If a person will entertain or be paid to contribute, they are in the 408 Entertainment Activities stream. If they are invited to take part in a community-based event without working as an entertainer, such as a speaker, an author presenting at a writers festival, a visual artist exhibiting or an entertainer attending a promotional event without performing, they are in the 408 Other Social and Cultural Activity (Invited Participant) stream, up to 3 months. Someone only attending, not entertaining and not paid to contribute, may only need a Visitor visa.
The line between the streams
Home Affairs draws it around one word: working. The Entertainment Activities stream "must be used" by an entertainer or performer working in the Australian entertainment industry, by production crew for a competition being filmed in Australia, and by media covering an event for an Australian audience. The Invited Participant stream is for people invited to take part in a community-based event who are not doing that work.
What the Invited Participant stream covers
Examples Home Affairs gives, with a stay of up to 3 months and family able to be included:
- an entertainer attending specific promotional events, but not performing
- an artist making visual art or exhibiting their work
- an author presenting their work to an audience at a writers festival
- a public speaker or lecturer, or someone speaking or presenting at a trade fair, expo, exhibition, conference, workshop or seminar
- a choreographer conducting a dance workshop with an unticketed closing performance
- an academic invited by a tertiary institution to lecture or hold workshops
The applicant must be invited by an Australian organisation, and needs a supporter (applying from outside Australia for under 3 months) or a sponsor (applying in Australia). Union consultation is not a requirement of this stream.
When a Visitor visa is enough
Home Affairs says a Visitor visa might be more suitable for someone attending or taking part in a trade fair, expo, exhibition, cultural event, conference, workshop or seminar who is not entertaining and not being paid to contribute. Which Visitor visa, and on what conditions, depends on the passport, and this site does not cover it. The moment a fee or a performance is involved, the answer moves back to a 408.
Mixed line-ups
A festival that books a headline act, a panel of authors and a visiting curator has three routes on one bill: the act and its crew on the Entertainment stream, the authors and curator on the Invited Participant stream, and any unpaid attendee on a Visitor visa. The festival can be supporter or sponsor for both 408 streams at once; the applications are just filed under different streams with different evidence.
Sponsor or supporter, again
The same two questions apply to both streams: where the person is when they lodge, and how long they stay. A festival or conference that is an Australian organisation lawfully established and operating can be the supporter for short stays from outside Australia; anything lodged in Australia, or over 3 months on the Entertainment stream, needs the organisation approved as a Temporary Activities Sponsor. 408visa sets this up for events that would rather not learn it.
Facts checked against the Home Affairs subclass 408 Entertainment, Invited Participant pages on 19 September 2026.
Questions on this page
Does a keynote speaker at a conference need a 408?
A public speaker or lecturer, or someone presenting at a conference, is listed under the 408 Invited Participant stream, up to 3 months, with an Australian supporter or sponsor. Someone only attending, not presenting and not paid, may only need a Visitor visa.
Can a band do a promo appearance on a Visitor visa?
An entertainer attending a promotional event without performing is listed under the 408 Invited Participant stream, not a Visitor visa. If they perform at all, it is the 408 Entertainment stream.
Can one festival sponsor both streams?
Yes. An Australian organisation can be the supporter or sponsor for applicants on the Entertainment stream and on the Invited Participant stream at the same time; each application is lodged under its own stream with the evidence that stream requires.