A touring artist and everyone working the tour use the subclass 408 Entertainment Activities stream: performers under the performer category, techs and tour production under production staff, and coaches, stylists or backing players under support staff. An Australian promoter or entity stands behind the applications as supporter (under 3 months, applying from outside Australia) or approved sponsor (in Australia, or 3 months or more), and must consult the relevant union before engaging the party.
Who is on the manifest
A touring party is three kinds of people to Home Affairs, and each maps to a category of the 408 Entertainment Activities stream:
- Performers: the artist, the band, guest vocalists, DJs. Category: performing other than in film or television.
- Production staff: front of house and monitor engineers, lighting, backline, stage and tour production managers, riggers, video. Category: working in a production role other than as a performer.
- Support staff: backing musicians and vocalists engaged to assist the performer, vocal coaches, hair, dressing and make-up, personal assistants. Category: working as support staff for an entertainer or group.
Everyone gets their own application, and every application names the same Australian supporter or sponsor and the same itinerary. The stream allows a stay of up to 2 years with multiple entry, so a party that leaves for New Zealand mid-run and comes back is fine.
Who is the Australian side
Two questions decide it: where each person is when they lodge, and how long they will stay.
- Outside Australia and under 3 months: a supporter. The promoter, a venue, a festival, a government agency, or an Australian citizen or permanent resident. They write a letter of invitation with every date and venue, and confirm they support any family included.
- In Australia, or 3 months or more: an approved Temporary Activities Sponsor. An Australian organisation approved by Home Affairs, with sponsorship obligations that run for the engagement.
Tours without an Australian promoter are common and the gap is fillable. TourHub Australia Pty Ltd, through 408visa, can act as the supporting or sponsoring entity for a party that has none.
Union consultation
For performers, production staff and support staff the sponsor or supporter must consult the relevant Australian union or unions before engaging the party, and evidence of the consultation goes in each application. It is a step promoters used to skip and Home Affairs now expects to see.
When a date moves
The itinerary in the application is the itinerary the visa is granted against. Adding a show, changing a venue or shifting a date needs permission from the Temporary Specialist Entry Centre before the change, by email or in ImmiAccount. Do this early; a routing change announced on socials before the request goes in is a bad look on the file.
The one who is not entertainment
A manufacturer's engineer flying in to commission a bespoke staging system for a week is not doing entertainment work. That person may fit the subclass 400 Short Stay Specialist visa: highly specialised, non-ongoing, no sponsor, applied for from outside Australia, up to 6 months with a business case over 3. Everyone else on the bus is a 408.
Facts checked against the Home Affairs subclass 408 Entertainment, subclass 400 pages on 19 September 2026.
Questions on this page
Does the whole band need separate visas?
Yes. Each performer, crew member and support staff member lodges their own subclass 408 application, all naming the same Australian supporter or sponsor and the same itinerary. Family members are included in the relevant person's application.
Can the promoter be the supporter?
Yes, if the promoter is an Australian organisation lawfully established and operating in Australia and the party applies from outside Australia for under 3 months. For longer stays, or applications lodged in Australia, the promoter must be approved as a Temporary Activities Sponsor.
Can we add a show after the visa is granted?
Only with permission. Requests to add dates, change venues or move times go to the Temporary Specialist Entry Centre before the change is made.