Do Indonesian passport holders need a study visa for Australia?

Student visa (Subclass 500). Maximum stay is 1825 days. Apply: https://immi.homeaffairs.gov.au/visas/getting-a-visa/visa-listing/student-500/apply

How much does a Australia study visa cost?

Mandatory fees total approximately 1600.00 AUD. Service fees may apply.

How long does it take to get a Australia study visa?

Typical processing: 21–84 days. Allow extra time during peak seasons and for biometrics appointments.

Can I work part-time on a Australia student visa?

Many countries allow international students to work limited hours during term and full-time during vacations. The student visa details panel shows the specific hours allowed for Australia.

Aerial view of lush green rice terraces amidst mountains in Bali, Indonesia.

Iconic view of the Sydney Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge on a sunny day.

Photos: Tom Fisk, Moritz Feldmann · Pexels

Can an Indonesian traveller study in Australia?

Study visa requirements · See all destinations for Indonesian travellers

Most Indonesian travellers apply for an e-Visa online before they travel — it's a quick form, usually approved within a few days when heading to Australia for study.

The route most travellers use is the Student visa (Subclass 500). Stays go up to 1825 days per visit, expect to pay around A$1,600 in mandatory fees, processing usually takes 21–84 days.

There's a moderate amount of paperwork — approval is likely if your documents are in order.

Straight from immi.homeaffairs.gov.au.

Study visas have major life consequences.

Long-stay visa decisions affect your right to live, work, study, or remain with family. Always verify with a qualified immigration adviser or the destination's embassy before making travel, employment, or relocation decisions.

e-VisaStudy

Student visa (Subclass 500)

Max stay: 1825days
Processing: 21–84days
Fee: A$1,600.00≈ $1,159

Apply on official siteimmi.homeaffairs.gov.au

Difficulty4/10·Realism8/10

Why? ▾

Difficulty

Moderate paperwork

4/10

Some paperwork and processing time. Start a few weeks ahead.

Why this score?

—Online e-Visa — no embassy appointment
-2Long processing time (up to 84 days)
-0.5Proof of funds required
-0.5Moderate documentation list (6 items)
-0.5Language requirement (IELTS / TOEFL / PTE / OET / Cambridge — varies by provider)

Approval realism

Approval is likely

8/10

Most applicants with the right paperwork get approved.

What drives this score?

—e-Visa applications are commonly approved when documentation is complete

Student visa details

Institution accreditation: Required
Part-time work: Up to 48 hours/week
English requirement: IELTS / TOEFL / PTE / OET / Cambridge — varies by provider

Step-by-step checklist

Your application checklist

1
Check your passport validity
156+ days before
Most countries require 6+ months of validity beyond your travel dates and at least one blank page. If it's close, renew before applying.
2
Gather supporting documents
140+ days before
You'll need: Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from a CRICOS-registered provider; Genuine Student (GS) requirement — replaces the former Genuine Temporary Entrant; Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the visa duration; Sufficient funds: tuition + AUD 24,505 living costs per 12 months (single); and others (see full list above).
3
Prepare proof of funds
140+ days before
Bank statements covering 3–6 months are standard. Include both savings and recent income flow — adjudicators look for stability, not just balance.
4
Submit the e-Visa application online
126+ days before
Apply directly at the official portal. Save the reference number — you'll need it for arrival.
5
Track the application; print the approval
7+ days before
Decisions typically take 21–84 days. Print or save a clear PDF of the approved visa — airlines check this at check-in.
6
On the day of travel
day of travel
Carry: passport (printed visa if applicable), onward ticket, proof of accommodation, proof of funds, travel insurance. Border officers retain discretion regardless of visa status.

Show full requirements, fees, and source

Passport valid 6+ monthsProof of funds

What you need

Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from a CRICOS-registered provider
Genuine Student (GS) requirement — replaces the former Genuine Temporary Entrant
Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the visa duration
Sufficient funds: tuition + AUD 24,505 living costs per 12 months (single)
English language proficiency at the level required by your provider
Health and character requirements

Fee breakdown

Application charge (primary applicant)A$1,600.00≈ $1,159

View primary source (immi.homeaffairs.gov.au) →

What you'll need

Study visa for Australia

Specific to Indonesian passport holders.

