Travelling After Subclass 835: The 5-Year Facility and RRV in 2026
How the 5-year travel facility on the Subclass 835 visa works, and what you need to re-enter Australia once it ends.
Yes — you can leave and re-enter Australia as many times as you like for five years after your Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 835) is granted, and once that travel facility ends you need to be granted a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) before you can come back as a permanent resident. That is the position set out on the Australian Department of Home Affairs' "Remaining Relative visa (Subclass 835)" page. The important distinction is that the travel facility expires, not the visa: Subclass 835 is a permanent visa that lets you stay in Australia indefinitely.
When does the 5-year travel facility start and end?
It runs for five years from the date the visa is granted. The Home Affairs page is explicit that the clock starts at grant, and that travel is unlimited during that window "as long as the travel facility on this visa remains valid."
The starting point is the grant date, not the date you first arrived, not the date of a trip you took later, and not the date you were first told the visa was approved in correspondence. If you received your grant in mid-2021, your facility ran to mid-2026 regardless of how many trips you made in between.
There is a separate date worth keeping straight. The same page states that, for citizenship purposes, your permanent residence starts on the day the visa is granted. That date feeds any later citizenship assessment and runs independently of the five-year travel window.
What actually expires after five years — your status or your travel facility?
Your travel facility. Subclass 835 is described as a permanent visa that lets you stay in Australia indefinitely, and nothing on the Home Affairs pages turns the visa into a temporary one once the travel window closes. If you are inside Australia when the five years run out, you remain a permanent resident; the expiry only bites when you leave and try to come back.
This is why the problem tends to surface at an airport rather than in a letter. A holder who has been living overseas for years may not think about Australian visa status until a return trip is booked, only to find the facility lapsed some time earlier.
| While the travel facility is valid | After the travel facility ends | |
|---|---|---|
| Trips in and out of Australia | Unlimited, no extra visa needed | Must hold a granted Resident Return visa (155/157) |
| Status while inside Australia | Permanent resident | Permanent resident |
| Where to check the end date | VEVO | VEVO |
| Alternative for frequent travel | — | Australian citizenship plus an Australian passport |
How do I check when my travel facility ends?
Use VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). Home Affairs points holders to VEVO to see when the travel facility or travel condition ends, and to check visa conditions generally.
Two practical details follow from the visa's design. Subclass 835 is digitally linked to your passport, so there is no visa label to look at — the record is electronic. And you must hold a valid passport or other travel document to leave Australia, so passport validity is a separate item on the checklist from travel facility validity.
Assume a holder checks VEVO and finds the facility ends on 14 March 2026, with a return flight booked for June 2026. On those facts, the trip home is fine but the trip back is not, unless an RRV is granted before departure.
What are subclasses 155 and 157, and when do I need one?
They are the Resident Return visa (RRV) categories. The Home Affairs guidance for Subclass 835 says that if you want to travel after the initial five-year travel validity, you will need to apply for and be granted an RRV so that you can re-enter Australia as a permanent resident.
Note the wording: it is the grant that matters, not the application. Lodging an RRV application and then boarding a plane does not put you in the position of holding one, so the sequencing question is whether the decision is likely to arrive before you need to travel. The eligibility tests for the RRV are not set out on the Subclass 835 page; they sit on the Resident Return visa (155/157) page and turn on the applicant's own circumstances.
Is Australian citizenship a better fix than renewing a travel facility?
For some holders, yes, because it removes the recurring problem rather than deferring it. Home Affairs notes that you might also want to consider Australian citizenship: if you become an Australian citizen you do not require a visa to enter Australia, and you would apply for an Australian passport and use it to leave and re-enter on that passport.
The trade-off is eligibility and timing. Citizenship has its own requirements and processing times, which the department publishes separately, and your permanent residence for citizenship purposes is counted from the day Subclass 835 was granted. An RRV is the shorter-term instrument; citizenship is the structural one. Which suits you depends on whether Australia or another country is your long-term base.
What happens if I try to return without a valid facility or an RRV?
The Home Affairs pages frame the RRV as the thing you need "to re-enter Australia as a permanent resident," which means a lapsed facility is not a problem you can resolve at the boarding gate. The department also publishes separate guidance on what to do if a visa has expired or is about to expire, which is the relevant starting point if you are already in that position.
What the pages do not describe is any separate loss of permanent status simply through absence. The stated constraint is entry permission, and the stated remedy is an RRV or citizenship.
What should I check before booking an overseas trip?
- Look up the travel facility end date in VEVO first, and compare it with your intended return date rather than your departure date.
- If the return date falls after the facility ends, treat the RRV as a prerequisite to the trip, not a task for after you land.
- Confirm your passport is valid for the whole trip, since a valid passport or travel document is required to leave Australia.
- If you expect to live outside Australia for years rather than months, weigh citizenship alongside the RRV option.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the five-year travel facility run from my grant date or my first entry?
From the date Home Affairs grants the visa. The Subclass 835 page states you can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for five years from the date of grant, so trips taken before or after that window do not reset it.
My travel facility has expired but I am still in Australia. Am I still a permanent resident?
Yes. Subclass 835 is a permanent visa that lets you stay in Australia indefinitely, and the expiry applies to the travel facility rather than to the visa itself. The consequences only arise when you leave and seek to re-enter.
Do I need a Resident Return visa for one short holiday after the five years?
Yes. The Home Affairs guidance does not distinguish by trip length or purpose — if you want to travel after the initial travel validity and return as a permanent resident, the RRV (subclass 155 or 157) is what the department requires you to hold.
Where can I see the exact end date of my travel facility?
In VEVO, which Home Affairs nominates as the tool for checking when the travel facility or travel condition ends. Because Subclass 835 is digitally linked to your passport with no label issued, VEVO is the record rather than anything printed in your passport.
If I become an Australian citizen, do I still need a Resident Return visa?
No. Home Affairs states that Australian citizens do not require a visa to enter Australia; you would instead apply for an Australian passport and use it to leave and re-enter. Your permanent residence for citizenship purposes starts on the day the Subclass 835 visa was granted.
Does time spent outside Australia affect the visa itself?
The Home Affairs pages describe Subclass 835 as a permanent visa with no stated expiry of stay, and tie the travel consequence to the facility rather than to the visa. In practice, the limiting factor is the ability to re-enter, which is where the RRV or citizenship becomes relevant.