# Travel facilitation letter process



## ropesalad (Oct 15, 2019)

Hi Everyone, 

I have found this forum really helpful while my partner and I were making her 309 visa application. I noticed that there is very little information on the internet or the home affairs website about the travel facilitation letter. This can be requested for permanent and provisional visa holders who are having issues getting to Australia before their first entry date on their visa grant letter. I thought I would share our experience on here as a guide for what to expect if others need to apply for this letter:

*THE PROCESS*
We submitted the application through the home affairs website: Travel facilitation letter request form . It is available when the visa initial entry date has passed or will pass within 3 months. It asks some basic questions about what visa type you have, and your intentions for when you plan to travel. If you are eligible, it opens up a new set of questions starting with your initial entry date on your grant letter. It then asks for your location, personal and contact details, passport details and visa details. It also asks if you want to make an application for more than one person.

*PROCESSING TIME*
For us, we received a response in *about a week*. I haven't found much else on the internet to know if this is a long, short or average timeframe for this process.

*RESPONSE*
We received an email indicating that the application had been successful. The email included a facilitation letter as an attachment. This letter allows for an initial entry into Australia 12 months from the date of the facilitation letter, provided all other conditions of the visa are met and there is no other reason to cancel your visa. 

To me, the most important thing to note here is that the facilitation letter was valid for 12 months *from the date of grant, not 12 months from the initial latest entry date specified on the original visa grant notice.*

We had no idea what the process for this form was or what the letter actually did if it was granted. Your experience may be different according to your circumstances but hopefully this helps to provide some clarity to anyone thinking of applying for the letter but are unsure when to do so or what assistance it provides if your application is successful.

Thanks everyone and best of luck.


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## vegemite11 (May 19, 2021)

Thank you very much for sharing your experience!

My 309 visa has been granted recently and the last entry date for me will be in May 2022. However due to the Covid situation and some other circumstances, we would like to leave from Europe to Australia only in Fall 2022. Do you or someone on this forum know for how long the option to apply for the travel facilitation letter will be in place? Is this an ongoing option or only possible as long as the travel restrictions are in place in Australia?

Follow up questions unrelated to the travel facilitation letter would be - is it possible to only enter Australia to activate the visa before the first entry date and leave to my home country for a few months without repercussions to the visa? Is there a limit of how long you can stay outside of Australia on a 309 visa?

Thanks in advance!


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## Samaurel (Sep 13, 2021)

Hi,

I am in the same situation here, I got my 309 visa granted in Jan 2021 with a plan of going there in November 2021 but due to the ongoing border closure and caps on arrivals, our flights have been cancelled and I want to apply for an extension for the least entry date which is currently set for Jan 2022. Just not sure exactly when do I need to start the travel facilitation letter request form and how far will they push my last entry date (3 months, 6 months, 12 months?). 

Thanks in advance,
Samantha


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## Aussie Winny (Oct 21, 2021)

My husband is in the same position, his initial entry date is January 2022, so I filled out the facilition letter form today, wondering how long they give you to get to Australia? We have a flight booked for April 2022?
Thanks Aussie Winny


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## DazMad (Nov 21, 2021)

Has anyone applied for the extension recently and got it approved? We need to be in Aus for March and were hoping to extend due to difficulties getting home but now borders are open again we are worried that the extension will be harder to get. Any info would be helpful. Cheers


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## Samaurel (Sep 13, 2021)

DazMad said:


> Has anyone applied for the extension recently and got it approved? We need to be in Aus for March and were hoping to extend due to difficulties getting home but now borders are open again we are worried that the extension will be harder to get. Any info would be helpful. Cheers


Hello,
I applied about 2 weeks ago. Process went really fast. I submitted the Travel Facilitation Letter on a Monday and got the approval on a Wednesday so literally 48h! My advice is to do it whenever possible and you should obtain a year extension from the date of approval (not from the first entry date) We were worried as well as I needed to be in Oz mid January but it is now all resolved.
Hope this helps and good luck!
Cheers,
Samantha


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## DazMad (Nov 21, 2021)

Samaurel said:


> Hello,
> I applied about 2 weeks ago. Process went really fast. I submitted the Travel Facilitation Letter on a Monday and got the approval on a Wednesday so literally 48h! My advice is to do it whenever possible and you should obtain a year extension from the date of approval (not from the first entry date) We were worried as well as I needed to be in Oz mid January but it is now all resolved.
> Hope this helps and good luck!
> Cheers,
> Samantha


Hi Samantha, thank you so much for your reply and the good news! Hopefully that stays the case for when we can apply next month. What grounds was your extension for? Is it simple enough to say that it's difficult getting a flight and it's expensive? 
Thanks once again,
Darren


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## paulhand (Apr 15, 2017)

DazMad said:


> Hi Samantha, thank you so much for your reply and the good news! Hopefully that stays the case for when we can apply next month. What grounds was your extension for? Is it simple enough to say that it's difficult getting a flight and it's expensive?
> Thanks once again,
> Darren


You don’t need ‘grounds’ - it’s a pretty much an automatic process.


