Australian PR Renewal: Resident Return Visa 155/157 Requirements, Documents, Fee and Process
Australian permanent residence (PR) itself does not expire. What expires is the “travel facility” attached to the permanent visa: up to five years depending on the visa, with the exact date shown on your visa. After it ends you are unaffected while you stay in Australia, but once you leave you must hold a valid Resident Return Visa (RRV, subclass 155 or 157) before you can re-enter as a permanent resident. What people call “PR renewal” is applying for this visa. Renewing before the facility ends and applying after it has expired while overseas are the same application, assessed against the same criteria; the difference is not whether it has expired, but whether you have lived in Australia for two of the last five years.
This page follows the Department of Home Affairs website as it stands and covers three things: when you need to renew, how long a travel facility each situation can get, and what documents and fees the application needs. The standard renewal after two years of residence and the substantial-ties application for those with less than two years differ a lot in documents and processing, so match your own situation before you start.
What Subclass 155 Is: PR Does Not Expire, the Travel Facility Does
Subclass 155 and 157 are both Resident Return Visas (RRV), set up for current and former permanent residents: once the travel facility on a permanent visa ends, the applicant uses an RRV to restore the right to enter and leave Australia as a permanent resident. You lodge one application, and the Department assesses it against the criteria for both 155 and 157; meeting the 155 criteria gives a 155, meeting only the 157 criteria may give a 157.
Permanent residence and the travel facility are two different things
A permanent visa is permanent: the holder can stay in Australia indefinitely. Only the travel facility on the visa has an end date: within it you can travel freely; after it, you are unaffected while in Australia, but once you leave you cannot re-enter as a permanent resident. The travel facility expiry date is shown in VEVO.
When you need to apply
Your travel facility has expired or is about to expire and you plan to leave and return; you are already overseas with an expired travel facility and want to return as a permanent resident; or you once held PR and later returned on a temporary visa (for example an electronic travel authority). The website advises this last group to apply as soon as possible, because returning without a permanent visa may affect PR entitlements and the residence requirements for a later citizenship or RRV application.
When you do not need to apply
You are in Australia, your travel facility has expired and you have no plans to travel: no application is needed. Australian citizens cannot apply and do not need to; citizens travel on an Australian passport. But someone who has applied for citizenship by conferral and has not yet made the pledge still needs an RRV to re-enter.
Australian PR Renewal Requirements: Two Years Gives Five Years, Otherwise Up to One
The applicant must be an Australian permanent resident, a former permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled, or a former Australian citizen who lost or renounced citizenship, and must meet the character requirement. From there, how long a travel facility you get depends on which of the pathways below applies to you.
| Situation | Travel facility |
|---|---|
| At least 730 days in Australia in the last five years as a permanent resident or citizen | 5 years |
| Less than two years, with substantial ties of benefit to Australia, and absence within the allowed period | Up to 12 months |
| A family member already holds an RRV, or has lodged and meets the requirements | Up to 12 months |
| None of the above, but compelling and compassionate reasons, and in Australia within the five years before applying (subclass 157) | 3 months |
Two years in Australia in the last five: a five-year travel facility
Counting back five years from the lodgement date, if you were in Australia for a total of at least 730 days as a permanent resident or citizen, you meet the “residence requirement” and will be granted a five-year travel facility. The day of arrival and the day of departure both count, and part of a day in Australia counts as a full day. If you are unsure how many days you have spent in Australia, you can request your travel records from the Department.
Less than two years, but substantial ties with Australia: up to twelve months
An applicant with less than two years must show ties that are “substantial and of benefit to Australia” (business, cultural, employment or personal ties, see the next section) and must not have been absent longer than the website’s rules allow: applying outside Australia, either you hold a permanent visa or last left Australia as a permanent resident or citizen, and have not been absent for five continuous years before applying; or you were an Australian citizen or permanent resident less than ten years before applying, and your absences between the date you left Australia as a permanent resident or citizen and the date of application do not total more than five years; applying in Australia, you must not have been absent for five continuous years since your most recent permanent visa was granted (or since you stopped being a citizen). Longer absences need compelling reasons. This pathway gives a travel facility of up to twelve months.
A member of the family unit holds or qualifies for an RRV: up to twelve months
If you are a member of the family unit of someone who already holds an RRV, or who has lodged a separate RRV application and meets the requirements for grant, you can also apply; the travel facility is up to twelve months.
