How much does Australia's Subclass 200 Refugee visa cost in 2026?
What the Subclass 200 Refugee visa costs in 2026: no application charge, plus the travel and health check costs the Australian Government covers.
There is no visa application charge for the Refugee visa (Subclass 200), and the Australian Government also arranges and pays for your travel to Australia and covers the cost of the departure health check. As at August 2026, this is what the Department of Home Affairs states on its official page Refugee category visas (Subclass 200, 201, 203 and 204). The page lists a single line under "Cost": there is no visa application charge for this visa.
This is general information about the Subclass 200 visa published by the Department of Home Affairs, not personalised advice about your circumstances; for anything that turns on your own case, rely on the Department's Refugee category visas (Subclass 200, 201, 203 and 204) page as currently published.
Is there really no application fee, or is it just not listed?
There is genuinely no charge. The Cost section on the Department's Subclass 200 page states plainly that there is no visa application charge for this visa. That is an unusual position within Australia's visa system, where most permanent visas carry a charge payable at lodgement, and it is worth being clear about what it does and does not mean.
It means the Department does not require a payment to accept or decide a Subclass 200 application. It does not remove any of the other requirements attached to the visa. You must be outside Australia both when you apply and when the visa is granted, you must declare all family members even if they are not applying with you, and family members who do apply must meet the health and character requirements. A zero-fee visa is not a lower-threshold visa.
Who pays for the travel to Australia?
The Department arranges your travel to Australia at no cost to you. Travel is delivered through the Assisted Passage program, which supports the Offshore Humanitarian Program by providing health screening, travel and medical-related services to refugee category visa applicants and holders. The service has moved from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to Toll Remote Logistics Pty Ltd (Toll), which now delivers Assisted Passage services globally and will help you attend health appointments and, if you are granted a visa, assist you to travel to Australia.
Two timing conditions sit alongside that travel. You must enter Australia before the first entry arrival date, called the initial arrival date, specified in your grant letter. If that date has already passed, the Department may issue a travel facilitation letter, and it may first ask you to undergo another medical examination.
Which health checks does the government cover?
The departure health check is covered by the Australian Government. You and any family members travelling with you on the visa may be required to have this check in the 72 hours before you leave for Australia.
The departure health check includes:
- checking that you are healthy enough to travel
- a physical check-up
- a pregnancy test
- tests for communicable diseases
- vaccinations if needed, such as for measles, mumps and rubella
- treatment of parasites and infestations if needed
You must agree to follow up on any health conditions after you arrive in Australia. More broadly, the Assisted Passage program is described as providing health screening, travel and medical-related services to refugee category visa applicants and holders, and Toll will help you attend health appointments. Health remains a substantive requirement rather than a formality: Health conditions that might require testing or treatment are listed as a reason processing can take longer.
Does the no-charge position change if family members are included?
No charge is stated for the visa itself, and the travel and departure health check arrangements extend to family members travelling with you on the visa. You can add certain family members — your partner, your dependent children, your partner's dependent children, and other relatives who are dependants — at any time before the Department decides your application.
Two limits matter when you plan around this. A child who is not dependent on you must apply for their own visa. And family members who apply must meet the health and character requirements, including those who are not coming to Australia, who may still have to meet the health requirement. If you fail to declare a family member in your application, you may not be able to propose them for a Humanitarian visa after you arrive.
What do you still have to arrange yourself?
Several obligations sit outside what the government funds or organises:
- A valid travel document. You must hold a valid visa to enter Australia plus a valid travel document, such as a passport or an ImmiCard.
- Arrival by the deadline. You must arrive by the date specified in your grant letter.
- A health undertaking, if you signed one. You must comply with it, including follow-up on health conditions after arrival.
- Re-entry after five years. You can travel to and from Australia for five years from the date the visa is granted; after that you need a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident. The official page does not state a fee amount for that visa.
- Obeying Australian law, which applies to you and your family members.
The published material does not describe any other government charge connected with lodging or being granted a Subclass 200 visa, and no amounts are given anywhere on the page. Where a figure matters for your planning, check the visa pricing published by the Department at the time you act.
What does the visa give you once you arrive?
Subclass 200 is a permanent visa, and you become a permanent resident when you enter Australia; for citizenship purposes, your permanent residence starts on the day you enter on this visa. With it you can stay permanently, work and study, enrol in Medicare, propose family members for permanent residence, travel for five years, attend free English language classes through the Adult Migrant English Program, and apply for citizenship if eligible.
Free settlement support also attaches to humanitarian entries: the Australian Cultural Orientation (AUSCO) program is a five-day program delivered overseas, free and open to humanitarian visa holders over the age of five, and the Humanitarian Settlement Program, which contacts you when your visa is approved, is free and runs across Australia with a focus on English, education and work skills.
Cost is not the constraint on this visa. Places are. The Department states that the number of applications received for resettlement each year is far greater than available visas, that the decision process takes many months, even years, and that applicants are accepted in the most compelling circumstances only.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a visa application charge for Subclass 200 in 2026?
No. The Department of Home Affairs states on its Refugee category visas (Subclass 200, 201, 203 and 204) page that there is no visa application charge for this visa, and no fee amount appears anywhere on that page.
Does the government pay for my flight to Australia?
Yes. The Department arranges your travel to Australia at no cost to you. Travel is delivered through the Assisted Passage program, now run by Toll Remote Logistics Pty Ltd, which assists with health appointments and with travelling to Australia if your visa is granted.
Who pays for the departure health check?
The Australian Government covers the cost. The check may be required for you and any family members travelling with you in the 72 hours before departure, and includes a fitness-to-travel assessment, physical check-up, pregnancy test, communicable disease tests, and vaccinations or parasite treatment if needed.
Do I pay anything extra if my partner and children are included?
No additional visa charge is stated for family members added before a decision is made. They must still meet health and character requirements, and dependent status determines whether a child can be included or must apply for their own visa.
What happens if I miss the initial arrival date in my grant letter?
The Department may issue you with a travel facilitation letter so you can still travel, and it may first ask you to undergo another medical examination. You must enter Australia before the initial arrival date specified in your grant letter.
Is Subclass 200 a permanent visa?
Yes. It lets you stay in Australia permanently, and you become a permanent resident when you enter Australia. The travel facility runs for five years from the date of grant, after which a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) is needed to re-enter.
Are there hidden fees after the visa is granted?
The official page lists no further government charges connected with the grant, and describes several services as free, including AUSCO, the Humanitarian Settlement Program and the Adult Migrant English Program. Any amounts charged by other parties, or future visa fees such as for a Resident Return visa, are not stated on that page and should be confirmed with the Department's current published pricing.