VEVO, SmartGate and the Incoming Passenger Card for 116 Holders in 2026
How subclass 116 holders check conditions in VEVO, fill in the Incoming Passenger Card and clear the border on first arrival.
Conditions on a Carer visa (subclass 116) are checked in VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online), not on a passport page. The Department of Home Affairs digitally links the visa to your passport and issues no visa label, so VEVO is the record of your conditions, visa expiry, work and study entitlements and travel facility end date. This follows from the Australian Department of Home Affairs Carer visa (subclass 116) official page, as at July 2026, along with the Australian Border Force pages on the Incoming Passenger Card and SmartGate.
For a first arrival, the work falls into three chronological steps: confirm the visa in VEVO before you fly, complete the Incoming Passenger Card, then clear the border.
What should I check in VEVO before I fly?
VEVO is where the Department records what your grant actually allows. The Carer visa (subclass 116) page points to it for three separate jobs: checking visa details and conditions, seeing your visa expiry along with work and study entitlements, and seeing when your travel facility ends.
Because the 116 is a permanent visa, the expiry field behaves differently from a temporary visa. The visa lets you stay in Australia indefinitely, and you become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted. One distinction is worth noting before you travel: for citizenship purposes, your permanent residency starts on the day you enter Australia on this visa. First entry is therefore not just a travel formality — it sets the clock that later citizenship eligibility runs from.
Your visa conditions are individual to your grant and are shown in VEVO. This article is general information only and not advice on your particular grant; if a condition is unclear against your own plans, treat VEVO and the Department's official pages as the authoritative record and seek professional advice if needed.
What happens if my first entry date has already passed?
Your grant letter specifies a first entry arrival date, and the Department sets this date generally at 12 months from the date of visa grant. Suppose an applicant's letter specifies a date twelve months out and flights are only available in month thirteen: the Department's position is that you can still travel to Australia with an expired first entry arrival date, provided the visa itself is still valid.
The caveat matters more than the permission. A visa in that position may still be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border. Before booking anything non-refundable, check the current status in VEVO rather than relying on what the grant letter said at the time it was issued.
Do I still need an Incoming Passenger Card, and what goes on it?
Yes. Australian Border Force states that all people arriving into Australia must complete an Incoming Passenger Card. It applies to permanent visa holders on first arrival in the same way it applies to everyone else on the aircraft.
Complete it against the travel document you are presenting at the border — the passport your visa is digitally linked to. The card is the arrival declaration, and the questions it asks are set out on the Australian Border Force page; what matters for a 116 holder is that your answers match the passport in which your electronic visa record sits.
Can I use SmartGate on arrival with a 116 visa?
SmartGate is the automated border process that uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport. The Department describes it as something you might be able to use to leave the airport on arrival, and as a way to leave the airport faster when departing. The wording is deliberate: it is an option at the border, not an entitlement attached to your visa class.
SmartGate and the Incoming Passenger Card are separate steps. One is an identity and clearance process; the other is a declaration requirement that applies to all arrivals. Using one does not remove the other.
What should New Zealand passport holders say at the border?
This is the one group with an extra instruction. If an immigration officer processes your clearance at the border, the Department recommends telling the officer two things: that you hold a Carer visa (subclass 116), and that you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444).
The consequence of staying silent is specific. You might be granted the subclass 444 visa, and the grant of a subclass 444 visa might affect your eligibility for Australian citizenship. For a permanent visa holder, that is a poor trade for a sentence at the counter.
What changes after I land?
Your obligations start on arrival rather than ending there. You and any family members who were granted the visa must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws, and there is a separate process for telling the Department if your situation changes.
Two dates then govern the years ahead:
- Travel: you can travel to and from Australia as many times as you want for 5 years from the date the visa was granted, as long as the travel facility remains valid. VEVO shows when that facility ends. To travel after it, you must apply for and be granted a Resident Return visa (subclass 155 or 157) to re-enter as a permanent resident, or consider Australian citizenship — citizens do not need a visa to enter, but must hold an Australian passport to leave and re-enter.
- Residency for citizenship: as noted above, your permanent residence starts on the day you entered Australia on the visa, not on the grant date.
Newly arrived residents may also have to wait before accessing certain Australian Government payments and benefits, and waiting periods are administered by Services Australia rather than by the Department of Home Affairs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I get a visa label in my passport for a subclass 116 visa?
No. The Department digitally links your visa to your passport and you will not get a label in your passport. VEVO is the tool the Department points to for proving you hold the visa and showing your conditions to someone.
How do I check the conditions attached to my 116 visa?
Use VEVO, which shows your visa details, conditions, expiry date and work and study entitlements. Conditions are attached individually to each grant, so the authoritative list for you is the one VEVO returns for your own record.
What is the first entry date, and what if I miss it?
The first entry date is specified in your grant letter and is generally set at 12 months from the date of visa grant. You can still travel with an expired first entry arrival date if the visa remains valid, but the visa may still be subject to cancellation before arrival or at the border, so check VEVO first.
Is the Incoming Passenger Card required if I hold a permanent visa?
Yes. Australian Border Force states that all people arriving into Australia must complete an Incoming Passenger Card, with no exemption by visa class. It is a declaration requirement for the flight, separate from how your identity is processed at the border.
Will SmartGate work for me at the airport?
SmartGate uses facial recognition technology and your ePassport, and the Department says you might be able to use it to leave the airport on arrival. It is offered rather than guaranteed, so treat it as one possible route through the border, not the only one.
I hold a New Zealand passport — what should I tell the border officer?
Tell the officer that you hold a Carer visa (subclass 116) and that you do not want a Special Category visa (subclass 444). Without that, you might be granted the subclass 444 visa, which might affect your eligibility for Australian citizenship.
When does my permanent residency start for citizenship purposes?
You become a permanent resident on the day the visa is granted, but for citizenship purposes your permanent residency starts on the day you enter Australia on this visa. Your 5-year travel facility, by contrast, runs from the date the visa was granted.