Starter guides
Living in Australia
Australia is a federation of six states and two territories. Visas, tax, superannuation and Medicare are national; tenancy, driver licences, schools and public transport are run by each state. Everyone except Australian citizens needs a visa to live or work here, and most newcomers then need a tax file number, a bank account, myGov and a home.
A smaller set of starter guides for the essentials. We are expanding it step by step.
- Currency
- AUD
- Official languages
- English
- Time zone
- Australia/Sydney
- EU member
- No
Cities
SydneyAustralia's largest city and the capital of New South Wales. Greater Sydney had 5,231,147 residents at the 2021 census, 56.8% of them born in Australia. Newcomers deal with national services (Home Affairs, ATO, Medicare) online and with NSW rules for renting, Opal transport and driver licences. Open the Sydney hub Photo: DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons (opens in a new tab)
Start here
The country-wide essentials most newcomers need first.
Moving Usually several months of planning before the move, and about a month of set-up after arrival Emergencies 5 minutes to save the numbers in your phone
Australia is a federation. The Commonwealth (federal) government runs immigration, income tax, superannuation, Medicare and most social security. The six states and two territories run renting and tenancy law, driver licences, public schools, public hospitals and public transport. In Sydney that means New South Wales (NSW) rules for your lease, your Opal card and your driver licence, and national rules for your visa, your tax and Medicare.
Who does what
- Department of Home Affairs grants visas and citizenship. Visa applications are made online in ImmiAccount, and you can check your visa's conditions at any time in VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online).
- Australian Taxation Office (ATO) issues the tax file number (TFN), collects income tax and oversees the compulsory employer superannuation (retirement savings) system.
- Services Australia runs Medicare (public health insurance) and Centrelink payments.
- myGov is the national online account that links services such as the ATO, Medicare and Centrelink in one place.
- Fair Work Ombudsman gives free advice on pay and workplace rights to every employee, whatever their visa.
- Service NSW handles NSW driver licences and many other state transactions, and NSW Fair Trading holds rental bonds and handles tenancy enquiries.
- Transport for NSW runs Sydney's trains, metro, buses, ferries and light rail, paid with an Opal card or a contactless bank card.
Who needs a visa
- Australian citizens can live and work in Australia without a visa.
- New Zealand citizens who travel on a New Zealand passport are usually granted a Special Category visa (subclass 444) when they arrive, which lets them live, work and study in Australia.
- Everyone else needs a visa to live, work or study. Many passports can get an ETA or eVisitor for short visits, but these are not work visas. To move here you usually need a skilled, family, student or working holiday visa, granted before you travel.
Getting help
- Call the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS National) on 131 450 and ask to be connected to the government agency you need, for example the Fair Work Ombudsman or LawAccess NSW.
- LawAccess NSW (1300 888 529) gives free legal information and referrals, and Tenants' Advice and Advocacy Services give free advice to renters in NSW.
The HomiStart Australia guides are general information, not legal, immigration, tax or health advice. Rules, fees and thresholds change, so confirm details with the official sources linked in each guide.