Subclass 157: compelling reasons, a three-month travel facility
If none of the above applies, the website states the subclass 157 condition as: compelling and compassionate reasons for your absence, and “have not been absent from Australia in the 5 years prior to making an application” (the website’s own wording; how it applies to an individual case is for a registered migration agent to judge). A subclass 157 carries a travel facility of only three months: an emergency arrangement that gets you back to Australia so you can plan a longer-term solution.
The travel facility remaining on a previous visa cannot be carried over to the new RRV, and no refund is given for it; a travel facility cannot be extended once it ends, you can only apply for another RRV. If your current travel facility is already enough, the website suggests withdrawing an undecided RRV application in writing.
Not sure which pathway you fall under?
Less Than Two Years in Australia: Four Kinds of Substantial Ties and Reasons for Absence
For an application that does not meet the residence requirement, the core is proving ties that are “substantial and of benefit to Australia”. The Department’s website groups ties into four kinds and asks for supporting documents and a statement with the application; incomplete documents slow processing.
Business ties
Business activity in or connected with Australia. Documents listed on the website: company reports showing your role and authority, business transaction records, partnership or joint-venture agreements, contracts signed by you, and business or personal correspondence.
Cultural ties
Your own publications, contracts, membership of cultural associations, media coverage about you, and programs listing your performances or works.
Employment ties
Employment contracts, letters of offer from employers, recent payslips and tax documents, and staff ID or access cards.
Personal and family ties
Records of long-term residence in Australia (utility bills, bank statements, travel records, school records); birth, marriage and citizenship evidence for an Australian citizen partner or children, with evidence that the relationship is ongoing; school reports and home-address evidence for minor children studying in Australia; and, for a family returning together, air tickets, property purchase documents, school enrolments and removalist receipts. The website points out that although family members cannot be included as secondary applicants, the application should state which immediate family members are Australian citizens or permanent residents, which matters for proving substantial ties.
Absent for more than five years: compelling reasons are needed
Applying outside Australia after a continuous absence of five years or more, or, for someone who was a citizen or permanent resident less than ten years before applying, after absences totalling more than five years since leaving Australia in that status; or applying in Australia after a continuous absence of five years or more since the most recent permanent visa was granted (or since citizenship ended): all of these need the reasons explained in the application, with evidence. Examples on the website include severe illness or death of a family member overseas; work or study commitments of the applicant or their partner; living overseas with a partner or with minor children; complex or lengthy medical treatment for the applicant or accompanying family; legal proceedings overseas whose timing is outside the applicant’s control; and natural disaster, political uprising, pandemic or similar events preventing travel.
Australian PR Renewal Process: Five Steps
Step 1 Check VEVO to see whether you need to apply
First check in VEVO the travel facility expiry date on your current permanent visa and whether it covers the trip you are planning. If it is already enough, you do not need to apply; fees are generally not refunded after lodgement. If your passport has expired or is about to, renew it before applying; if you change passports after applying, tell the Department promptly.
Step 2 Match your pathway and prepare the documents
Prepare the documents for whichever pathway above applies to you. A permanent resident who meets the residence requirement, whose name and date of birth have not changed since the last visa and who meets the character requirement may, according to the website, be granted automatically without lodging any documents; an applicant with less than two years should have the substantial-ties and absence-reason documents ready in one go.
Step 3 Lodge online in ImmiAccount and pay
Log in to or create an ImmiAccount, choose “New application” → “Resident Return” → “Resident Return Visa (155,157)”, complete the form, upload the documents, pay the visa application charge and submit. You can be in or outside Australia when you apply, but not in immigration clearance. The website advises permanent residents to obtain the RRV before buying tickets; holding a ticket will not necessarily lead to priority processing, and if you have applied and need to travel urgently the website says to contact the Department.
Step 4 After lodging: further documents and staying lawful
The Department confirms receipt, and progress is shown in ImmiAccount. Upload any missing documents as soon as possible, or processing takes longer; correct any errors promptly. If you are in Australia, you must hold a valid visa while the application is processed; if you held a substantive visa when you applied, you may be eligible for an associated Bridging Visa A.
Step 5 After the grant
The visa is linked electronically to your passport; no visa label is placed in it. After the grant you can travel freely within the travel facility period; to re-enter after it ends, you need to apply for another RRV, or consider applying for citizenship and travelling on an Australian passport.
Processing time: the Department’s website says applications that meet the residence requirement are generally processed within 5 working days of lodgement; applications that do not meet it take longer, the website’s example being 12 weeks or more after lodgement. This describes recently finalised applications and is not a commitment for any individual application; current figures are in the website’s processing-time tool.
