Entertainment Visa (Subclass 408)

The "entertainment visa" is the subclass 408

There is no visa called an entertainment visa. What performers, crews and production companies are looking for is the Temporary Activity visa (subclass 408), Entertainment Activities stream — the visa that covers acting, music, live theatre, stand-up, production and support crew, and paid reality television.

It is one of the faster visas in the system — half of Entertainment Activities applications are decided in 14 days — but it has a gatekeeping structure most applicants do not expect: whether you need a supporter or a full sponsor depends on where you apply from and how long you are staying, and five of the seven application categories require the sponsor to consult the relevant union before engaging you.

At a glance (updated 22 August 2026)

Confirm current figures on the Department of Home Affairs website before lodgement.

The seven Entertainment categories

The stream is not one thing — the Department splits it into seven application categories, and the requirements differ between them:

1. Performing in a film or television production subsidised by government
2. Performing in a film or television production not subsidised by government
3. Performing other than in film or television
4. Working as production staff — a production role other than performer
5. Working as support staff for an entertainer or group
6. Performing or supporting in a non-profit engagement
7. Working on a documentary or commercial for an overseas market

Eligible work the Department names includes acting, a celebrity cameo, a paid reality-television contestant, stand-up comedy, international musicians and their support staff, live theatre performers and crew, singers, classical musicians, internet video performers, cultural performers, documentary presenters, a celebrity in a commercial, non-performing production and technical crew, and a journalist covering an event.

What is not an entertainment visa

This is where applications get refused or lodged in the wrong place. The Department directs these elsewhere:

• A promotional appearance without performing — Invited Participant stream or a Visitor visa
• A visual artist or exhibition — not Entertainment
• An author at a writers' festival — not Entertainment
• A workshop whose closing performance is not ticketed — Invited Participant. If the closing performance is ticketed, it is Entertainment
• An unpaid reality-television contestant — Invited Participant or Visitor
• A journalist covering events for a non-Australian audience — subclass 400, not 408

The ticketed-versus-non-ticketed line for workshops, and the paid-versus- unpaid line for reality television, are the two distinctions that most often send an application down the wrong path.

Sponsor or supporter — the decision that shapes the application

A sponsor must be an Australian organisation lawfully established and operating in Australia, a Commonwealth, state or territory agency, or a foreign government agency operating in Australia — and must be an approved temporary activities sponsor. That approval is a separate application with its own processing time, which is why the sponsorship question has to be settled before anything else. A supporter can additionally be an Australian citizen, permanent resident or eligible New Zealand citizen.

At lodgement you must provide the sponsorship application ID, transaction reference or approval letter, plus a written statement that the sponsor will meet its obligations for you and every dependant.

Union consultation and the Arts certificate

For five of the seven categories — subsidised film/TV performer, non-subsidised film/TV performer, performer other than film/TV, production staff and support staff — the sponsor or supporter must consult the relevant union or unions before engaging you. It is not a formality bolted on at the end; it is a precondition of the engagement.

For the film and television performing categories, the sponsor or supporter must also obtain an Arts certificate. Home Affairs names the issuer as the Department of Communications and the Arts. That department no longer exists under that name, so check the current issuing body before relying on the page — we quote it as the Department publishes it rather than guessing at the successor.

Cost, stay and travel

The charge is 535 * *forthemainapplicant, **535 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over, and $135 for each child. The Entertainment stream carries no different charge from the other 408 streams.

Two concessions apply. A charge concession is available where the sponsor or supporter is named in a Ministerial legislative instrument — a registered ACNC charity, a foreign government agency, embassy or consulate, a state, territory or Commonwealth agency, or a named organisation running a significantly government-funded event. Separately, from 1 July 2026 a lower charge applies to eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste passport holders — Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor-Leste, Tonga and Tuvalu.

The visa allows multiple entries. The stay period runs from first entry, time spent outside Australia does not extend it, and the visa cannot be extended — a longer engagement means a new application. The Department also notes it generally does not allow temporary residents to extend their stay beyond four years by applying for this visa.