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## Samaurel (Sep 13, 2021)

paulhand said:


> You don’t need ‘grounds’ - it’s a pretty much an automatic process.


Hi, 

Paul is right, there is no grounds needed, they basically ask pretty simple straight forward questions such as you name, DOB and last entry date, also I you are planning on traveling to Oz in the next 12 months. That is all. You submit it and you should get a reponse fairly soon.
Good Luck !

Samantha


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## onepintshort (Nov 22, 2021)

ropesalad said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I have found this forum really helpful while my partner and I were making her 309 visa application. I noticed that there is very little information on the internet or the home affairs website about the travel facilitation letter. This can be requested for permanent and provisional visa holders who are having issues getting to Australia before their first entry date on their visa grant letter. I thought I would share our experience on here as a guide for what to expect if others need to apply for this letter:
> 
> ...





ropesalad said:


> Hi Everyone,
> 
> I have found this forum really helpful while my partner and I were making her 309 visa application. I noticed that there is very little information on the internet or the home affairs website about the travel facilitation letter. This can be requested for permanent and provisional visa holders who are having issues getting to Australia before their first entry date on their visa grant letter. I thought I would share our experience on here as a guide for what to expect if others need to apply for this letter:
> 
> ...


Thank you for this! I've just applied for the Travel Facilitation Letter and was wondering how long it will take and if it will be in time before my flight in 3 weeks. Thanks!


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## onepintshort (Nov 22, 2021)

vegemite11 said:


> Thank you very much for sharing your experience!
> 
> My 309 visa has been granted recently and the last entry date for me will be in May 2022. However due to the Covid situation and some other circumstances, we would like to leave from Europe to Australia only in Fall 2022. Do you or someone on this forum know for how long the option to apply for the travel facilitation letter will be in place? Is this an ongoing option or only possible as long as the travel restrictions are in place in Australia?
> 
> ...


As far as I know, the option to apply for the travel facilitation letter will be available as long as you visa is valid. Also, yes, you can just enter the country to activate the visa and leave. There is no restrictions on that. All the best!


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## onepintshort (Nov 22, 2021)

Samaurel said:


> Hi,
> 
> I am in the same situation here, I got my 309 visa granted in Jan 2021 with a plan of going there in November 2021 but due to the ongoing border closure and caps on arrivals, our flights have been cancelled and I want to apply for an extension for the least entry date which is currently set for Jan 2022. Just not sure exactly when do I need to start the travel facilitation letter request form and how far will they push my last entry date (3 months, 6 months, 12 months?).
> 
> ...


I would suggest to only apply for the Travel Facilitation Letter once you know the date of entry. And according to the author of the original post, he said it took about one week to get it.


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## DazMad (Nov 21, 2021)

Samaurel said:


> Hi,
> 
> Paul is right, there is no grounds needed, they basically ask pretty simple straight forward questions such as you name, DOB and last entry date, also I you are planning on traveling to Oz in the next 12 months. That is all. You submit it and you should get a reponse fairly soon.
> Good Luck !
> ...


Excellent! Thank you so much.


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## DazMad (Nov 21, 2021)

paulhand said:


> You don’t need ‘grounds’ - it’s a pretty much an automatic process.


Thank you so much Paul. Much appreciated. Darren


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## wymi (Jan 14, 2022)

DazMad said:


> Thank you so much Paul. Much appreciated. Darren


Hey Darren, wondering if you apply for the facilitation letter and what's the response time now? 

My dad's 143 visa also has a first entry date of Jan 2022 but because of the current covid situation in Australia it is so hard to get a flight. I am planning to apply for this week as we don't want to lose the visa ..

Thanks in advance,
Jen


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## DazMad (Nov 21, 2021)

wymi said:


> Hey Darren, wondering if you apply for the facilitation letter and what's the response time now?
> 
> My dad's 143 visa also has a first entry date of Jan 2022 but because of the current covid situation in Australia it is so hard to get a flight. I am planning to apply for this week as we don't want to lose the visa ..
> 
> ...


Hi Jen, 
Reply time super quick. I think we applied on a Friday evening and was approved by the following Tuesday so 48 hours. We did this is late Dec so I don't think you'll have a problem.

Good luck with it!
Cheers, Darren


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## wymi (Jan 14, 2022)

DazMad said:


> Hi Jen,
> Reply time super quick. I think we applied on a Friday evening and was approved by the following Tuesday so 48 hours. We did this is late Dec so I don't think you'll have a problem.
> 
> Good luck with it!
> Cheers, Darren


Thanks Darren! Will lodge it tonight!  Regards, Jen


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## cyberbastion (9 mo ago)

Thanks. My travel facilitation letter process take a week to receive it.


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## jliangad (8 mo ago)

cyberbastion said:


> Thanks. My travel facilitation letter process take a week to receive it.


Hi, may I know when you submitted your application? I submitted mine last Thur night, but haven't got feedback till today (Tue noon). It is my second extension. Appreciate if you could share any information!


