What financial evidence does subclass 600 require in 2026?

Subclass 600 does not set a published dollar figure for travel funds. What it requires, under clause 600.212 of the Migration Regulations 1994, is that the applicant "has adequate means to support himself or herself" or "has access to adequate means to support himself or herself" for the period of intended stay. The Australian Department of Home Affairs, on its Tourist stream (apply outside Australia) page for the Subclass Visitor visa (subclass 600), asks for itemised personal bank statements covering a 3 month period, and lists pay slips, audited accounts, tax records, term deposits and credit card statements as further proof. This page reflects the official Home Affairs guidance as at July 2026 and the regulation text compiled on the Federal Register of Legislation; it is general information about how the rule is written and how the department says it should be evidenced, not advice on any individual application, so the current official pages and a qualified professional remain the reference for your own circumstances.

How does 600.212 actually read, and what follows from it?

The clause sets two ways to satisfy the same standard: holding the money yourself, or being able to get it. The practical consequences follow directly from that wording.

Holding it means funds in your own name, evidenced by documents that show the balance and how it got there.
Access to it means someone else's money that you can draw on — normally a relative, friend or employer — which brings that person's own capacity into the assessment.
Either way the test is tied to the period of stay you are asking for, not to a fixed threshold published in the regulations.

Because the regulation text leaves the amount open, the evidential question is not "how much" but "can you show, on paper, that the money exists, is yours or available to you, and lasts long enough."

The Department of Home Affairs also warns on the same page that it may decide an application without requesting further information. That is the practical reason to treat the funds file as complete at the moment of lodgement rather than as something to be topped up later.

Which documents does the department actually name?

The official page groups funds evidence under the genuine visitor documents, and names six document types. The same list matches what the Department of Home Affairs' Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes as the working set for the funds test: recent bank statements, pay slips, business or tax records, and written statements of support from relatives or friends.

Document	What it is used to show
Itemised personal bank statements, 3 month period	Balance, incoming income, spending pattern over time
Pay slips	Ongoing employment income behind the balance
Audited accounts	Business or self-employment income
Tax records	Income declared over a longer period than a statement window
Term deposits	Savings held outside a transaction account
Credit card statements	Available credit and spending capacity

The official page places all of these under one heading: proof you have enough money for your stay and to leave Australia. Onward travel is part of the funds assessment, not a separate item.

Documents that are not in English need English translations as part of the application, per the same departmental page.

Does a three-month statement settle the question?

It satisfies the period the department names for personal bank statements, but it is a floor rather than a guarantee. The Department of Home Affairs' Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes bank statements, pay slips and tax records being read together against the length of stay, and notes that the evidence expected varies with the applicant's risk profile — lower-risk applicants may be assessed on a lighter file, while others are asked for more.

That flexibility runs in both directions. Where a balance sits in an account as a single unexplained lump, a three-month statement shows the number but not its origin; tax records and pay slips are what connect the balance to a declared source of income. Where income is genuinely irregular, tax records for a longer period do work that three months of statements cannot.

The safe reading is that the three-month figure is the department's stated minimum window, and that the length of stay you request is what determines whether it is enough on its own.

What if someone else is paying?

Then the file has two halves, because "access to adequate means" makes the payer's capacity part of your evidence.

On the departmental page, an invitation letter from a relative or friend in Australia can state their relationship to you, the purpose and length of your visit, and whether you will be staying with them. The same instruction is explicit: if this person will be paying for your stay, provide proof of their funds. That means their bank statements or equivalent, not only a letter saying they will cover the costs.

For the Sponsored Family stream, the Department of Home Affairs' Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes additional formal requirements — a sponsorship form and a security bond regime under the regulations — which sit on top of the funds question rather than replacing it.

A separate point worth keeping straight: paying a representative for help with the application is unrelated to who funds the trip. Home Affairs states that only a registered migration agent, a legal practitioner, or an exempt person may give immigration assistance for a fee; anyone may be appointed to receive documents on your behalf.

Where does money evidence meet the genuine visitor question?

The funds test sits under clause 600.212; the intention to stay temporarily sits under clause 600.211. They are separate criteria, and the Department of Home Affairs' Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) lists failure of each as a distinct refusal ground.

They do interact. The department's genuine visitor evidence bundle covers your plans while in Australia and proof of reasons to return home — a letter from your employer stating you plan to return to your job, proof of study at a school, college or university in your home country, proof of immediate family members at home, and proof of owning a house or other major assets. Those are the same documents that make an income stream look real. A funds file built only from a borrowed or transferred lump sum leaves both criteria weaker than one where the balance is consistent with employment or business records.

One structuring point from the regulation text: subclass 600 has no separate secondary criteria. Every applicant included as part of a family unit must meet the same primary criteria, including the funds test, rather than relying on the main applicant's file.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a minimum dollar amount for subclass 600 funds?

Neither the regulation text nor the departmental document list publishes a figure. The standard in clause 600.212 is worded as adequate means for the intended stay, so the amount is assessed against the length and shape of the trip rather than against a published threshold.

Do I have to show exactly three months of bank statements?

Three months is the period the Department of Home Affairs names for itemised personal bank statements on the tourist stream page. It is the department's stated window, and the Department of Home Affairs' Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) describes the evidence expected varying with the applicant's risk profile, so a longer stay or a less documented income pattern can call for more than the minimum.

Can a term deposit or credit card statement replace a bank statement?

The department lists term deposits and credit card statements as part of the funds evidence, alongside bank statements, pay slips, audited accounts and tax records. They are named as additional proof rather than as substitutes, so a term deposit explains where savings sit while statements and income records explain where the money comes from.

What does an Australian relative or friend need to provide if they are paying?

If the person inviting you will be paying for your stay, the department asks for proof of their funds. Their invitation letter can also state the relationship to you, the purpose and length of visit, and whether you will be staying with them.

Does funds evidence also help prove I am a genuine visitor?

They are separate criteria — clause 600.212 for funds and clause 600.211 for temporary intention — but the underlying documents overlap. Employment letters, enrolment records and asset ownership appear on the department's list of reasons-to-return evidence, and the same records support the income shown in your bank statements.

Do I need to buy my ticket before applying?

The Department of Home Affairs' Procedures Advice Manual (PAM3) states prepurchased tickets are not required. The department's funds wording still covers money for the stay and to leave Australia, so return travel belongs in the cost picture even where no ticket has been bought.