Do I Need a Bridging Visa B (020) to Travel While My Visa Application Is Pending? (2026)
Yes — if you plan to leave Australia and come back while your substantive visa application is still being decided, the timing rule is strict: you must have been granted a Bridging visa B (BVB, subclass 020) before you depart. A pending BVB application does not count, and a Bridging visa A (BVA, subclass 010) will not get you back through the border. The Australian Department of Home Affairs states this on its "Bridging visa A (BVA) (Subclass 010)" visa listing page: the BVA does not support return travel, and to travel and return while your substantive visa remains under consideration you need to have been granted a BVB before you leave.
When exactly does the BVB have to be granted?
The deadline is the moment you depart, not the day you book the ticket, lodge the application, or receive an acknowledgement. The official wording is unconditional: you need to have been granted a BVB before you leave.
That distinction matters more than any other detail on this page. A BVA holder who applies for a BVB and then boards the plane while the request is undecided is in the same position as someone who never applied — because a BVA that is in effect ceases upon departure from Australia, and it cannot be used to re-enter.
The Department also notes that it does not give updates on application processing times for bridging visas, and its own guidance is to submit bridging visa applications early so there is enough time for them to be processed. The practical reading for anyone planning a family visit or a business trip is simple: treat the BVB grant, not the flight date, as the thing your plans depend on.
How do I know whether my BVA is what blocks my return?
The departure rule only bites while the BVA is in effect. According to the same Department page, a BVA comes into effect when it is granted (if your substantive visa had already ceased, or the BVA is more beneficial than your current bridging visa), when your current substantive visa ceases, or when another bridging visa that is more beneficial than your current one ceases.
VEVO is the tool the Department points to for checking whether your BVA is in effect and what conditions attach to it. If VEVO shows an in-effect BVA and you then leave, the visa ends at departure and you cannot return on it.
What else ends a BVA straight away?
| Event | Effect on an in-effect BVA |
|---|---|
| You leave Australia while the BVA is in effect | The BVA ceases on departure; it cannot be used to return |
| You are granted the substantive visa you applied for | The BVA ends immediately |
| You are granted another bridging visa (such as a BVB) for the same substantive visa application | The BVA ends immediately |
| The Department cancels your BVA, or the substantive visa you held when the BVA was granted | The BVA ends immediately |
Does getting a BVB cancel my BVA?
In practice, yes — but that is not a problem. Granting another bridging visa such as a BVB in relation to the same substantive visa application ends the BVA immediately. You do not hold both and choose between them at the airport; the BVB is the bridging arrangement the Department identifies as the one that lets you travel and return while the substantive application is still being processed.
What if my visa is decided while I am overseas?
Nothing can be repaired from offshore. The BVA already ceased when you departed, so the timelines that normally follow a decision only help people who stayed in Australia. For a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016, the Department's page sets these end points:
- 35 calendar days after a refusal decision on the associated substantive visa application (or a decision by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal), after a determination that the application or AAT review application is invalid, or after you withdraw the substantive application or AAT review application;
- 28 calendar days after a judicial review body upholds the refusal decision, or after you withdraw a related judicial review application.
For a BVA granted before 19 November 2016, the page lists a 28-day period running from notification of invalidity, refusal, withdrawal, a merits review tribunal upholding the refusal, a tribunal finding it has no jurisdiction, withdrawal of a merits or judicial review application, or a judicial review body upholding the refusal.
The criteria for Subclass 010 in the Migration Regulations 1994 also require the applicant to be in Australia at the time of decision, and the Department's guidance is that you and anyone included in a BVA application must be in Australia both when the application is submitted and when it is granted. Leaving first and sorting out status later is not an option the rules provide for.
Does everyone travelling with me need their own grant?
Check each person separately. The Department assesses each member of the family unit's application and decides which bridging visa that person can be granted, and VEVO can be used to see whether family members already hold a BVA. For a BVA, everyone included in the application must be in Australia when it is submitted and granted. The timing consequence is that a group trip is only safe once every traveller's own bridging arrangement is in hand — one approved person does not carry the rest.
What should I check before booking tickets?
- Confirm in VEVO whether your BVA is in effect, and which conditions apply.
- Confirm whether the substantive visa application is still under consideration — the BVB requirement is tied to that.
- Do not book travel that assumes a BVB will arrive in time; note that the Department does not provide processing-time updates for bridging visa applications.
- Check each family member's status individually before committing to shared travel dates.
- Keep records of your travel: the Department issues international movement records that serve as proof of travel in and out of Australia.
This article is general information about how the published rules work, not personalised immigration assistance or legal advice; your own visa conditions, travel dates and options should be confirmed against the Department's current published information or with a professional adviser.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I travel if my BVB application is still being processed?
No. The requirement is to have been granted a BVB before you leave, not to have applied for one. If you depart on an in-effect BVA while the BVB request is undecided, the BVA ceases on departure and cannot be used to return.
Can I fix things from overseas if I left without a BVB?
The rules point the other way. A BVA ceases as soon as you depart while it is in effect, and both the Department's guidance and the Subclass 010 criteria require the applicant to be in Australia when the application is submitted, decided and granted. Confirm what is available to you on the current official Subclass 020 page before making plans.
Does a BVB replace my BVA?
Yes. Being granted another bridging visa such as a BVB in relation to the same substantive visa application ends the BVA immediately. From that point the BVB is the bridging visa that supports travel and return while the substantive application is pending.
My BVA was free — does that give me any travel rights?
No. The Department lists the BVA as free to apply for, but cost and travel rights are unrelated; the same page states that the BVA does not support return travel to Australia.
If my substantive visa is refused while I am away, does my BVA still run for 35 days?
No. The 35-calendar-day period applies to a BVA granted on or after 19 November 2016 that is still on foot, and departing Australia already ended your BVA. For BVAs granted before 19 November 2016 the period listed is 28 days.
Do my partner and children need their own BVB?
Treat each person as a separate case. The Department assesses each member of the family unit and decides which bridging visa that person can be granted, so one person's grant does not cover the others. Everyone's arrangement has to be in place before departure.
How can I prove my travel dates after the trip?
The Department provides international movement records, which serve as proof of your travel in and out of Australia. These are separate from your visa records and are useful when you need to document when you were offshore.