The Home Affairs visa application charge for a subclass 408 Entertainment Activities visa is from AUD 535 for the main applicant, with an additional charge for each family member included. Health examinations, police certificates and biometrics are extra where they are required. A charge concession exists for applicants sponsored by charities, government agencies and organisations named in a legislative instrument. Government charges usually change on 1 July each year.
The government charge
Home Affairs lists the subclass 408 at "from AUD 535.00" for the main applicant. The word "from" matters: the charge for family members is added on top, and the Department's Visa Pricing Estimator is the only place to get an exact figure for a specific party. The charge is paid in ImmiAccount when the application is lodged, and Home Affairs will not process an application until it is paid.
The same base figure applies to the subclass 400 Temporary Work (Short Stay Specialist) visa, so switching a specialist to a 400 does not save on the government side.
The costs around it
- Health examinations if Home Affairs asks for them, paid to the panel clinic
- Police certificates if and when requested, paid to the issuing authority in each country
- Biometrics collection where required, paid at the collection centre
- Health insurance for the whole stay, which is a condition of grant, not a Home Affairs charge
- Translations of any document not in English
Charge concessions
A visa application charge concession can apply where the sponsor or supporter is a charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, a foreign government agency, embassy or consulate, a Commonwealth, state or territory government agency, or another organisation named in a legislative instrument because it is running an event with significant government funding. The applicant has to provide evidence of that status with the application, and the concession is lost if the applicant is also contracted to non-listed organisations for other events during the stay.
For a festival funded by a state government this is worth checking before anyone lodges. 408visa asks the question on the assessment form.
What 408visa charges
408visa's coordination fee is quoted per project once the party size, the categories involved and the route (supporter or sponsor) are known, because those three things decide how much work sits on the Australian side. There is no published rate card. The government charge is always paid by the applicant directly to Home Affairs and never passes through 408visa.
Budgeting for a party
For a touring party the working budget is: the Home Affairs charge per person (plus family), any health or police costs for the individuals who need them, insurance for everyone, and one coordination fee for the job. Build the visa line into the tour budget at the same time as flights, because the lodgement date is driven by the first show date working backwards.
Charge figures checked against the Home Affairs subclass 408 Entertainment Activities page on 19 September 2026.
Questions on this page
Is the 408 visa charge refundable if the visa is refused?
Home Affairs does not refund the visa application charge when an application is refused, other than in limited circumstances set out in the Migration Regulations. Treat the charge as non-refundable when budgeting.
Does the sponsor pay the 408 visa charge?
The visa application charge is paid by the applicant in ImmiAccount at lodgement. Who ultimately bears the cost is a commercial matter between the artist, their management and the promoter; it is common for the engaging party to reimburse it.
When do Australian visa charges change?
Government visa charges are usually adjusted on 1 July each year. Figures on this site were checked on 19 September 2026 and will be re-checked after the next change.