No more card surcharge on visa payments: what changed on 1 October 2026
Home Affairs no longer adds a surcharge when you pay a visa application charge by card. What the surcharge used to cost, what you pay now, and what to check on the payment screen.
publishedReviewed MARN 03173824 min read
From 1 October 2026, Home Affairs stopped adding a card surcharge when you pay a visa application charge by card in ImmiAccount. The charges themselves didn't move. A partner visa is still $11,710 and a student visa still $2,500, but that's now the whole amount, not the charge plus 1.4%. It lines up with the Reserve Bank's ban on card surcharging across Australia, which started the same day. Payments made before 1 October were charged under the old rules.
What the surcharge used to be
Until 30 September, Home Affairs added a surcharge to visa application charges, sponsorship fees and nomination fees paid by card or PayPal. These were the rates it published:
| Payment method | Surcharge until 30 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Visa and Mastercard, including debit cards | 1.40% |
| American Express | 1.40% |
| JCB | 1.40% |
| UnionPay | 1.90% |
| PayPal | 1.01% |
| BPAY | None listed |
What that saves on common visas
At 1.40%, the surcharge on the main applicant's charge came to:
| Visa | Application charge | Surcharge you no longer pay |
|---|---|---|
| Partner (820/801, 309/100, 300) | $11,710 | $163.94 |
| Employer Nomination Scheme (186) | $6,140 | $85.96 |
| Skills in Demand (482) | $4,015 | $56.21 |
| Student (500) | $2,500 | $35.00 |
| Contributory Parent (143), both instalments | $49,900 | $698.60 |
Family members included in the application carry their own charges, so the saving grows with each one.
Why it changed
The Reserve Bank's review of card payment costs ended in a ban on surcharging debit, prepaid and credit cards on the eftpos, Mastercard and Visa networks from 1 October 2026. The RBA says American Express, PayPal and UnionPay also decided to drop surcharging, even though it doesn't regulate them. Businesses can still build card costs into their prices. They just can't add them as a separate line.
Home Affairs stopped charging its surcharge from the same date and left the visa application charges as they were.
What to check when you pay
- Read the total before you pay. ImmiAccount shows the full amount on the payment screen. From 1 October it should match the application charge, with nothing added for the card. If a surcharge still shows, check with your agent before you go ahead.
- The help pages haven't caught up. When we checked on 7 October 2026, the Home Affairs surcharges page and its ImmiAccount payment guide still described the old rates. Go by the payment screen.
- Your own bank can still charge. A card issued overseas may attract a foreign transaction or currency conversion fee from the bank that issued it. That's between you and your bank.
- Check your daily limit. Home Affairs asks you to make sure your card's daily limit and available funds cover the payment. A partner or parent visa can be more than a card allows by default.
- BPAY is still an option. For a single application you can pay by BPAY instead, but the Department must receive the money within three days of the invoice or it won't accept the application.
What hasn't changed
The application charges are the ones that took effect on 1 July 2026, set out in full in our guide to what a visa costs in 2026–27. They're paid per application, not per outcome, and a refusal doesn't bring them back. Charges are normally adjusted on 1 July each year.
General information only, current at 7 October 2026. Not immigration assistance or advice for your circumstances. Visacorp Pty Ltd — MARN 0317382 · 1799004.
Common questions
Is there still a card surcharge on visa applications?
Not from 1 October 2026. Home Affairs stopped adding it to visa application charges paid by card in ImmiAccount, in line with the Reserve Bank's ban on card surcharging that began the same day. The total on the ImmiAccount payment screen is what you pay.
Did visa application charges go up to make up for it?
No. The charges are the ones that took effect on 1 July 2026, such as $11,710 for a partner visa and $2,500 for a student visa. Charges are normally adjusted on 1 July each year.
I paid before 1 October. Can I get the surcharge back?
The change applies to payments made from 1 October 2026. Payments before then were charged under the settings in place at the time, and Home Affairs hasn't announced any refund of surcharges already paid.
Does this cover PayPal and UnionPay?
The Reserve Bank's ban covers eftpos, Mastercard and Visa, and the RBA says American Express, PayPal and UnionPay chose to drop surcharging as well. ImmiAccount shows the full amount before you pay, so check the total there whichever method you use.
Will my overseas bank still charge a fee?
It might. The surcharge that's gone was the one Home Affairs added. A bank that issued your card overseas can still charge a foreign transaction or currency conversion fee, and that sits outside Home Affairs' control.
Unsure where your situation fits?
Twenty minutes with a registered agent is the fastest way to a straight answer.