Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

operates a universal visa regime which requires that every non-Australian citizen entering or who is present within the Australian migration zone holds a valid visa. In

Australian migration law Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Au ...

, to exempt certain persons from the visa and immigration clearance arrangements, a so-called special purpose visa applies by operation of law to certain non-citizens. The special purpose visa arises under section 33 of the ''

Migration Act 1958 The ''Migration Act 1958'' (Cth) is an Act of the Parliament of Australia that governs immigration to Australia. It set up Australia’s universal visa system (or entry permits). Its long title is "An Act relating to the entry into, and pres ...

'' to effectively exempt certain persons from the normal processes for entry into Australia, including: * members of the

Royal Family A royal family is the immediate family of kings/queens, emirs/emiras, sultans/ sultanas, or raja/ rani and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term ...

(however, the

Queen of Australia Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...

is outside the scope of any Australian immigration requirements) * members of the royal party accompanying the Royal Family * official guests of the Australian government, including dependents and staff members * members of the crew of a non-military ship visiting an Australian port or being imported into Australia, provided they hold valid passports and seafarers' documentation * crews of foreign naval ships visiting Australia * members of the armed forces of certain countries with

status of forces agreement A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security ...

s with Australia (including certain civilians attached to these armed forces) with valid military documents and travel orders, together with spouses and children holding valid national passports and military identification * airline crew, with valid passports and employer documentation * persons visiting

Macquarie Island Macquarie Island is an island in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, about halfway between New Zealand and Antarctica. Regionally part of Oceania and politically a part of Tasmania, Australia, since 1900, it became a Tasmanian State Reserve in 197 ...

with advance permission of the Tasmanian Environment Department * transit passengers from specified (''gazetted'') countries in airside transit in Australia for less than eight hours * traditional Indonesian fishermen visiting the Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands. No visa application is required to claim a special purpose visa, and no fee is charged. It is possible to hold a special purpose visa simultaneously with another type of Australian visa. People holding a special purpose visa must abide by the legal conditions attaching to their status, otherwise they becomes an ''unlawful non-citizen'' liable to

immigration detention Immigration detention is the policy of holding individuals suspected of visa violations, illegal entry or unauthorized arrival, as well as those subject to deportation and removal until a decision is made by immigration authorities to grant a vi ...

and removal from Australia in the normal manner.

References

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See also