First Week in Australia Checklist: Everything New Arrivals Need to Sort
- 23 hours ago
- 7 min read
Updated: 1 hour ago
Updated 23 July 2026
Your first week in Australia decides how fast the rest of your move goes.
Get these things sorted in your first seven days, and almost everything else — jobs, tax, super, healthcare — falls into place behind them:
A SIM card
A bank account
Your Tax File Number (TFN)
Your myGov account
Your health cover
A transport card
Your First Week in Australia Checklist
Arrange an Australian SIM card for mobile service
Open an Australian bank account
Apply for a Tax File Number (TFN)
Create your myGov account
Confirm your health cover is active
Organise the right public transport card
Update your resume to Australian standards
Start applying for jobs
Learn your local area and transport routes
Save important emergency and support contacts
What Should You Do First After Landing in Australia?
Land, then work through this order:
Grab a local SIM at the airport or a nearby store
Open a bank account within your first two or three days
Apply for your TFN online the same week
Set up myGov once your TFN arrives
Confirm your health cover is already active on your visa
Get a transport card before you need one
Each step unlocks the next. Banks want a phone number. Some employers want a TFN before your first pay run. myGov needs your TFN to link properly.
Which SIM Card Should You Buy When You Land?
Buy a prepaid SIM the day you land.
Most international and domestic terminals sell Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone SIMs at kiosks. A starter pack usually costs between AUD 2 and AUD 40, depending on the data included.
Telstra covers the widest area, including regional towns. Optus and Vodafone run cheaper plans with strong coverage in cities.
Your overseas SIM won't work reliably for local calls or bank verification codes. Switch as soon as you can — most banks, employers, and myGov all send verification texts to an Australian number.
How Do You Open an Australian Bank Account?
Walk into a branch, or apply online with your passport and visa grant notice. You don't need a TFN or an Australian address to open an account, though you'll want both eventually.
Commonwealth Bank, NAB, ANZ, and Westpac all offer accounts with no monthly fees for new arrivals. Most let you start the application from overseas before you land.
Give your employer and the bank your TFN once you have it. Without it, banks withhold tax at the top rate on any interest you earn.
What Is a TFN and How Do You Apply for One?
A Tax File Number (TFN) is a free, lifelong identifier from the Australian Taxation Office (ATO).
You need it to work, pay the correct tax rate, and access most government services.
Apply online through the ATO once you've arrived. The application takes about 20 minutes, and your TFN typically arrives by mail within 28 days.
You can start working before it turns up. Just give your employer the receipt number, then follow up once the TFN letter lands — that way you're not taxed at the highest bracket in the meantime.
What Is myGov and Do You Actually Need It?
myGov is the Australian government's single login for the ATO, Medicare, and Centrelink.
Yes, you need it. It's how you lodge tax returns, check your super, and manage healthcare enrolment, all in one place.
Create your account at my.gov.au once your TFN arrives, then link it to the ATO using your TFN and personal details.
International students and temporary visa holders can use myGov the same way as citizens. Only the services you're eligible for will differ based on your visa, and Medicare is the one that differs most.
Do You Need Medicare or Private Health Insurance?
This depends entirely on your visa, and it's worth getting right before your first week, not during it.
Australian citizens and permanent residents can enrol in Medicare, the public health system, as soon as they arrive.
Most temporary visa holders can't. Medicare access for visitors is limited to citizens of 11 countries with a Reciprocal Health Care Agreement with Australia, including the UK, Ireland, and New Zealand.
If your home country isn't on that list, you'll need private health cover instead:
Student visa (subclass 500) holders need Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), arranged for the length of your course
Most other temporary visa holders (482, 407, and similar) need health insurance that meets visa condition 8501, arranged for the length of your stay
OSHC has to be purchased and active before your student visa can even be granted, so if you're a student, this is one thing you don't organise in your first week — you confirm it, because it's already running.
For other visa holders, condition 8501 works the same way: the insurance needs to already be in place, and it just has to stay active for as long as you hold the visa.
Your health cover should already be active from your visa grant date, since most visa conditions require it as a condition of the grant itself. Use your first week to confirm the policy is active and to save your member number somewhere you can find it quickly.