Conditions and health cover

Your work is tied to the activity approved. You must not change the times and places of your engagements without written permission, and if the sponsor or supporter ends the activity you must apply for a new visa or leave within 28 days.

Adequate health cover for the whole of your stay is mandatory — covering medically necessary treatment, including transport. A reciprocal healthcare agreement may be relevant depending on your country.

A word of caution on conditions: the Department's public condition checker returns the conditions that might attach across the whole subclass 408 — the list it produces for this visa even includes the superyacht-crew condition, which has nothing to do with entertainment. The conditions that actually attach are the ones on your grant letter, confirmed in VEVO. Do not plan around a generic list.

Family

Members of the family unit can be included at the time you apply — they cannot be added later. They must meet health and character requirements. Family who did not apply with you can apply afterwards as subsequent entrants. Dependent children over 18 must be under 23 and dependent, or 23 or over and unable to support themselves because of a physical or cognitive limitation. Secondary applicants' individual work rights are not published on the Department's page — check the grant and VEVO rather than assuming.

Where 408 Entertainment applications go wrong

1. Treating the visa as the first step. Sponsorship approval, union consultation and — for film and television — the Arts certificate all sit upstream of the visa application. A tour date does not move because the paperwork started late

2. Choosing the wrong category. Seven categories, different requirements. Promotional-only appearances, unpaid reality contestants and non-ticketed workshops are not Entertainment at all

3. Assuming a supporter is enough. Under 3 months and offshore is the only combination that avoids a sponsor

4. Missing the union consultation for a performer or crew category

5. Changing the schedule after grant without written permission

6. Journalists lodging a 408 when the audience is overseas — that is a subclass 400

Entertainment visa advice — Australia-wide and offshore

Migration Vision advises performers, crews, promoters and production companies across Australia and overseas — category selection, whether you need a sponsor or a supporter, temporary activities sponsorship, union consultation, and tour and production timelines that work backwards from the first performance date. Online consultations in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi.

Frequently asked questions

How much does the entertainment visa (subclass 408) cost in 2026?

$535 for the main applicant, $535 for each additional applicant aged 18 or over, and $135 for each child. The Entertainment stream carries the same charge as the other 408 streams. Concessions apply for certain sponsors named in a legislative instrument, and from 1 July 2026 for eligible Pacific Island and Timor-Leste passport holders.

How long does a 408 entertainment visa take?

On the Department's processing times tool, queried 22 August 2026, 50% of Entertainment Activities applications were decided in 14 days and 90% in 20 days.

Do I need a sponsor for an entertainment visa?

Only if you apply from inside Australia, or you are applying from outside Australia and intend to stay three months or more. If you are offshore and staying under three months, a supporter is enough.

How long can I stay on a subclass 408 entertainment visa?

Up to two years. The Department grants a period based on the activity it approves, the visa cannot be extended, and time spent outside Australia does not add to it.

Does the union have to be consulted?

Yes, for five of the seven categories — subsidised and non-subsidised film or television performers, performers outside film and television, production staff and support staff. The sponsor or supporter must consult the relevant union before engaging you.

Can I bring my family on a 408?

Yes, but they must be included when you lodge — family members cannot be added after you apply. Anyone left off must apply separately as a subsequent entrant.

I am a journalist coming to cover an event. Is this my visa?

Only if you are covering the event for an Australian audience. If the coverage is for a non-Australian audience, the Department directs you to a subclass 400 instead.

Reviewed by Dr Asad Muhammad Khan, Registered Migration Agent, MARN 2619525. Updated 22 August 2026 — charge verified against the Department of Home Affairs visa pricing estimator, stream categories, sponsorship, union-consultation and family rules against the subclass 408 Entertainment Activities stream pages, and processing times against the Home Affairs global visa processing times tool queried on that date (the tool publishes no data-currency date). This page is general information, not migration advice for your circumstances.