Start ~0–12 weeks before your intended travel date.

Order these first — they have the longest lead time

Police certificate
Background2–12 weeks
A criminal-record clearance from every country you've lived in for 6+ months in the past 10 years. Universally required for work, study, family and PR routes.
How: FBI Channeler (US), ACRO (UK), AFP National Police Check (AU), state police of each country lived in.
Education credentials evaluation
Credentials4–12 weeks
WES (Canada/US), ECE, IQAS, UK ENIC, or the destination's local equivalent — converts your foreign degree to the local framework.
How: Order online; allow 4–10 weeks. Request your university to send transcripts directly to the assessor.
University admission letter
Purpose evidence2–9 weeks
An unconditional offer (I-20 for US, CAS for UK, CoE for Australia, CAQ + Letter of Acceptance for Canada).
How: Issued by your university once you've accepted the offer and paid the deposit.
English- / language-proficiency test
Credentials3–9 weeks
IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, DELE, TestDaF, JLPT — depending on the destination. Most have minimum scores per visa class.
How: Book on the test provider's site. Test slots typically 2–4 weeks out; results 5–15 days after the test.
Valid passport
Identity2–8 weeks
Most countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months beyond your departure date, with two or more blank pages.
How: Renew via your own country's passport office if expiring within 12 months.
Medical examination
Medical1–4 weeks
Conducted by a panel physician approved by the destination's immigration authority. Includes chest X-ray, blood tests, and an interview.
How: Book directly with a panel physician — find them on the destination's immigration website.
Apostille / certified document copies
Credentials1–4 weeks
Hague Apostille on civil documents (birth, marriage, education certificates) for countries that recognise the convention. Other countries require consular legalisation instead.
How: US: state Secretary of State or US State Dept. UK: FCDO Legalisation Office. Other: ministry of foreign affairs of the issuing country.

Then gather these

Biometrics (fingerprints + photo)
Background1–4 weeks
Captured at a Visa Application Centre (VFS, BLS, TLScontact). Walk-in is rarely possible — appointment slots fill up.
How: Book on the VAC website after submitting your online application.
Certified translation of documents
Credentials1–2 weeks
If your documents are not in the destination's official language, you may need a sworn or certified translator.
How: ATA-certified (US) / ITI-qualified (UK) translators, or a sworn translator registered with the destination's consulate.
Proof of funds (long-stay)
Financial1–2 weeks
Country-specific minimum savings — e.g. ~CAD 14,000 (Canada study/work permits, single applicant), ~£1,334/month + £8,000 reserve (UK family), proof of income for digital-nomad routes.
How: Bank statements going back 3–6 months, sometimes a sworn affidavit of support from a sponsor.
Tuition payment receipt
Financial1–7 days
Many study visas require a first-semester or full-year tuition payment receipt as proof of funds.
How: Issued by your university after you pay the deposit.
Passport-style photograph
Identity1–3 days
A recent biometric photo to the destination's specifications. Most consulates require their own dimensions, not your home country's.
How: Any high-street photo studio, or app-based services that meet ICAO 9303 spec.
Online visa application form
Application1–3 days
The destination's online form (DS-160 for US, gov.uk for UK, IRCC portal for Canada, ImmiAccount for Australia, e-Visa portal for most others).
How: Apply directly on the destination government website — never via a third-party paid service.
Application fee payment
Application1 day
Payable to the destination government directly. Fees range from ~$25 (e-Visas) to $2,500+ (US EB-1).
How: Card payment on the destination's portal. Receipt required for the application.

Make your case

★ Hand-written for this route

Tailored guidance — Indonesian applying for a study visa to Australia

The same things a £1,000 immigration consultation would tell you — what evidenceAustralia's caseworkers actually weight, a personal-statement skeleton you can adapt to Australia's framing, common mistakes that get indonesian applications refused, and when it's worth hiring a lawyer.