Documents for a Subclass 155 Application
Identity documents
The personal details page of your current passport (photo, personal details, issue and expiry dates); a national identity card if you have one; and, if you have changed your name, a marriage or divorce certificate or a change-of-name document from a registry of births, deaths and marriages or the equivalent overseas authority.
Evidence of permanent residence
If you migrated to Australia before 1990, provide evidence of permanent residence: a permanent residence stamp or label in an old passport, a Certificate of Evidence of Resident Status (CERS) issued before 1 June 2016, a permanent residence document issued overseas, or a record from the National Archives; if you have none of these, the website suggests obtaining a record from the National Archives before lodging.
Residence records
Your travel records for the last five years are the basis for deciding which pathway applies. If you are unsure, you can request your travel records from the Department.
Substantial ties and reasons for absence (less than two years)
Prepare documents for the four kinds of ties in the previous section, with a statement explaining why these ties are substantial and of benefit to Australia; if your absence exceeded the allowed period, add a statement and supporting documents.
Translation and scanning
Non-English documents need an English translation: a translator in Australia must be NAATI accredited, and a translator overseas must state on the translation, in English, their full name, address and telephone number, and their qualifications and experience in the language they are translating. Scan every document in colour, clearly, with a multi-page document saved as one file; documents do not need to be certified.
Family members cannot be included in the same application: each family member lodges, pays and attaches documents separately; applications lodged at the same time can be processed together if they are declared in the application.
Subclass 155 Visa Fee: AUD 1,475 per Applicant
The Department’s current visa application charge is AUD 1,475 per applicant, lodged online; where the Department has authorised a paper application, an additional AUD 80 non-internet application charge applies (the price list notes that an exemption may apply in certain circumstances). Applications cannot be combined; each applicant pays separately.
- No refund is generally given if the application is refused, if the travel facility remaining on a previous visa is lost, or if the travel facility is not used after the grant
- Nor is a refund generally given just because you lodged without meeting the residence requirement and were granted only a one-year travel facility; the website says that if a Department mistake caused you to lodge in error, you may be eligible for a refund with documentary evidence
- The Department may ask for police certificates, which cost extra
These figures were read from the Department of Home Affairs website when this page was built in October 2026; the fee published on the website at the time of lodgement prevails. For the new 2026-27 rates across visa types, see the Australian visa fee increase overview.
Common Situations: PR Expired, Away Too Long, Last 155 Never Used
PR expired, living overseas
Permanent residence is still there, but you must apply for and be granted an RRV outside Australia before you can return as a permanent resident. Start by checking your days in Australia over the last five years: two years or more takes the standard pathway; less than that is prepared on substantial ties.
Years back home, hardly any time in Australia
The website says applications that do not meet the residence requirement take longer to process. The focus of this kind of application is finding every real tie with Australia, in family, assets, employment and business, one by one, and explaining the reasons where the absence exceeds the allowed period. Similar cases Newstars has handled: a subclass 155 granted after more than ten years away, and a subclass 155 case for a client granted PR 15 years ago who had never entered Australia (see the case pages).
See the cases: Over ten years away · 155 granted · 15 years, never entered · 155 reversed
The last 155 was granted but never used to enter
The website’s refunds section says a refund is generally not given just because the travel facility was not used after the grant. What the next application needs to explain is assessed by a registered migration agent from your travel records.
Settling it for good: citizenship
Once a travel facility ends, leaving and re-entering as a permanent resident needs another RRV; once you qualify for citizenship, travelling on an Australian passport no longer needs an RRV. Citizenship has its own residence requirement, which a long absence may not meet; and someone who has applied for citizenship by conferral still needs an RRV to re-enter until the pledge is made.
How Newstars Helps
Newstars’ MARA-registered migration agents work out from your travel records which pathway applies and how long a travel facility you can apply for, then list the documents for that pathway: for a standard renewal, the days of residence and the identity documents; for less than two years, the evidence for the four kinds of substantial ties and the statement, with the reasons for any absence beyond the allowed period. After lodgement they follow up requests for further documents, and after the grant they remind you of the travel facility expiry date.
Newstars’ role in this
Migration advice is given by the MARA-registered migration agents of Newstars’ migration department; this page is general information compiled from the Department of Home Affairs website as it stands, is not advice on any individual case and does not represent any outcome.
