SPA 2027 · Plan your visit
Visa Information and Support Letters
Guidance to help international delegates prepare for travel to Australia and access a conference invitation letter.
Visa applications
Prepare for your journey
Most international visitors need an appropriate visa or travel authority to enter Australia. This guide brings together key information to help make the application process as straightforward as possible.
Application guidance
What you need to know
Open each section below for visa application, entry, biometric, health and character information.
Business visitor activities
As a business visitor, you can:
- Make general business or employment enquiries
- Investigate, negotiate, enter into or review a business contract
- Conduct activities as part of an official government visit
- Take part in a conference, trade fair or seminar, provided you are not paid by the organisers to take part
- Undertake tourist activities
Visitor visa (subclass 600) Business Visitor stream applicants should include as much information as possible to support their application. Review the official step-by-step application guidance.
Additional supporting information
Applicants should also consider including:
- Evidence of international travel outside their own country, such as copies of visas and passport pages containing entry and departure stamps
- Information and evidence of attendance at similar events
Eligibility criteria
Requirements vary according to the visa type and individual circumstances. For conference-related travel, applicants should generally be able to demonstrate that they:
- Have a genuine invitation to participate in a conference or seminar in Australia
- Intend to attend the conference for a specific period
- Meet the relevant health and character requirements
- Have sufficient funds to cover accommodation, transport and living expenses during their stay
- Meet all other criteria specified by the Department of Home Affairs for their selected visa
Biometrics and entry into Australia
Visa applicants outside Australia may need to provide biometrics if requested by the Department of Home Affairs. Requirements can depend on the visa, the applicant’s country and their location at the time of application.
Review the official Australian biometrics information for current guidance and collection arrangements.
Travellers should also familiarise themselves with Australia’s border and entry requirements. See Entering Australia for further information.
Health and character requirements
Most visa applicants must meet minimum health standards before a visa can be granted. The Department of Home Affairs may assess an applicant’s health as part of the visa application process. This is referred to as meeting the health requirement.
Review the official health requirements for further information.
Applicants must also meet Australia’s character requirements to be granted a visa. Review the official character requirements for further information.
Visa support
Letter of invitation
An invitation letter can be downloaded from your registration dashboard to support your visa application. The letter will become available once your registration fee has been paid in full and your passport details have been entered.
- Log in to the registration dashboard as a returning delegate using your email address and password.
- Scroll to the Documents section and select Enter Details.
- Complete every required field. A visa letter cannot be generated until all details have been entered.
- Select GO to save the details and return to the main dashboard.
- Select Download Letter to generate the invitation letter as a PDF.
Please email the Conference Secretariat if you have difficulty downloading your Letter of Invitation from the dashboard.
Official resources
Useful links
Use the Department of Home Affairs resources below for current application and health guidance.