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## cyberbastion (9 mo ago)

jliangad said:


> Hi, may I know when you submitted your application? I submitted mine last Thur night, but haven't got feedback till today (Tue noon). It is my second extension. Appreciate if you could share any information!


I applied 9 or 10 April and get the letter on 25 April.


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## jliangad (8 mo ago)

cyberbastion said:


> I applied 9 or 10 April and get the letter on 25 April.


Many thanks for your kind reply. I submitted my request on 19th May, and have not yet received any response as of today (24th May). I am worried that what if the issue date of letter is later than the first entry date (11 Jun), would it have any negative impact on my 100 visa？


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## cyberbastion (9 mo ago)

jliangad said:


> Many thanks for your kind reply. I submitted my request on 19th May, and have not yet received any response as of today (24th May). I am worried that what if the issue date of letter is later than the first entry date (11 Jun), would it have any negative impact on my 100 visa？


I dont think it will have any issue. since my case was "First entry arrival date" already expired due to COVID travel restrictions. So we apply this Travel facilitation to extend/renew the "First entry arrival date".
Hope you will receive it soon.


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## jliangad (8 mo ago)

cyberbastion said:


> I dont think it will have any issue. since my case was "First entry arrival date" already expired due to COVID travel restrictions. So we apply this Travel facilitation to extend/renew the "First entry arrival date".
> Hope you will receive it soon.


Finally got the letter today! It is my 2nd extension. 😀


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## DyaneNollman (7 mo ago)

Thanks for sharing this information. It gets pretty irritating to plan a vacation sometimes. Every summer, my family and I try to travel to a new country. And most of the time, it's pretty annoying to book accommodations and purchase tickets. However, with the steps you've shared, I believe my next trip will be much easier. The ticket booking will also be easier as I've learned about the dbfahrplanauskunft.com platform. By the way, guys, have you visited Germany? We are considering visiting this country this summer, and I want to hear about your experience.


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## sukisamy (Nov 27, 2016)

My wife first date of entry is 13th October 2022 we applied an extension for two month entry, on 8/12/2022, application was submitted on17th July 2022. We got an reference number, but there was no acknowledgment the application was received. Called them today, they cannot confirm the application is received, whether extension would be granted, this is kinda shit when immi cannot confirm things, how are we suppose plan and book tickets for coming back to Australia with no information


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## FengXiao (5 mo ago)

I submitted one travel facilitation letter last year and I got the approval in about one week.

I submitted another one (for same visa holder) on 10th July, no response yet.

I've called 131 881 twice, if you are directed to parent visa department, they have no idea what's travel facilitation letter.

If you are directed to travel department, they know what's travel facilitation letter but can't tell you progress. They only tell you wait, if VISA expires, give them another call.


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## holliehewitt (5 mo ago)

DyaneNollman said:


> Thanks for sharing this information. It gets pretty irritating to plan a vacation sometimes. Every summer, my family and I try to travel to a new country. And most of the time, it's pretty annoying to book accommodations and purchase tickets. However, with the steps you've shared, I believe my next trip will be much easier. The ticket booking will also be easier as I've learned about the https://writemypapers4me.net writemypaper4me. By the way, guys, have you visited Germany? We are considering visiting this country this summer, and I want to hear about your experience.


Traveling through Germany and France unfortunately did not bring the expected result, rather, to some extent disappointment. If you visit Europe on a tourist visit, but I would choose either Switzerland or the Czech Republic. In terms of beauty of landscapes of course Switzerland is beyond competition, but there is a nuance - a little bit too expensive. The Czech Republic attracts not only the beauty of nature, historical monuments but also its accessibility. Tickets and tours are much cheaper than in Germany, Switzerland and France, and you get the same pleasure, but the choice - of course do you, this is just my opinion.
Also, if you have time to plan your trip before the fall, I would recommend visiting Slovenia and Croatia. In Croatia we were not the first time and we know that there are very beautiful places, and in Slovenia were for the first time this year, and honestly admit - Slovenia was something of a revelation to me, I never expected that in this small country, so many beautiful places.
And I completely forgot about Poland. Zakopane is a ski resort in southern Poland, the highest in Poland and one of the most beautiful in Europe.
And Gdansk is the ancient, maritime capital of Poland, located in the north of the country, on the shores of the Baltic Sea. That's where I've been


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## FengXiao (5 mo ago)

Eventually I got the travel facilitation letter.
History
Submitted: 10th July 2022
Called 131 881

Parent VISA dept: they have no idea what's travel facilitation
Travel dept: they know travel facilitation but can't tell progress or speed it up
Received approval: 11th Aug 2022 from WA Parents <[email protected]>


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## pjwon26 (5 mo ago)

I got grated for visa 100 and my first initial date of entry is next month. Im with a baby so i am submitting facilitation letter but not sure if i should do this now (have no plan to go to Australia within 12 months) or wait till i get a date. 
Should i submit the facilitation letter before the first entry date regardless?


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## paulhand (Apr 15, 2017)

Why not follow the instructions on the Department’s website: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/form-listing/Pages/travel-facilitation-letter-request-form.aspx


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