The Resident Return visa (155): how to come back as a permanent resident
Your permanent visa usually carries a five-year travel facility. Once it runs out, leaving Australia means you need a Resident Return visa to come back as a permanent resident. Who qualifies, how long it lasts and what it costs from 1 July 2026.
Reviewed MARN 0317382Jul 2026 published7 min read
A permanent visa lets you live in Australia indefinitely, but the right to come back after travelling runs on a separate clock called the travel facility, usually five years from your first permanent visa grant. Once it has expired, leaving Australia means you can't return as a permanent resident without a Resident Return visa (RRV). Spend at least two of the last five years in Australia and you can be given a new five-year facility. With less time, you may still qualify through substantial ties, but only for up to 12 months. The charge is $1,475 online from 1 July 2026. You don't need an RRV if you're staying in Australia, and citizens can't apply for one.
The clock that matters is your travel facility
Your permanent visa has no expiry date for living in Australia. What expires is the travel facility, the period in which you can leave and re-enter as a permanent resident. Home Affairs says your first permanent visa usually comes with five years. You can check your date in VEVO or on your visa grant letter, and it's worth doing before you book anything.
If you leave after the facility has expired, or it expires while you're overseas, you can't return as a permanent resident. An RRV is the visa that fixes that. You can apply from inside or outside Australia, but not while in immigration clearance, and Home Affairs encourages permanent residents to hold the RRV before they buy tickets.
Home Affairs also warns that coming back on a temporary visa, such as an Electronic Travel Authority, may affect your permanent resident entitlements and your ability to meet the residence requirements for citizenship or a later RRV.
Who qualifies, and for how long
| Route | What Home Affairs asks for | Travel facility |
|---|---|---|
| Residence requirement | 730 cumulative days in Australia in the five years before you lodge, as a permanent visa holder or citizen | Up to 5 years |
| Substantial ties | Business, cultural, employment or personal ties that are both substantial and of benefit to Australia, and not away for longer than the absence limits unless there are compelling reasons | Up to 12 months |
| Family unit | A family member already holds an RRV, or has applied and meets the requirements to be granted one | Up to 12 months |
| Subclass 157 | None of the above, but compelling and compassionate reasons for your absence | Up to 3 months |
You make one application. Home Affairs assesses it against the criteria for both the 155 and the 157, and if you don't meet the 155 but are eligible for the 157, it may grant that instead.
How the days are counted
- The five years run back from the day you lodge, not the day of the decision.
- The day you arrive and the day you leave both count. If you arrive and leave on the same day, it counts as one.
- A part-day in Australia as a permanent visa holder counts as a full day.
- Days only count if you were a permanent visa holder or citizen at the time.
If you don't know your total, you can request your travel records from Home Affairs. Substantial ties are judged on evidence. Home Affairs' examples include employment contracts or a letter of offer, company reports showing your role in a business, membership of cultural associations, and long-term residence history with family in Australia, supported by documents such as bills, bank statements and travel records.
What it costs and how long it takes
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Application charge, applying online | $1,475 per applicant |
| Applicants holding a Pacific-regional country passport (a list that includes Timor-Leste) | $505 |
| Before 1 July 2026 | $490 |
You must apply online unless Home Affairs authorises a paper application. A paper application adds a non-internet charge, set at $80 in the Regulations, with some exemptions. There is no way to include family members in your application: each person applies and pays separately, though related applications lodged at the same time can be processed together if you declare them.
Home Affairs says applications that meet the residence requirement are generally processed within five working days. Those that don't can take 12 weeks from lodgement or more, and any application can take longer if it is incomplete.
One detail catches people who apply early. Remaining travel facility on your old visa doesn't carry over to the RRV, can't be refunded, and the facility on the new visa can't be extended, whatever the circumstances.
Who doesn't need one, and who can't get one
- You're staying in Australia. A permanent resident who doesn't plan to travel doesn't need an RRV.
- Australian citizens. They can't apply and don't need to. If you've applied for citizenship by conferral but haven't yet made the pledge, you still need an RRV to enter as a permanent resident.
- Former permanent residents whose last permanent visa was cancelled. Not eligible.
- New Zealand citizens. Eligible if they hold a permanent visa, or were a permanent resident or Australian citizen before. Those without one follow a separate pathway.
- Everyone applying. The character requirement applies.
General information only, current at 18 July 2026. Not immigration assistance or advice for your circumstances. Visacorp Pty Ltd — MARN 0317382 · 1799004.
Common questions
Do I need a Resident Return visa if I'm a permanent resident and not travelling?
No. Home Affairs says a permanent resident who is in Australia and doesn't plan to travel doesn't need one. The travel facility only matters when you leave and want to return as a permanent resident.
How do I find out when my travel facility expires?
Check VEVO or your visa grant letter. Home Affairs says your first permanent visa usually carries a five-year facility, and advises checking the expiry date before you apply.
What happens if my travel facility has expired and I leave Australia?
Home Affairs says you won't be able to return to Australia as a permanent resident until you hold a visa that allows it, such as an RRV. It also warns that returning on a temporary visa may affect your permanent resident entitlements and your citizenship residence requirements.
Can I include my partner or children in my application?
No. Each family member applies separately and pays their own charge. If several people apply at the same time, you can ask for the applications to be processed together by declaring them.
Does becoming a citizen replace the Resident Return visa?
Australian citizens can't apply for an RRV and don't need one to travel. Citizenship has its own eligibility rules, covered in our citizenship guide, and until you've made the pledge you still need an RRV to enter as a permanent resident.
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