOU like to ask about Australian tourist visas? What do YOU think needs a bit more explanation? Ask below, and Jeff Harvie RMA will answer your question for you and for others wondering the same thing.
TOURIST VISA FROM THE PHILIPPINES TO AUSTRALIA –
Step By Step (CLICK)
Or see the 4 steps below the video for the requirements to obtain an Australian Tourist Visa (AKA Visitor Visa) as a Filipino Citizen with a valid Philippines Passport.
STEP 1: (Starting)
STEP 2: (Prepare Document Requirements)
This step can take a few weeks. This is the real make-or-break of a visa application, and it’s right here where most Australian tourist visa applications go wrong and which lead to visa refusals! Thank goodness you are in the hands of experts who will guide you through every step, and who know what makes a successful visa application.
You just need to follow our guidance and upload documents to the Migration Hub using the convenient upload facility. No need to ask “What are my requirements?”, and no need to commute to our office carrying sackfuls of papers. This can be done in the convenience of your home and in your own time.
STEP 3: (Finalizing Application)
This step can take about 1 week. We will prepare your application forms and your documents and evidence professionally, and we will upload the ready visa application to the Department using the Down Under Visa business “IMMI Account”.
We won’t submit the application until it’s passed our scrutiny and is of a very high standard. Our great success rate and our great reputation depends on this standard. You are as always in safe hands with Down Under Visa.
STEP 4: (Application finalized)
This step can take 2 to 4 weeks, and sometimes faster. Once your tourist visa application is finalised, the Australian Embassy in Manila will email us the visa grant notice. That, plus your passport, is all you need! We will email that to you immediately and let you know the good news.
And we will explain to you what you need to do (and what you DON’T need to do!) to ensure that your sweetheart’s trip to Australia goes smoothly.
Click to Get a Full Overview of Our Process & How We Work
Want to read more about Australian Tourist Visas from the Philippines? Check out some of our tourist visa BLOG posts below.
Australian Tourist Visa from Philippines for Filipino Relatives
How To Get a Tourist Visa to Australia From Philippines?
Tourist Visas When You Wish To Marry
Australia requires visas to enter, and that applies to everyone except those who are Australian Citizens. Everyone else needs a visa. It’s not something that’s aimed especially at third-world nations. English people from Great Britain also require visas to visit Great Australia. So do Americans. It’s not just levelled at the Philippines. Granted, yes they can apply for Electronic Travel Authorities (ETA’s) rather than standard Tourist Visas like a Filipino has to apply for, but they are still visas and they can still be refused. Take some recent cases of white supremacists and gun-totin’ rap “singers” who were excluded. That’s right! Visa applications refused!
Low-risk countries versus high-risk countries
There are countries which are considered low-risk, such as the US, the UK, Canada, most of Europe, Scandinavia, and rich Asian countries like Japan and Korea. These countries allow Electronic Travel Authorities and will have arrangements where their citizens can apply for Working Holiday Visas (ie backpacker visas). And these are reasonably easy to get. ETA’s are ordered online, and take a few days.
But note that they are still visas. They can still be refused, and yes they do. NZ Citizens are issued Subclass 444 Special Category Visas when they arrive in Australia, however if they are undesirable biker types, they can also be excluded.
But those countries which are considered high-risk, they are not able to apply for those easier visas and yes, they are subject to higher levels of scrutiny due to the risk.
Our success rate is considerably higher than that of clients who lodge their own visa applications, so I suspect we’re actually doing our job right. And that means we’re doing our jobs correctly, so why should we start asking for less evidence that proves your visa application is genuine?
The case officers don’t know you. They get one application after another across their desks. Thousands and thousands of them. And some of these will be from ill-intentioned people who only wish to lie their way across Australia’s borders and to take advantage of the opportunity to make lots of money on the black market. Fabulous opportunity, and it all starts with a dodgy visa application. And those applications go across the same desks and are seen by the same department and embassy case officers as those who look at yours.
If they are not utterly convinced that yours is a genuine application, they will refuse it. That’s how the rules work. They’re required to refuse the visa application if they are not convinced. So if the application is full of holes and gaps and not enough to convince them that you both have the purest of intentions, then they MUST refuse it.
