Permanent resident,travel facility expired:the visa that lets youcome back.
Permanent residence does not expire while you are in Australia, but the right to re-enter does, usually five years after grant. The Resident Return visa restores it. The subclass 155 gives five more years if you have lived here for two of the last five, or one year on substantial ties if you have not. The subclass 157 is a three-month lifeline for the rest.
Government charges, Resident Return visa
- Resident Return visa 155per applicant, including each family member$1,475
- Resident Return visa 157three-month travel facilitylower charge
As at 1 July 2026. Each family member lodges their own application and pays the charge. Our professional fee is fixed and quoted in writing.
A visa that restores a permanent resident's right to re-enter Australia.
The Resident Return visa, subclass 155 and 157, lets current and former permanent residents, and former citizens, travel to and from Australia after the travel facility on their permanent visa has expired. The 155 charge is $1,475; a five-year travel facility needs at least two years of lawful residence in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen in the last five, and shorter facilities are granted on substantial business, cultural, employment or personal ties of benefit to Australia.
Verified as at 1 July 2026 against the Department of Home Affairs subclass 155 and 157 pages and Schedule 2 of the Migration Regulations 1994.
Which RRV? A 30-second check
Answer the questions to see where you stand.
A guide only, not legal advice. The consultation is where the real answer comes from.
Permanent residence stays. The travel facility does not.
Most people discover the problem at the airport. Here is the rule and the two mistakes that turn a small problem into a large one.
- 01
Five years from grant
Most permanent visas carry a five-year travel facility. Inside Australia you remain a permanent resident after it ends. Outside Australia you cannot re-enter without a Resident Return visa or citizenship.
- 02
Onshore, nothing else changes
Work, Medicare, study and every other right continue. Apply for the 155 before you next travel, and the new facility starts from grant.
- 03
Do not apply for a visitor visa instead
A permanent resident who is granted a visitor visa loses the permanent visa, because a new visa grant ends the old one. It is the most expensive shortcut in migration law. Apply for the Resident Return visa from overseas and wait for it.
- 04
Citizenship ends the problem
A permanent resident who has lived in Australia for four years, including the last 12 months as a permanent resident, with limited absences, can apply for citizenship and travel on an Australian passport.
The length of the travel facility depends on residence and ties.
Only time spent in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen counts. Time on a temporary visa does not.
| Your situation | Grant | Travel facility |
|---|---|---|
| Two of the last five years in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen | 155 | Five years |
| Under two years, but substantial ties of benefit to Australia, and away less than five continuous years | 155 | One year |
| Away five years or more continuously, with compelling reasons for the absence, plus substantial ties | 155 | One year |
| At least one day but under two years in Australia in the last five, with compelling and compassionate reasons to travel | 157 | Three months |
| Former permanent resident who left Australia as a child, or a former citizen | 155 or 157 | Depends on residence and ties |
Charges as at 1 July 2026: $1,475 for the 155. Grants shorter than five years can be renewed while the ties continue, and each grant restarts the count.
What substantial ties of benefit to Australia means in practice.
The Department accepts four kinds of ties and asks two things of each: that it is substantial, and that it benefits Australia. Here is what works.
Business ties
Ownership or management of an Australian business, an ABN with trading history, contracts with Australian clients, financial statements and evidence of your active role.
Employment ties
A job in Australia, or a job overseas with an Australian employer or one that benefits Australia. An employment contract, payslips and a letter from the employer setting out the benefit.
Personal ties
A partner or children who are Australian citizens or permanent residents, property you own here, a long period of past residence, and concrete plans to return. Personal ties need to show benefit, not just connection.
Cultural ties and compelling reasons
Roles in the arts, sport, religion or community organisations. Where you have been away five years or more, add the compelling reasons for the absence, such as illness, caring for family or an overseas posting.
What a Resident Return visa costs in government charges.
Everyone applies individually. There is no additional applicant charge, so a family pays the 155 charge for each person.
As at 1 July 2026. The 157 has a lower charge, confirmed at the consultation. Our fixed professional fee is additional.
Three mistakes that cost permanent residents their status or their trip.
Each of these arrives in our inbox from an airport or a departure lounge. All three are avoidable.
- 01
Booking travel before the grant
The Resident Return visa is not automatic. Airlines will not board a permanent resident whose facility has expired. Apply, wait for the grant, then book.
- 02
Counting the wrong years
Only days spent in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen count towards the two-in-five rule. Years on a student, 482 or partner temporary visa do not, however long you lived here.
- 03
Assuming children are covered
Each family member needs their own Resident Return visa. A child born overseas to permanent resident parents holds no visa at all and needs a Child visa before travelling to Australia.
Resident Return visas, answered plainly.
Do I lose permanent residence when my travel facility expires?
Not while you are in Australia. You keep every right of a permanent resident. You only lose the ability to re-enter after travelling, and the Resident Return visa restores it.
How is two of the last five years counted?
Add up every day you were lawfully in Australia as a permanent resident or citizen during the five years before you apply. The days do not need to be continuous. Time on a temporary visa or a bridging visa does not count.
Can I apply for the Resident Return visa from overseas?
Yes. Most applications are lodged online from outside Australia. Do not travel until it is granted. If you must travel urgently and have some recent residence, ask us about the 157.
Does my family need their own Resident Return visas?
Yes. Each permanent resident applies and pays $1,475. A child born overseas to permanent resident parents has no Australian visa and needs a Child visa, subclass 101, before entering.
I have been away for many years. Is it too late?
Not necessarily. A 155 can be granted for one year on substantial ties, with compelling reasons for an absence of five years or more. Where the ties have gone, a new visa such as a partner or skilled visa is the alternative.
Should I get a Resident Return visa or apply for citizenship?
Citizenship if you meet the residence requirement: four years of lawful residence, the last 12 months as a permanent resident, with absences of no more than 12 months in total and 90 days in the last year. Citizens travel on a passport and never need a Resident Return visa. Otherwise, the 155 keeps you travelling while you qualify.
Where this visa connects.
- ChildOpen
Child visa
A child born overseas to permanent resident parents needs their own visa.
- PartnerOpen
Partner visa
The route back for a former resident whose partner is Australian.
- 189Open
Skilled Independent visa
A fresh permanent visa where the ties for an RRV have gone.
- BridgingOpen
Bridging visas
Travel on a bridging visa B while an onshore application is decided.
Travel facility expired, or about to?
One consultation confirms which Resident Return visa you qualify for, the evidence that carries it and a fixed fee for the application.