How Do You Get Around Without a Car?
Buy the local transport card the same week you arrive:
Sydney uses Opal
Melbourne uses Myki
Brisbane uses Go Card
Perth uses SmartRider
All four now accept tap-and-go payment through Apple Pay or Google Pay as a backup.
Download Google Maps and your city's transit app before you need them, not after you're already lost — TripView for Sydney, PTV for Melbourne, Moovit for most other cities.
Learning your route to campus, work, or the nearest supermarket in week one saves you real money and stress later.
How Do You Land Your First Australian Job?
Rewrite your resume to Australian format before you apply anywhere:
Drop the photo
Cut it to two pages
Remove your date of birth and marital status
Lead with a short summary instead of an objective statement
Seek and Indeed list the most jobs across every industry. Most employers will let you start before your TFN arrives, as long as you provide it within the first few weeks.
Lacking Australian experience isn't disqualifying. Casual hospitality, retail, and warehouse roles hire regularly, and don't expect local references for entry-level positions.
What Happens to Your Pay Once You Start Working?
Once you start a job, your employer needs to pay superannuation on top of your wages, whether you're a citizen, permanent resident, or temporary visa holder.
The current superannuation guarantee rate is 12% of your ordinary earnings, confirmed by the Australian Taxation Office. So on a wage of AUD 60,000 a year, your employer contributes an extra AUD 7,200 into a super fund on your behalf.
Most employers will ask you to choose a super fund in your first pay cycle, or default you into their chosen fund if you don't. It's worth checking your payslip against your super fund statement after your first pay run, to confirm the contribution actually landed.
What Documents Should You Carry in Your First Week?
Keep these documents on you, or scanned to your phone, at all times:
Passport
Visa grant notice
TFN (once issued)
Bank card
Health insurance or OSHC membership card
A printed copy of your Australian address
Most identity checks in Australia use a 100-point system. Your passport alone covers 70 points, so add a bank statement or utility bill to clear the threshold for anything requiring full ID verification.
What Should You Do in a Medical or Safety Emergency?
Dial 000 for police, fire, or ambulance in any emergency — it works from any phone, even without credit or a SIM.
Save the Indonesian Embassy in Canberra and your nearest consulate to your phone the same day you land, along with a local GP clinic near your address.
If you lose your passport, report it to the embassy immediately; they can issue an emergency travel document while your replacement passport is processed.
Still working out your visa conditions around work rights, study rules, or Medicare eligibility? Talk to a MARA-registered migration agent before your first week gets busy.
Feeling Overwhelmed? That's Normal
Most new arrivals don't finish this checklist in seven days, and that's fine — a delayed TFN or an unopened bank account won't derail your move. Homesickness in the first few weeks is common, not a sign you've made the wrong choice; it usually eases once your daily routine, a few familiar faces, and your first pay cheque are in place. If you haven't found a job or a friend group by week two, you're still on a normal timeline, not behind one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I open a bank account before I arrive in Australia?
Yes, Commonwealth Bank, NAB, and ANZ all let you start an application online from overseas using your passport and visa grant notice, then finish identity verification once you land.
Do I need a TFN to start working?
No, but get one within your first few weeks. Employers can pay you without a TFN, but they must withhold tax at the top marginal rate until you provide one.
How much cash should I carry when I land?
Carry enough for two or three days of transport, food, and a SIM card — around AUD 100 to AUD 200 — then rely on your Australian bank card once it's active, since most places accept tap-and-go.
Can international students use myGov?
Yes. myGov works the same way for international students as it does for citizens, though your access to services like Medicare depends on your visa conditions and any reciprocal health care agreement with Indonesia.
Is it normal to feel homesick in the first few weeks?
Yes, homesickness is a common part of settling into any new country and usually fades as your routine, income, and social circle build up over the following weeks.
This content is shared by RACC Migration and Education Services for general information purposes only. It doesn't constitute immigration, legal, or education advice and shouldn't be relied upon as a substitute for professional consultation. While accurate at the time of publication, policies and requirements may change and may vary depending on your circumstances. Speak with a MARA-registered migration agent or qualified professional before making any visa or course-related decisions.
Get a straight answer on your visa, work rights, and study obligations before you land.
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