What caseworkers actually weight

1
Subclass 500 Student Visa + Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) from a CRICOS provider
Indonesia is Australia's 3rd-largest source of international students (~22,000 enrolments). Your Australian institution issues CoE once you accept the offer and pay initial fees. Apply for Subclass 500 online (AUD$1,600 fee from 1 July 2024, raised from $710 — one of the world's most expensive student visa fees). Indonesian applicants are 'Assessment Level 1' under SSVF since 2023 — the lowest scrutiny tier, no financial bond required if institution is also Streamlined-eligible.
2
Genuine Student (GS) requirement — replaced GTE in March 2024
From 23 March 2024, the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) test is replaced by the Genuine Student (GS) test plus separate immigration-pathway questions. Your statement must address: previous study + work + travel history, course-career link, Australian study benefits vs Indonesian options, and post-graduation plan. Indonesian applicants previously cited GTE high-success route — GS is similar but with explicit acknowledgement of pathway intent: you CAN say you intend to apply for post-study work visa (Subclass 485) and even PR, as long as you genuinely intend the study.
3
OSHC + financial capacity declaration
Overseas Student Health Cover is mandatory for the full visa duration — providers Bupa, Medibank, Allianz, NIB, AHM. Single AUD$650-850/year; family AUD$3,500-5,000/year. Financial capacity from 10 May 2024: AUD$29,710/year living costs (raised from $24,505) + tuition + travel. Indonesian rupiah bank statements (BCA, Mandiri, BNI, BRI, CIMB Niaga, Permata) acceptable; large family-business sponsors should attach NPWP, SIUP, TDP, and 2 years of tax filings.
4
Indonesian academic certificates + notarised translation
Indonesian SMA/SMK diploma (Ijazah) and university transcripts (Daftar Nilai) need notarised translation by a sworn translator (Penerjemah Tersumpah) at the Ministry of Law (Kemenkumham) registry. Apostille via Kemenkumham (Indonesia joined Hague Apostille Convention on 4 June 2022) — replaced the older multi-stage legalisation. Cost IDR 75,000 per document, 3-5 working days at Kemenkumham Jakarta / Surabaya / Medan / Makassar / Denpasar.

Personal-statement skeleton

Fill in each section with your own facts, dates, and details. The structure mirrors what caseworkers expect to find.

Why Australia, why this course, why this institution
Indonesia has good universities (UI, UGM, ITB, ITS, UNAIR, BINUS, UPH). Explain why your Australian programme offers something unique — Group of Eight research depth, ANU policy network, Melbourne biotech, UQ tropical medicine, USyd business case studies, UTS engineering practice. Reference specific elements: faculty publication, course coursework, industry partnership. Vague 'Australian education is high quality' is a GS refusal trigger.
Course-career link
Map your Indonesian background to the Australian course to your post-graduation career. Be specific: 'Bachelor of Accounting from UPH → Master of Professional Accounting at UNSW → return to Indonesia as Big Four senior associate / CFO track at family business / Indonesian government Ministry of Finance.' If you intend to use the Temporary Graduate Visa (485) for post-study Australian work first, state that openly — GS doesn't penalise stated pathway intent.
Funding — Indonesian family / business / scholarship
Quantify: tuition AUD$X, living AUD$29,710, total Year 1 AUD$Z. Then show coverage: family contribution IDR X (with bank statement, NPWP tax record, SIUP/TDP business registration if business-owner). LPDP (Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan) scholarship recipients should attach LPDP letter — it's gold-standard funding evidence. Australia Awards Indonesia scholarship recipients have separate application path.
Your immigration pathway — be honest
Indonesian students often pursue Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa (2-5 years post-study work right) and some target PR via Subclass 189/190/491. State this honestly — GS allows expression of pathway intent. Document strong Indonesian ties anyway (family home with sertifikat hak milik, family business succession, returning-job offer) since visa officers still weigh likelihood of return after the temporary work visa expires.