At Down Under Visa, we know exactly what the Department and the Embassy like seeing in applications. How do we know? We know from experience of thousands of applications and noting when they ask for further information, we have a very clear picture of what makes up a great application. Therefore we make sure we ask for what they want to see. The end result is to see a very high number of visa grants, and that’s what this is all about after all. We don’t ask for photos of your granny, nor do we ask for a certificate from the swimming pool that says you swam 50 metres. We only ask for what is necessary to prove to a stranger in an office that another stranger has a good and believable reason to visit Australia. Nothing else.
Want the latest in Australian Visa information?
SUBSCRIBE to the Down Under Visa BLOG Page
Never miss a single important update!
BONUS EBOOK! “Philippines to Australia – Australian Visas, Frayed Emotions and a Journey You Will Never Forget” by Jeff Harvie RMA
Just want to buy the book? Purchase directly from Amazon by clicking HERE
Should you use a Registered Migration Agent or not?
Australian Partner Visas and New Families (ie babies arriving soon)
Down Under Visa – 2024 Christmas Vacation Dates
Registered Relationship Certificate. Is it enough for a Partner Visa?
Ladies from Thailand, Vietnam or Cambodia. Who makes the best wives?
BY APPOINTMENT ONLY
NOTE: Jeff Harvie and main administrative staff are mostly in the Philippines office. Please do not (a) send documents or (b) attend the AUSTRALIAN office looking for assistance without a previous appointment.
CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE AN OFFICE APPOINTMENT IN THE PHILIPPINES
Offshore Partner Visas and Prospective Marriage Visas
Cannot see anywhere here what is the travel allowance amount needed as the embassy needs to see certain amount before traveling here for a filipina lady
That’s because the Embassy doesn’t need to see a travel allowance. There are a lot of rumours that float around saying what is needed for a visa, and this is one of them.
‘m a Chinese. I’m traveling to Australia in December. For two weeks, how should I apply for my travel visa in philippines? What materials do I need to prepare? Do I have to go to the address of the Australian Embassy in the Philippines or can I apply online? What is the required margin? Thank you. You can look at my questions and look forward to receiving your reply soon. email: woyaoxiupian123@126.com;telephone: 9458416821, my name is Wang, Jing
I’m sorry, but we’re migration professionals. We don’t give free guidance to those who wish to do their own applications. I’m sure if I went to your office and asked you to do free work for me, you would not like it either. If you would instead like your application to be professionally managed, I suggest you use our free online visa assessment form on the main website. But please note that we only do applications for Australian Filipina couples.
How long does it take to get a tourist visa for my girlfriend to come to Australia
Hi,
My sponsor is not Australian. He’s from Germany and currently working in Melbourne. Can I still have him as my sponsor?
I think Kevin means some proof of funds from the sponsor or the applicant . And or proof of income from the sponsor or the applicant. Is there a minimum amount of either required?
There is an “urban myth” that gets around about putting money in a lady’s bank account. Correct that the question wasn’t 100% clear and may have meant savings rather than an allowance for the lady, but tend to lean the other way. There is no set-in-concrete minimum amount. They do need to see that the applicant can support the lady, unless she is earning the equivalent of an Australian paypacket (which is unusual). We look at each case rather than referring to a fixed formula.
My Filipina girlfriend and I had organised a quick holiday in Bali. Trouble is, she was not allowed to leave the Philippines and got refused to exit the airport in Manila. She has a valid passport, no criminal record and I was sponsoring the whole trip. She just didn’t have enough supporting evidences, whatever these were! All very well to have an Australian Tourist visa next but what if she gets stopped by the Filipino immigration dpt again?
The Philippines airport authorities are obligated like any airport authority anywhere to not let somebody travel if they believe there may be a problem. In Philippines there is an issue with human trafficking, so they are extra strict with anyone who appears to have no money and no idea where they are ending up. They also have obligations to certain countries….like Singapore and Bali….not to let anyone through who doesn’t have hotel bookings and a clear itinerary. Maybe your girlfriend didn’t know which hotel you were booked into, and maybe didn’t have the booking with her? Maybe she didn’t have sufficient money? Maybe she appeared nervous or confused? I don’t know her or the situation, so I’m just guessing here. As for Australia? We have had the occasional client stopped, but it’s very rare. We also make a point of preparing clients for what they need and how to act at the airport.
