All home-based staff must be formally nominated and accepted by the Australian Government before travelling to Australia to take up their appointments. This is done through the request for and grant of visas. For diplomatic and consular officials, visas must be formally requested by the sending state's foreign ministry; for staff of international organisations, visa requests must be made by the organisation's headquarters. The Australian diplomatic mission or consulate with responsibility for the sending country or organisation can advise what details are required for the visa request to be considered by Protocol Branch. Additional information such as a full job description and CV may be required.

For defence attachés/advisers and their deputies, who must be serving military personnel, a nomination and full curriculum vitae must be provided four to six weeks before planned travel to Australia. Confirmation of acceptance must be obtained before visas are requested. Defence attachés/advisers and their deputies will be given diplomatic accreditation.

Clerical support staff/assistants to defence attachés/advisers (who may be military personnel or civilians) do not have to be nominated and approved in advance. They will be given Administrative and Technical accreditation.

Prior approval must also be obtained for career heads of consular posts. A note verbale nominating the head of post and a full curriculum vitae must be provided at least four weeks before proposed commencement in the role. Once acceptance of the appointment is confirmed by Protocol Branch, a diplomatic visa should be requested. Exequaturs are not issued to career consuls.

Transfers within Australia e.g. from a diplomatic mission in Canberra to a consular post interstate – are treated as new postings, and formal nomination by the foreign ministry is required. Once the transfer is approved by Protocol Branch, departure and arrival documentation must be submitted before the new accreditation can be finalised.

An incoming official's accreditation should match that of the person they are replacing. For a new position, a full description of the role and duties is required to enable the correct accreditation to be determined. If an official is assigned to a position that has been vacant for more than two years, this will be treated as a new position, and comprehensive information will be required.

The Australian Government does not accept the appointment of Australian citizens or permanent residents as diplomatic or consular representatives of another country.

Any person who chooses to renounce their Australian citizenship or permanent resident status to assume a diplomatic or consular role for another country will need to apply again (including paying any applicable fees) to the Department of Home Affairs on completion of their assignment to have their citizenship or permanent residency approved. There is no guarantee that such an application would be successful. 

4.1 Dependants

The Australian Government will accept dependants of the officer (primary applicant) who form part of the household for the duration of the posting. The dependants must be formally nominated by the sending government or international organisation, and that reciprocal recognition would be given by the sending state.

Dependant family members include:

• the spouse or partner, including de facto and same sex partners
• unmarried children up to 21 years of age, provided they physically reside with the officer, and remain part of the household on a fulltime basis.

Consent for minors

Requests involving children under the age of 18 where only one parent or legal guardian is listed on the application must be accompanied by confirmation from the relevant foreign ministry that the application complies with local legal consent requirements. This confirmation must include verification that all required parties have provided their consent to the child being granted an Australian diplomatic visa.

Other dependants

Other dependants should apply to the Department of Home Affairs for an appropriate alternative visa, such as a student visa or a visitor visa.

In exceptional and limited circumstances - at the formal request of the sending foreign ministry - the Protocol Branch may consider other dependants that are:

• clearly dependent on the officer for medical reasons
• have an established history of dependency on the officer
• have an established history of physically residing with the officer and being part of the household on a fulltime basis, including on previous postings
• have attempted to apply for an alternative visa in the first instance.

The foreign ministry must explain:

• the nature of the dependency
• provide documents to prove the dependency and residence
• provide documents to prove relevant medical conditions that make the dependant reliant on the officer
• evidence that an alternative visa could not be obtained.

4.2 Visas

All foreign officials posted to Australia and their dependants must hold valid visas.

Members of the diplomatic and consular corps and the staff of some international organisations are granted diplomatic (subclass 995) visas, for an initial term of up to four years. These visas have a multiple-entry provision, allowing the holder to enter and leave Australia without limitation until the 'must not arrive after' date noted in the visa grant notice. Diplomatic visas cease to be valid when an official's posting is completed, regardless of the date shown on the visa grant notice.

See the table in section 4.6 for information on who may be eligible for diplomatic visas.

Visas are provided to foreign officials and their dependants on the understanding that staff are rotated regularly and not posted indefinitely. Requests for new visas after the initial visa's validity expires are considered on a case-by-case basis up to a maximum of ten years. Visa renewals should be requested by the mission or post four weeks before the 'must not arrive after' date.

Children born to foreign officials during their posting in Australia must obtain an Australian visa. The birth must be registered with an Australian Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages; a copy of the birth certificate and a colour copy of the personal data page in the child's passport should then be sent to Protocol Branch with a request for a visa.

Missions, posts and international organisations are required to inform Protocol Branch if an official's dependants leave the household, so that their diplomatic visas can be ceased.

No one is permitted to have more than one Australian visa, even if they have multiple passports. If foreign officials or their family members obtain other visas during their posting to Australia, these will cancel the original visas and affect their accreditation.

4.3 Accreditation

Diplomatic mission officials are accredited under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (VCDR) as diplomatic, administrative and technical, or service staff. They must work and live in the Australian Capital Territory. Australia does not recognise branches of diplomatic missions outside Canberra.

Consular post officials are accredited under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations (VCCR) as consular officers, consular employees, service staff or honorary consuls. Officials based in a state or territory are accredited under the VCCR.

International organisation officials are accredited under the legal basis establishing the relevant office.

