Rulebook  /  Countries  /  Australia

Australia day-count rules

Spending time in Australia? The rules below can affect tax residency, your right to remain and any path to residence or citizenship. This page brings Australia's day-count rules together — each explained in plain English, with a calculator and a link to the official source.

Tax residency

• 🇦🇺Avoid Australia tax residencyResidence is triggered at 183 days in a tax year, so the safe ceiling is 182. Day count is one test among several in most systems — ties, home and centre of interests can make you resident on fewer days.<=182 / YEAR
• 🇦🇺Become Australia tax residentReaching 183 days in a tax year triggers residence under the day-count test.>=183 / YEAR

Visas & entry

• 🇦🇺Australia ETA (subclass 601)Three months per entry, unlimited entries while the ETA is valid for twelve months.<=90 / VISIT

Residence & citizenship

• 🇦🇺Australia Resident Return visaTwo years in Australia in the five years before applying. Substantial ties to Australia can substitute, and are judged, not counted.>=730 / 1826
• 🇦🇺Australia citizenship residenceFour years lawful residence with no more than twelve months absent, and no more than ninety days absent in the year before applying.<=365 AWAY / 1461