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Australia: visas, tax & cost of living

Australia has no nomad visa, so most remote workers use a Visitor or Working Holiday route; watch the 183-day tax-residency trigger and a mid-to-high cost.

Australia: visas, tax & cost of living
Your passport

United KingdomAustralia

Your move to Australia on a United Kingdom passport

  • VisitMediumVisa required in advance
  • NomadHardDifficult, indirect route
  • RelocateHardLimited residence routes

Visiting

You need a travel authorization (an ETA) before you board. Apply online, pay the small fee, and keep the approval with your passport.

Passport validity:Passport valid for the duration of stay (aim for at least six months of validity to be safe); for Indian Visitor visa applicants valid for the whole stay.

Heads-up:Australia has no digital nomad or remote-work visa as of mid-2026 and none is announced; the offshore Visitor visa (subclass 600) Tourist stream base charge rose to around AUD 200 on 1 July 2025.

At the border:Travellers complete an Incoming Passenger Card on the plane covering customs, food and biosecurity, and must declare any food, plant or animal products; visa applicants may need proof of funds, a return or onward plan and evidence of ties to home.

Working remotely

No dedicated nomad visa; the usual route is a standard residence permit.

Tax and residency

Resident if 183+ days in the 1 Jul-30 Jun year unless usual abode stays abroad; ATO resides/domicile/super tests also apply (estimate).(estimate)

The UK decides residence with its Statutory Residence Test (days in the UK plus your ties). As a non-resident you are usually taxed only on UK income; where one exists, a double-tax treaty with the destination decides who taxes what.

Double-tax treaty:yes

Practical

Currency:AUD. Cost of living:high.

Healthcare:Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with 11 countries (including the UK) giving subsidised Medicare access; visitors not covered, such as US and Indian passport holders, must take out private or travel health cover.

Healthcare agreement:Reciprocal Health Care Agreement gives British visitors subsidised essential care under Medicare for the length of the visit.

Driving:Visitors can generally drive on a valid foreign licence short term, with rules set per state or territory; carrying an International Driving Permit alongside the home licence is recommended.

Working-holiday visa:yes, ages 18 to 35

Sources: Australia, ATO (183-day test) · GOV.UK: tax on foreign income · HMRC: double-taxation treaties

Estimates, not advice. Confirm with the official sources before you act.

Should you move to Australia?

Australia is a fit if you want world-class nature, English everywhere, and big, livable cities like Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Be honest about the budget, though. Housing and daily costs sit firmly in the mid-to-high band, so a single nomad outside the major capitals should plan for roughly 1,500 to 2,500 AUD a month, while Sydney and Melbourne push well past that. It rewards solid earners more than shoestring travelers. If you can absorb the price tag, the lifestyle and the safety are hard to beat.

Australia visa and entry

Straight talk: Australia does not run a dedicated digital-nomad or remote-work visa, and nothing on the books suggests one is coming soon. Most remote workers arrive on a Visitor visa (subclass 600, up to 12 months) or, if they are young enough, a Working Holiday visa (417/462). You can work remotely for overseas clients on these, but they do not authorize local employment. So keep your income foreign-sourced, steer clear of Australian businesses, and read your exact subclass conditions before you book anything.

Tax residency and what to check

The one to watch is the 183-day test. Spend more than half the financial year (1 July to 30 June) in Australia and you can become a tax resident, unless your usual place of abode clearly stays abroad and you have no intention of settling here. That is not the only door, though. The ATO also runs the resides test, the domicile test, and the superannuation test, and any one of them can catch you on its own. Reforms have been floated, but as of mid-2026 these four common-law tests are still the law. Treat the timing as an estimate, map your days early, and a long stay will not quietly pull your worldwide income into the Australian net.

Figures are estimates. Always check the official source linked below.

At a glance

Currency
AUD
Cost of living
High
Digital-nomad visa
No
Tax & residency
Resident if 183+ days in the 1 Jul-30 Jun year unless usual abode stays abroad; ATO resides/domicile/super tests also apply (estimate).

Frequently asked questions

Australia: is there a digital nomad visa?
No dedicated digital nomad visa; most people use a standard residence permit instead.
Australia: when do you become a tax resident?
Resident if 183+ days in the 1 Jul-30 Jun year unless usual abode stays abroad; ATO resides/domicile/super tests also apply (estimate).
Australia: what is the cost of living?
The cost of living is high and the local currency is the AUD. Treat any figures as estimates.
Australia: do you need health insurance?
Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with 11 countries (including the UK) giving subsidised Medicare access; visitors not covered, such as US and Indian passport holders, must take out private or travel health cover.
Australia: can you drive on a foreign licence?
Visitors can generally drive on a valid foreign licence short term, with rules set per state or territory; carrying an International Driving Permit alongside the home licence is recommended.

Terms worth knowing

Oceania: more countries to explore

Put it to work

Last verified: 2026-06-24

Sources: Australia — ATO (183-day test)

Voymo gives general information to help you organise your move. It is not legal, tax, or immigration advice, always confirm with an official source or a qualified professional before you act.

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