Missions, posts and offices must promptly notify Protocol Branch (protocol.branch@dfat.gov.au) when a home-based official arrives and provide:

• completed Arrival Notification – Accredited Official [PDF] and Arrival Notification – Official's Dependants [PDF] forms, including where dependants arrive later;
• a colour copy of each person’s diplomatic or official passport biodata page; and
• one colour passport photo for the official and spouse.

Honorary consuls must send Protocol Branch (protocol.branch@dfat.gov.au) a completed Honorary Consul – Commencement form [PDF] and a colour passport photo. The form must include telephone numbers and confirm whether they—and any home address used as the consular office—may be published in the Consular List.

After accreditation, Protocol Branch updates departmental records and issues identity cards (see section 4.4). Cards are issued to all officials and to the spouses of diplomats, administrative and technical staff and consular officers. They are not issued to children or to the spouses of consular employees, service staff or honorary consuls.

Avoid hand-over periods where possible and keep them brief. Consult Protocol Branch before seeking a period longer than two weeks, including to address reciprocity issues where two officers would hold the same accredited position.

The department publishes the names and titles of diplomats, consular officers, senior international organisation representatives and their partners in the Diplomatic List and Consular List.

Missions, posts and offices should notify Protocol Branch as soon as possible of any change to an official’s rank, functions or location—preferably before it takes effect.

Notify Protocol Branch (protocol.branch@dfat.gov.au) of changes during a posting as follows:

• the mission or post must notify a promotion, such as Second Secretary to First Secretary;
• the foreign ministry must notify a change of functions, such as consular employee to consular officer; and
• the foreign ministry must notify an in-country transfer, such as from an embassy in Canberra to a consular post in another city.

4.3.1 Service staff accreditation

Protocol Branch may accredit a person as service staff of the mission or post if the nominee is a national of the sending State, is employed and paid by that State, and will perform official service duties exclusively for its mission or post in Australia – not private domestic work for an individual.

The sending State’s foreign ministry must nominate the person by note verbale to the Australian embassy or high commission accredited to the sending State. The nomination must include:

• a colour copy of the nominee’s official or service passport biodata page;
• a curriculum vitae, service record or detailed biographical note; and
• a job description stating the nominee’s title, duties, reporting line and principal place of duty, including any work at an official residence.

It must also include a status attestation from the foreign ministry certifying that:

• the nominee is employed by the sending State and assigned as service staff to its mission or post in Australia;
• the sending State will pay the nominee’s salary and official allowances;
• the nominee’s duties will support the official functions of the mission or post, including any duties at an official residence; and
• the nominee will not be privately employed by, or perform private domestic work for, any individual member of the mission or post.

Protocol Branch may seek further or corroborating information if the material is incomplete, inconsistent or raises doubt about eligibility. It may defer or decline a nomination if the material does not support accreditation as service staff.

The sending State and its mission or post remain responsible for the welfare and conditions of employment of their service staff.

4.4 Identity cards

Protocol Branch issues identity cards to demonstrate official recognition of the status granted under the Vienna Conventions (or other arrangements, for international organisations). The cards (which are colour coded according to the category of accreditation) carry a brief statement of the immunities to which the holder is entitled.

For a home-based official, identity cards have an expiry date that matches the official's visa. A new card should be requested if the official's visa needs to be renewed.

For honorary consuls, identity cards are usually issued for five years. Requests for new cards should be made six weeks before the expiry date to allow time for Protocol Branch to consult with the sending government about renewal.

Lost identity cards should be reported to the police and a copy of the police report should be provided to Protocol Branch with a request for a replacement.

4.5 Notification of departures

When home-based officials complete their posting, the mission/post/office must notify Protocol Branch, provide a completed Departure Notification – Accredited Officials and Dependants form [PDF], and return identity cards issued to the official and spouse. All visas will be ceased within several working days of posting completion, rendering them invalid for future travel to Australia.

Protocol Branch will not issue identity card/s to a newly arrived official until the predecessor's card/s have been returned.

When an honorary consul's term concludes, the sponsoring mission should complete an Honorary Consul – Departure form [PDF] and return it to Protocol Branch.

4.6 Who is eligible for a diplomatic visa?

Foreign government employees assigned to diplomatic missions and consular posts in Australia

Yes. Heads of diplomatic missions and consular posts and Defence Attachés/Advisors and their deputies must obtain approval for their appointments before requesting visas.

Dependants of foreign government employees accredited to diplomatic missions and consular posts in Australia

A formally nominated spouse, de facto or same sex partner is eligible, and unmarried children up to 21 years old, if they are full-time members of the household. Parents are not eligible.

Representatives of international organisations

Generally, yes, but this will depend on the relevant headquarters agreement. Others may be granted temporary work – international relations (subclass 403) visas.

Diplomatic couriers

Yes, if coming to Australia on official business.

Home-based officials on short-term missions including temporary relief duties for accredited staff

These will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Foreign government officials attending a conference or official meetings in Australia

No, they must apply to the Department of Home Affairs for an appropriate visa.

Domestic workers employed privately by eligible members of the diplomatic or consular corps

No – see chapter 9.2 of these guidelines.

Representatives of international trade promotion offices, cultural institutions or tourism offices

No – they must apply to the Department of Home Affairs.

Foreign language teachers, religious instructors and community welfare workers

No – they must apply to the Department of Home Affairs.

Foreign Nationals engaged under contract by diplomatic missions and consular posts in Australia

No.