Want to know which pathway you fall under? Send us your travel records and a registered migration agent will make a preliminary assessment first.
Book a free initial assessment →Related pages
Common Questions About Subclass 155/157 and PR Renewal
What is a subclass 155 visa?
Subclass 155 is Australia’s Resident Return Visa (RRV), used by current and former permanent residents to restore their right to enter and leave Australia once the travel facility has ended. Subclass 157 is the version of the same visa with only a three-month travel facility, for applicants who do not meet the 155 criteria but have compelling and compassionate reasons for their absence and meet the absence condition stated on the website. One application is assessed against both.
What are the requirements for Australian PR renewal?
The applicant must be a permanent resident, a former permanent resident whose last permanent visa was not cancelled, or a former citizen who lost Australian citizenship. Those with 730 days in Australia in the last five years as a permanent visa holder or citizen get a five-year travel facility; those with less may use the substantial-ties pathway (up to twelve months), the family-unit pathway (up to twelve months) or subclass 157 (three months).
My PR has expired. Can I still return to Australia?
Permanent residence has not expired; the travel facility has. If you are outside Australia, you must apply for and be granted an RRV before entering; if you are in Australia, you are unaffected as long as you do not leave. Returning on a temporary visa such as a visitor visa may, according to the website, affect PR entitlements and how the residence requirement is counted later, and is not recommended.
Can I renew with less than two years in Australia?
You can apply, through the substantial-ties pathway: you must show ties with Australia that are substantial and of benefit to Australia (business, cultural, employment or personal ties), and your absence must be within the period the website allows, otherwise compelling reasons are needed. The travel facility granted in this situation is up to twelve months, and processing takes longer than a standard renewal.
What is the difference between subclass 155 and 157?
They are two possible outcomes of the same application. Meeting the 155 criteria (two years of residence, substantial ties, or a member of the family unit holding an RRV) gives a 155 with a travel facility of five years or up to twelve months; meeting none of them but having compelling and compassionate reasons for the absence, and meeting the absence condition stated on the website, may give a 157 with a three-month travel facility.
Can I apply from outside Australia?
Yes. You can be in or outside Australia when you apply, but not in immigration clearance. If you are outside Australia with an expired travel facility, you must be granted the RRV before you can enter as a permanent resident.
How many years does a subclass 155 give?
Two years in Australia in the last five as a permanent visa holder or citizen gives five years; less than two years with substantial ties, or a member of the family unit of an RRV holder, gives up to twelve months; subclass 157 gives three months. The travel facility remaining on a previous visa is not added to the new one.
How much does a subclass 155 visa cost?
The Department’s current application charge is AUD 1,475 per applicant for an online application; a paper application authorised by the Department costs AUD 80 more (an exemption may apply in certain circumstances). Family members apply and pay separately. These figures were read from the website in October 2026; the rate published at the time of lodgement prevails.
How long does a subclass 155 take?
The Department’s website says applications that meet the residence requirement are generally processed within 5 working days of lodgement, and those that do not take longer, with 12 weeks or more given as an example. This describes recently finalised applications and is not a commitment for an individual case; missing documents and requests for more information all add time.
What documents do I need for a subclass 155 application?
Identity documents (passport, identity card, change-of-name evidence), evidence of permanent residence (especially for those who migrated before 1990), and travel records for the last five years; with less than two years, add the evidence and statement for the four kinds of substantial ties, and a statement of reasons if the absence exceeded the allowed period. Non-English documents need a qualified English translation, and everything is scanned in colour.
Can my family apply with me?
Family members cannot be included as secondary applicants. Each family member lodges their own application and pays their own charge; applications lodged at the same time and declared in the application can be processed together. The application should state which immediate family members are Australian citizens or permanent residents, which helps prove substantial ties.
Does an RRV affect a later citizenship application?
The website states that, for citizenship purposes, permanent residency starts on the day the visa is granted if you are in Australia, or on the day you enter Australia on the visa if you were outside Australia when it was granted; citizenship has its own residence requirement, which a long absence from Australia may not meet. The website also notes that returning without a permanent visa (for example on a temporary visa) may affect how the residence requirement for citizenship is counted. Once you qualify for citizenship, travelling on an Australian passport no longer needs an RRV.
PR expired or a long absence? Count your days in Australia first, then choose the pathway
Send us your travel records and a registered migration agent will make a free preliminary assessment: which subclass to apply for, how long a travel facility you can get, and what documents to prepare.