Save thousands on lawyer fees

Use Claude to tidy your application documents before you submit

Caseworkers read thousands of applications. Tightly-structured, plain-prose statements get approved; rambling ones get refused or sent back for more evidence. I built this site after using Claude to polish my own partner-visa application — the £10,000+ I would have paid an immigration lawyer stayed in my pocket, and the visa was granted.

How to use it:

Open claude.ai (free tier works)
Paste your draft personal statement, sponsor declaration, or relationship narrative
Tell it: "Tighten this for a [destination] [purpose] visa application. Cut filler. Match the structured tone caseworkers expect. Flag anything missing that the officer will ask about."
Iterate until each paragraph earns its place. Then submit yourself — you don't need a lawyer for a clean, complete case.

For genuinely complex cases (refusal history, criminal record, prior overstay, sham-marriage concern) hire a regulated immigration adviser. For everything else, documentation quality matters more than legal representation — and AI is now extraordinarily good at the documentation part.

Mistakes that cost real money

Subclass 500 visa fee is AUD$1,600 (from 1 July 2024) — no discount available; this fee covers main applicant only, each dependent adds $440 (under 18) or $1,190 (over 18)
Don't pay Indonesian education agents commission you can avoid — many CRICOS providers (Monash, UNSW, Melbourne, Sydney, ANU, UQ, UTS, Macquarie, RMIT) accept direct applications saving agent fees of AUD$2,000-5,000
LPDP (government scholarship) covers tuition + living + return flights + visa fee + insurance — apply early in the year (intake closes around July/September); selection is highly competitive
Australia Awards Indonesia: ~250 scholarships/year for Indonesians, fully funded; priority sectors are health, education, governance, economic recovery
Bidik Misi continuation programmes can extend to Australian master's via memorandum institutions
OSHC: don't bundle through agent — compare directly at private health.gov.au site; Bupa and Medibank are typically cheapest single student cover
PTE Academic test is AUD$355 in Jakarta vs IELTS at AUD$385; Australian universities accept PTE equally — book at British Council / IDP centres
Use BCA, Mandiri, or BNI student remittance for tuition — lower FX fees than retail money changers; Bank Indonesia educational outflow has no annual cap with admission proof

DIY or hire a lawyer?

✓ DIY is fine if

• Standard Subclass 500 with clean record, clear LPDP / Australia Awards / family funding, strong GS statement
• Dependent visa applications (spouse + children) concurrent with main applicant
• Subclass 485 Temporary Graduate Visa application after completing 2+ years study
• Course change or institution change within the same visa (notify provider; usually no new visa needed)
• OSHC switch / renewal during visa term

⚠ Get a specialist if

• Prior Australian visa refusal (visitor, study, or work) — refusal grounds carry forward to GS assessment
• Past Australian student visa cancellation (attendance below 80%, course non-progression)
• Indonesian criminal record (even minor — narkotika cases are deal-breakers regardless of disposition)
• Funding from a sponsor outside Indonesia / immediate family
• Past US / UK / Canada visa refusal flagged on DS-160 / IRCC / Home Office records (Australia checks Five Eyes data)
• Family member with prior Australian asylum claim
• Switching from non-CRICOS course to a CRICOS course mid-stream
• Bringing dependants when funding is borderline ($29,710 + dependent additions tightens scrutiny)

Other visa types for this route

We also have data on these visa categories between ID and AU.

Tourism

5/10

Embassy visa required

2 options · See details

Work

1/10

Skills in Demand visa (Subclass 482) — Core Skills stream

7 options · See details

Partner / Family

2/10

Subclass 100 / 309 — Partner (Permanent / Provisional)

1 option · See details

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Sources & references

Every link below is a primary government source. We aggregate; the source is the authority. If anything on this page disagrees with a link below, the link wins.

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Who needs a visa for Australia?

Informational only. A valid visa permits entry subject to officer discretion at the border. Always verify with the destination's embassy or official source before travel, employment, or relocation.