Thanks for your reply, Jeff. She knew which dive resort we were booked in, had enough money but may have appeared nervous as it was her first trip overseas. One of the things they wanted to see was her employee i.d. Since when do you need to be employed to have a holiday paid for by your partner?
Anyhow, we know better now and will ask for your help when it’s time for us to meet in Oz.
I guess they’re about as fair as Border Force are in Australia. No, makes no sense. Getting pulled aside by scary men in uniforms at an airport will make anyone nervous. Can’t promise it will never happen to Australia, although I can say only knew it to happen about twice in several thousand tourist visas we’ve had to Australia.
How much does it cost for a tourist visa application through your company?
We need to assess you and your situation to decide if we’re able to help you or not, which we do via a free online assessment form. We will give you costs after that. https://www.assessments.downundervisa.com
Hello my name is Jacob Pollock. I want to bring my girlfriend to Perth Australia around June, July this year on a tourist visa. Just if you could help, and how much would it cost me.
Thank you..
I would imagine we could, Jacob. Could you please complete a free visa assessment form on the site? Then I can see first if we CAN help you, and secondly give you costs and other details you need to know.
Can you help me even if I want to be a tourist with no partner in AU, like a tourist alone and no family member as well?
Only if you have a stable job and a significantly high income, Rach. Otherwise they will see you as a risk of overstaying. It won’t be until after the travel bans are lifted too.
Good afternoon,
I would like to apply for a visa for my friend who is in the Philippines , i will be applying from
Australia on his behalf . Are you able to help with a visa application in this case ?
Hello Scott. In most cases yes. But I need you to complete an online assessment form first. It will take you five minutes, and from that I can give you an honest opinion.
Hi I want to apply
Please complete the online visa assessment form and we can see if we’re able to help you.
why so hard apply visa for my sister copme to australia i am austalian citinzhip why,.
Because your Australian Citizenship doesn’t change the status of your sister. Her visa application will be assessed according to her own merits.
Hi! My boyfriend is planning to sponsor me all expenses to go to Australia. I’m unemployed for almost 2 years now. I’m hesitant to apply for visa on my own because of this. I’m wondering iff how much will it cost if i get an agent and the success is? I hope you could help me.
Possibly. Note that we deal with applicants from the Philippines. If you’re from Philippines, please complete a free online visa assessment form.
Hi Jeff, Just wanted to update you as always good to have update, My GF applied for her Australian Vista Visa on 31st 2019 July, She didn’t lie in it i gave letter of invitation in Australia, Today is the 19th Day and she was granted with ariving on 27th . It pays to be honest he always said we were in releationship and we had plenty of evidence of over last year traveling to other parts of world together, i was very stressful but people just hang in there. if you been honest you will get what you want.
Thanks Jeff for helping people answer questions so i thought i would update from 2019
Quick Question Jeff
When applying for subclass 300, do you need to set a date for wedding, obliviously that is very difficult as the waiting times could be 15 – 22 Months or do you just need to book something in that period or do you just need to meet requirements that if approved 10 months eg you get married or show you have booked it then.
You need to book something close-enough. You will find the marriage celebrant should understand your situation.
I have a boyfriend want to sponsor me for tourist but im still married to someone
That doesn’t come into it, Salvacion. Please complete a free assessment. I’m sure we can help you.
I am going to visit my son daughter and there six nephew’s i have a phillipina woman she wants to be with
Me for two weeks in Melbourne i am an awstralia citizen but i live in Malta i go to Australia every year for 4weeks and she wants to join me for two weeks .
What is the best way to apply to get her a Visa for two weeks to come to awstralia.
Sencerly Joseph
Hello Joseph
At the top of the page you will see a link to a visa assessment. Suggest you click on that and fill it out. I can then get back to you.
Hi Jeff, once tourist visa is granted how long does allowance time the immigration will provide if I couldn’t fly straight away to Australia. Like for example when my visa granted today and I couldn’t fly in 3 months that’s still okay?
