Australia still has travel restrictions; as a result the Visa and Citizenship office in Dubai is only processing Citizenship by Descent applications and visa applications for people who are exempt from travel restrictions or have applied for a travel exemption. If you don’t fall into this category, your application will be processed when the travel restrictions have been eased or lifted. This applies to all visa categories including Student, Tourist and Partner visa applications.
For information on travel restrictions and exemptions, please visit the website of the Department of Home Affairs at https://covid19.homeaffairs.gov.au/travel-restrictions-0
We are aware that visa applicants cannot submit their biometrics because the VFS offices are closed. If you fall into one of the categories above where we are processing your application, we will advise you what you need to do about biometrics. Your visa application will not be refused because you were not able to provide your biometrics within the timeframe.
For any other visa and citizenship enquiries, please email [email protected]
Visas and Citizenship
Welcome to the website of the Department of Home Affairs (Home Affairs) office at the Australian Consulate-General Dubai.
Our office manages visa and citizenship services for residents of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. We also process permanent migration and citizenship by descent applications from Afghan nationals resident in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
For information on topics not featured on this site, please visit our main website: www.homeaffairs.gov.au
Important News:
1. Novel Coronavirus
2. Online services
3. Australian Visa Application Centres in the Gulf region ⇒ INTRODUCTION OF MANDATORY APPOINTMENT SYSTEM
4. Migration Fraud - visa scams
1.Novel Coronavirus
For the latest information on travel restrictions to Australia, visit the website of the Department of Home Affairs at https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/news-media/current-alerts/novel-coronavirus
2. Online Services
The quickest and easiest way to apply for a visa is to apply online using ImmiAccount.
ImmiAccount is the 'front door' to our online services. After creating an ImmiAccount you can:
- apply for a visa or citizenship
- update your passport details
- update your contact details
Visa Entitlement Verification Online (VEVO)
VEVO is a free online service that allows visa holders to check the details and entitlements of their visa. You can also use VEVO to print a copy of your visa details to take with you when you travel, or email your visa details.
Visa holders may also download our free myVEVO app which allows you to view and email your visa details via an Android or iOS mobile device.
3. Australian Visa Application Centres in the Gulf region
We have a service delivery partner - VFS Global - for the provision of visa lodgement services throughout nine Australian Visa Application Centres (AVACs) in the Gulf region.
AVACs offer visa application lodgement services such as:
- biometrics collection
- application fee payment
- application tracking
- responses to general application enquiries
Applicants can lodge an Australian visa application in person at any one of the Australian visa application centres currently located in the United Arab Emirates » Saudi Arabia » Kuwait » Bahrain » Qatar and Oman
Australian visa application centres have extended client service hours.
4. Migration Fraud - visa scams
See our main website for information and current alerts about migration fraud and visa scams.
Australian visa options
There are a number of visa options available for people who want to visit, work, study or live in Australia. To see which Australian visa might suit you, use our Visa Finder
Watch a short online video about applying for a visa to come to Australia
Lodging your visa application
► Apply online
Eligible applicants should apply online by creating an ImmiAccount
► Apply at an Australian Visa Application Centre
To see which Australian visa applications can be lodged at an Australian visa application centre, refer to Visa Types
To avoid processing delays, all documents and information to support your visa application must be submitted together at the time of application lodgement – see our information to help you prepare your application. You can expect your visa application to take longer to process if you have not provided all the required documentation when you apply.
Note: If you lodge your application directly with the Home Affairs Dubai office you will still need to go to an Australian visa application centre to provide your personal identifiers (biometrics).
Application processing times
The processing time for your application will depend on the visa or citizenship category you have chosen. For a detailed list of processing times, see our global visa and citizenship processing times
Processing times will be updated monthly and will be available for most visa and citizenship application types.
Visa categories:
We process the Visitor visa (subclass 600), which is divided into two streams. If applying for this visa you must select one of the following streams:
- Tourist stream: for people travelling to Australia as a tourist or to visit family
- Business stream: for business people travelling to Australia for a short business trip.
Note: If you hold a passport from the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar or Oman you are eligible to apply online for a Visitor visa (e600). See the full list of eligible passport holders (for applicants outside Australia) who can apply online for a Visitor visa (e600).
See the following links for information about other temporary entry visas:
- Student visas
- Temporary Work – Short Stay Specialist (subclass 400)
- Temporary Work (International Relations) visa (subclass 403)
- New Zealand Citizen Family Relationship visa (subclass 461)
Eligible applicants should apply online using ImmiAccount
We process permanent entry visa applications in the Family Migration stream from applicants residing in the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Eligible applicants should apply online for a Partner visa using ImmiAccount. Partner visa applications not lodged online may experience delays in processing. For comprehensive information about the Partner visa, see Booklet 1 Partner Migration
Applications for Child, Parent and Other Family categories should be lodged at one of the nine Australian visa application centres in the Gulf region, or couriered directly to the Australian Consulate-General, Dubai. For comprehensive information about Child migration, see Booklet 2 Child Migration
Applications must be lodged complete with all required documents to avoid processing delays. Sufficient evidence of identity is critical for ensuring your application is complete. Note: identity for Afghan applicants is assessed on the basis of a machine readable passport and the original copy of an English translated tazkira attested by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
For further information, see our Family Migration Questions and Answers
For comprehensive information about the Refugee and humanitarian (Class XB) visa and the relevant application forms, see Refugee and humanitarian visas
Applicants who are living outside their home country may approach the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for refugee determination. If the UNHCR finds them to be refugees, they may be referred to a country such as Australia for resettlement.
Prospective applicants residing in United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Oman, Pakistan or Afghanistan should complete an Application for an Offshore Humanitarian visa (Form 842) and lodge their application directly to the Australian Consulate-General, Dubai.
Applicants from the following list of countries whose application is accompanied by a Refugee and special humanitarian proposal (Form 681) must lodge their application at the Victorian Offshore Humanitarian Processing Centre – this applies to people who are lodging a visa for consideration under the Global Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) or as an immediate family member:
- Afghanistan
- Bahrain
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- Yemen
Australian Citizenship
► Applying for Australian citizenship
See our step-by-step guide about how to apply for Australian citizenship
Applications for citizenship by descent can be lodged at any of the Australian visa application centres in the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman or Qatar.
If you have lost, damaged or had your Australian citizenship certificate stolen, use our online guide to apply for proof of your Australian citizenship
Applications for Australian citizenship general eligibility and other situations, and applications to resume or renounce Australian citizenship should be lodged at our Canberra office in the Australian Capital Territory.
Frequently Asked Questions — click here
Inquiries are managed by our service delivery partner VFS Global:
- Email: [email protected]
- Telephone: +971 4 205 5900 (09:00 – 17:00, Sunday to Thursday – see VFS Global website for Ramadan business hours).
After lodging your visa application, if you need to contact us then use the Australian Immigration Enquiry Form – United Arab Emirates
Department of Home Affairs
Level 25 Burjuman Business Tower
Sheikh Khalifa Bin zayed Road
Mankhool, Bur Dubai
PO Box 124400 Dubai
Note: applicants are advised not to send visa and citizenship applications by registered post to the Home Affairs office at the Australian Consulate-General in Dubai. Applications sent by registered post are stored for collection at the local post office and will not be delivered to the Consulate unless an additional fee is paid to the local post office. As Home Affairs cannot accept liability for this postal collection fee, any applicants wishing to use registered post will need to make their own arrangements directly with the post office for payment of this fee.
Instead, applicants may courier applications — at their own expense — directly to the Home Affairs office at the Australian Consulate-General Dubai, at the above address.
We value your feedback