Subclass 988 and other visas: co-existence, Transit 771 and re-applying in 2026

Yes — you can hold a Maritime Crew visa (Subclass 988) and another Australian visa at the same time. While you are signed on to a non-military ship, the Maritime Crew visa is the visa in effect; if you sign off in Australia and hold no other visa, you have five days to depart or apply for another visa before it ceases. Flying to Australia to join your ship is a different problem, and an existing 988 that is still valid usually means you should not apply again. These points come from the Australian Department of Home Affairs Maritime Crew visa (Subclass 988) official page.

Can you hold a Subclass 988 and another Australian visa at the same time?

Yes. The Department's page states plainly that you can hold a Maritime Crew visa at the same time as you hold another visa. The co-existence rule is set out in section 82(2AA) of the Migration Act 1958, and the legislative text can be checked in its current form on the Federal Register of Legislation.

The most common pairing is a Visitor visa. A Maritime Crew visa does not let you stay as a visitor or tourist, but the Department's page says you can hold a Visitor visa alongside it in order to visit or sightsee while you are not working as a crew member on a ship.

What co-existence does not do is give you two sets of work rights. On a Maritime Crew visa you may only perform work that meets the normal operational duties of your ship as a member of crew. Shore-based work that is not directly related to operating the ship — tour guiding, guest relations, port-side duties of that kind — is outside the visa, and doing it is one of the events that can end the visa.

Which visa is actually in effect while you are on the ship?

The Maritime Crew visa is the visa in effect while you are signed on to a non-military ship. That matters because the two visas run on different clocks: the other visa you hold continues to exist, but the crew visa governs your status while you are signed on.

Once you sign off your ship in Australia, the crew visa gives you five days to do one of three things:

leave Australia,
hold another type of visa, or
sign on to another eligible ship.

If none of those happens within five days — or within a period specified by the Department — the Maritime Crew visa ceases. Departmental policy guidance on clause 988.512 also refers to an authorised officer allowing a longer period, up to 30 days, in cases such as health, safety or inability to obtain a ticket; that extension is discretionary rather than an entitlement.

Note also the mirror rule: if you hold another visa and that other visa is cancelled for a reason other than character grounds, your Maritime Crew visa ceases too.

If you fly to Australia to join your ship, what visa do you need?

You cannot fly into Australia holding only a Maritime Crew visa. The Department's page repeats this in several places, including under travel: the crew visa lets you enter by sea as a member of an eligible ship, as many times as you want while it is valid, but it is not an air-entry visa.

If you need to arrive by air to join a ship, you need another visa that lets you enter by air. The Department's own step-by-step page gives the Transit visa (subclass 771) as one option, alongside "another visa that lets you enter Australia by air" — the right choice depends on what you intend to do between landing and signing on, and the Department's Visa finder tool is the mechanism it points to for identifying one.

There is also a five-day rule attached to air arrival. Your Maritime Crew visa ceases if you arrive in Australia by air and do not sign on to your ship within five days of arrival, or before any other visa you hold ceases — whichever is longer. So the air-entry visa and the crew visa have to be sequenced, not just both held.

Your previous Subclass 988 is still valid — should you apply again?

Usually no. The Department's guidance is that you should not apply for another Maritime Crew visa unless the one you hold is going to expire before you enter Australia, or during your voyage in Australia as a member of crew of a non-military ship. Check whether your current visa is still valid first, using the Department's Maritime Crew visa online status enquiry page.

Two further constraints shape the decision:

You must be outside Australia when you apply for a Maritime Crew visa (you can be inside or outside Australia when it is decided).
You cannot apply for a new Maritime Crew visa while you are in Australia. If you are onshore and your crew visa is running out, the Department directs you to apply for another visa instead, and to do so before the current visa ceases.

The underlying rule is simple and repeated on the official page: do not travel to Australia without a valid visa, and do not arrive or remain in Australia without one.

When does a Maritime Crew visa stop being valid?