Usually 3 months, but you need to wait for the visa grant to confirm
Thank you Jeff. One more question I could apply my wife’s visa online here in Australia through my own immigration account or I will make her own account instead?
We recently tried to sponsor my cousin for a visa under the family stream, only to get refused as apparently cousins are not considered as closed relative. The only reason we sponsored her is so she can be the full time carer of my filipino parents (who already have visas) when they come for a visa here in Australia… is there any other way we can get her to come? I really want my parents to come back as they are now getting old and this might be the last time that they will come back here.. any input from you will be much appreciated. Thanks in advance
You can’t bring a cousin to Australia to take care of your parents. That’s not what tourist visas are for. You will never be successful this way.
My Filipino lady was granted a tourist visa in 2018 and came for 3 days but had to return due to family illness. Can she use the existing visa if she can show her passport was stamped or if not can she reapply
No sorry Dave. Once she leaves Australia, the visa is as dead as a dodo. Need to reapply.
if my friend tourist visa is refused,can you help us with that and apply new tourist visa for her?
It’s possible, yes. Please ask your friend to complete a free visa assessment form on our website.
Do i need to update my intended travel dates and attached an updated invitation letter from my sponsor since the travel dates indicated on the letter and in my application was from December 2019 and it is January 2020 now and still there is no movement it still says “received” or do i just need to wait from them? thank you!!
I can’t advise you what to do with an application that I didn’t manage, sorry
Would like to ask if my tourist visa was refused because they were not satisfied even though i have a sponsor and with invitation letter. My sponsor is my cousin. They were not satisfied because of my minimal monthly income. Can i re-apply again? thanks!!
You can, but I recommend you get professional help or it will only be refused again. Please get a free online visa assessment done.
Hi Jeff
Could you please tell me the cost for a tourist visa application.
I’m in Australia and will be going to the Philippines as soon as Novavax is approved.
My partner is living in the Philippines.
Thanks Greg.
Please get an assessment and I can give you full details. It’s free and takes five minutes. https://assessments.downundervisa.com
Hi,
If I apply for a visit visa from the Philippines going to Australia, usually how long does it take for them to approve? If I am married to my Australian husband already?
At the moment between 1 and 2 months
Hello Jeff,
This is my third time getting an Australian visa, my previous visas are approved. However, this time I am working remotely (I have a foreign boss and I work at home). I can ask my foreign employer to provide a certificate of employment however since the address is overseas I wonder if will that work?
I can’t advise you here, sorry
Hello.. Are they also requiring tourist visa holders to be vaxxed? I have no vaxx ,I have med cert. Are they gonna force everyone to be vaxx so we could enter Australia? Otherwise we cannot enter then?
That’s correct
Hi Jeff, what happens if a visa is granted after the dates on the application.
Is it still safe for my friend to visit within the suggested dates .
ie after the date you said you would travel on the visa application? This is only an estimate and carries no weight. You can trust whatever the visa grant notice says.
can i sponsor my fiancee to Australia. I am NZ citizen but been living in Australia since 1999 and left back to nz for work from 2007 to 2009 and returned to Australia since then, working full time council compliance officer for 12 years
Already replied
Hi Jeff, I was thinking of surprising my boyfriend in OZ thru a visitor visa (this December for a 2-week stay only coz that’s the only time i have for my work vacation).
Is this even possible? If yes, is there any visa i could apply & with ur help, that does not need his sponsorship? Basically he would have no idea that i am applying or coming. Btw my boyfriend is currently holding a s/c 445 visa waiting for his (mum) PR visa approval. He arrived in oz last June 2022, we’ve been together for almost 8 yrs now.
Also, granting that I acquired the visitor visa, will this affect our future application for a SPONSORED (by him) TOURIST VISA – ONSHORE PARTNER VISA once his PR is granted? Thanks much would appreciate your prompt response. Have a great day ahead!
Most of what you suggested would not work, sorry to say. Please get an assessment of your case done and I can advise you properly. https://assessments.downundervisa.com
I receive a job offer from an Australian Company. What are the options on how can I get to Australia?
We dont do work visas, sorry
how to have tourist visa??
Please get an assessment and consider becoming our client if you want the best result.