How Long Can You Stay on a Subclass 400 Visa in 2026?

Plain-language guide · general information, not immigration advice

You can stay in Australia for up to six months on a Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (Subclass 400), and that stay period starts on the day you first arrive — not on the day your visa is granted. The Australian Department of Home Affairs states on its official Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa (Subclass 400) page (as of the August 2026 version) that the visa can be granted for up to six months depending on the circumstances, that you must arrive within six months of the grant date or a shorter period set by the Minister, and that the granted stay period begins on your first arrival and does not restart each time you travel. Three separate dates therefore decide your trip: the grant date, the must-arrive-by date, and the first-arrival date that starts your clock.

What are the three dates that control a Subclass 400 stay?

Date	What it controls	Where it comes from
Visa grant date	Starts the window in which you must make your first entry (six months, unless a shorter period is specified)	Your visa grant letter
Must-arrive-by date	The deadline for your first entry to Australia	Stated in your visa grant letter; can be shorter than six months
First date of arrival	The day your granted stay period begins, and the day it runs from until it ends	Recorded when you enter Australia; check in VEVO

The practical consequence is that a visa granted in, say, January does not expire in July. The six months of permitted stay only begin once you land, and the January-to-July window is the deadline for landing at all.

How long can you stay — is it always six months?

Six months is the ceiling, not a default. The official page says the visa can be granted for up to six months depending on the circumstances, and that generally, for a stay period longer than three months, a strong business case must be provided with the application. A shorter grant is possible; the period actually granted is the one printed in your grant letter.

The work itself must also fit the visa: it has to be short-term, highly specialised, and non-ongoing, and you may only do the work or activities your visa was granted for. Employers must provide a contract or letter of offer as part of the application.

When must you first enter Australia?

You must arrive within six months of the date the visa is granted, or within a lesser period specified by the Minister. Your grant letter tells you the date by which you must arrive, and that letter governs if it specifies something shorter than six months.

This is why an early application can be a problem for late projects. The Department's own guidance on processing tells applicants to allow time for the application to be processed taking into account the intended travel date, and points to the visa processing time guide tool for an indication based on recently decided applications — a guide only, not specific to any one application. You must also be outside Australia both when you apply and when the decision is made.

When does the stay period start, and does travel reset it?

The stay period starts on your first date of arrival in Australia and does not restart each time you travel. Two related rules follow from that:

Multiple entry does not reset the clock. You can leave and re-enter as many times as you want during the visa stay period, but re-entering does not restart the period of stay you were granted.
Time outside Australia does not extend the visa. The period keeps running while you are away.

A single-entry visa works differently on re-entry rather than on time: you may enter Australia once, and to return after leaving you need to apply for a new visa. Suppose an applicant is granted a three-month multiple-entry stay, enters in March, spends four weeks working abroad in April, and returns in May — the stay still ends in June, because the four weeks away were counted, not paused.

Can you extend a Subclass 400 visa, or apply from inside Australia?

No. The official page is explicit that you cannot stay longer by extending this visa and cannot apply for it from within Australia; you must apply for a different visa if you want to stay longer. Planning around a fixed end date is therefore part of the decision to use this visa at all, rather than something to revisit later.

How do you check your own dates?

Your visa grant letter records both the must-arrive-by date and the stay period. You can also check visa details and conditions, including when you must leave, through VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online); the Department digitally links the visa to your passport and no visa label is issued. This is worth doing before booking travel, because the stay period on the record — not your own estimate of six months — is what counts.

Health cover is a separate planning step rather than a visa condition on the official page: the Department recommends taking out health insurance because holders are personally liable for healthcare costs in Australia, and some countries have reciprocal healthcare agreements with Australia.

Cost is set out on a separate part of the official page, which refers applicants to the Visa Pricing Estimator for the Subclass 400 and notes that additional costs such as health checks, police certificates and biometrics may apply. Figures change, so treat the estimator and the official page as the current source.

One caveat on everything above: this article is general information about how the published rules are structured, not advice on any individual's case, and the dates that bind you are the ones on your own grant letter — for anything that turns on your specific circumstances, rely on the Department's current official information or a qualified professional.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I stay for the full six months on a Subclass 400 visa?

Six months is the maximum the visa can be granted for, and the actual period depends on your circumstances. The official page notes that a stay longer than three months generally requires a strong business case with the application.

Does the six months start when my visa is granted?

No. The stay period starts on the date you first enter Australia. The grant date instead starts a separate window — six months, or a shorter period if specified — within which you must make that first entry.

Does leaving Australia pause or extend my stay period?

Neither. The Department states that time spent outside Australia does not extend the visa, and that re-entering on a multiple-entry visa does not restart the granted stay period.

What is the difference between single and multiple entry for stay length?

Stay length is unaffected; only re-entry is. A single-entry visa allows one entry and requires a new visa to return, while a multiple-entry visa allows unlimited re-entry during the stay period without adding any time.

Can I apply for another Subclass 400 from inside Australia?

No. You cannot apply for this visa in Australia, and you cannot extend it; you must be outside Australia when you apply and when the decision is made, and you would need a different visa to stay longer.

Where do I find the date I must leave Australia?

Your visa grant letter shows the stay period, and VEVO shows your visa details, conditions and the date you must leave. Checking VEVO before you travel is the reliable way to confirm the end date on the record.