A Maritime Crew visa lasts for three years unless it is ceased earlier. On the Department's page, the cease events are:

Cease event	What triggers it
Wrong ship	You try to enter, or you work in Australia, on a ship that is not an eligible ship
Wrong work	While in Australia you do work unrelated to the normal operational duties of the ship
Air arrival without signing on	You arrive by air and do not sign on within five days, or before your other visa ceases, whichever is longer
Sign-off without a next step	You sign off and do not leave, hold another visa, or sign on to another eligible ship within five days (or a specified period)
Imported ship	The ship was imported or brought in for sale, was not registered on the Australian International Shipping Register (or that registration ceased), and you do not leave, hold another suitable visa, or sign on to another eligible ship within five days
No immigration clearance	You leave a vessel after arriving in Australia without being immigration-cleared
Other visa cancelled	Another visa you hold is cancelled for a reason other than character grounds
Undesirability	The Department determines it is undesirable for you to continue to hold the visa

For reference, the Department lists private yachts and superyachts, most fishing vessels, trawlers, cable-laying vessels and research vessels not owned and operated by a foreign government among ships that are not eligible.

What does it cost, and are there conditions worth checking?

The Maritime Crew visa is free — the official page lists the cost as "Free". The Department publishes processing-time indications through its visa processing time guide tool rather than a fixed figure, and describes that tool as a guide only, not specific to an individual application. No visa label is placed in your passport; the visa is digitally linked to the passport number used in the application, which is why the Department advises getting a new passport before applying rather than after.

A seafarer's identity document is not acceptable evidence except for Chinese, Russian and Vietnamese seafarer passports; if you hold both a seafarer's passport and a national passport, apply using the national passport. Family members of the crew member can be granted Maritime Crew visas if they travel on the same ship with the vessel master's permission, but they lodge separate applications and are not permitted to work in Australia on this visa; their visa ceases if yours does.

Assume, for example, that a crew member holds a valid 988 and a Visitor visa, flies in on a Transit visa (subclass 771), signs on within the air-arrival window, then signs off two months later to sightsee. The crew visa is in effect during the signed-on period, the Visitor visa supports the sightseeing period afterwards, and the five-day sign-off rule never engages because another visa is already held. Change one fact — flying in on the 988 alone — and the entry does not work at all.

How to sequence this before you travel

Check whether your existing Maritime Crew visa is still valid. Do that on the Department's Maritime Crew visa online status enquiry page. Decide how you will arrive. Plan sea arrival on an eligible ship if you are relying on the crew visa alone. Apply for a Transit visa (subclass 771) or another air-entry visa if you must fly. Confirm the ship you will join is an eligible ship. Apply from outside Australia if a new Maritime Crew visa is genuinely needed. Sign on within the window that applies to your arrival. Make sure you hold another visa before you sign off if you intend to stay.

This article is general information about how the published rules fit together and is not advice about your individual circumstances; visa outcomes turn on facts the Department assesses case by case, so confirm the current position on the official pages or with a registered migration agent or legal practitioner before acting.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I hold a Subclass 988 and a Visitor visa at the same time? Yes. The Department of Home Affairs states you can hold a Maritime Crew visa at the same time as another visa, and specifically mentions holding a Visitor visa to visit or sightsee while you are not working as a crew member. The crew visa does not itself permit staying as a visitor or tourist.

Which visa is in effect while I am signed on to the ship? Your Maritime Crew visa is the visa in effect while you are signed on to a non-military ship. Any other visa you hold continues to exist, but it is the crew visa that governs your status during that period.

What happens if I sign off my ship in Australia with no other visa? You have five days to leave Australia, obtain another visa, or sign on to another eligible ship. If none of those happens within five days, or within a period specified by the Department, your Maritime Crew visa ceases.

Can I fly to Australia on a Subclass 988 to join my ship? No. You cannot enter Australia by air holding only a Maritime Crew visa. The Department suggests a Transit visa (subclass 771) or another visa that lets you enter by air, and your crew visa ceases if you do not sign on within five days of arrival or before your other visa ceases, whichever is longer.

My old Subclass 988 is still valid — do I need a new one? Usually not. The Department says you should not apply for another one unless it will expire before you enter Australia or during your voyage in Australia as a member of crew of a non-military ship, and you cannot apply for a new Maritime Crew visa while you are in Australia. Check its status through the Department's online status enquiry page before deciding.

How long does a Maritime Crew visa last and what does it cost? It lasts three years unless ceased earlier for one of the listed reasons, and the official page lists the cost as free. Processing times are published through the Department's visa processing time guide tool as an indication only.