First week in Australia: a checklist for international students

Your first week in Australia goes fast. There’s a lot to set up, and some of it depends on other things being done first: your tax file number is posted to your address, for example, so you need an address before you apply.

This checklist puts the essentials in a sensible order. You don’t have to follow the days exactly. Each task says roughly how long it takes and where the official information is. Anything marked “approximate” was last checked on 4 Nov 2026.

If you haven’t landed yet, start with our Sydney Airport arrival guide.

Before you start: what to have ready

• Your passport. You’ll need ID for several of these tasks, starting with your SIM.
• Your Australian address, even a temporary one. Letters, including your TFN, will be posted there.
• A personal email address you’ll keep. You’ll use it for myGov and other accounts.
• Your enrolment details from your education provider.

Day 1: stay connected and safe

1. Get a prepaid SIM

Before a prepaid mobile service can be used, the provider has to check your identity, such as your name, date of birth and address. Bring your passport or other ID when you buy or set up the SIM.

• Official source: ACMA: ID checks for prepaid mobiles

With your new number, watch out for scam texts pretending to be your bank, telco or a delivery company. Don’t tap links you weren’t expecting, and never share one-time codes (ACMA).

2. Save the emergency numbers

Put these in your phone today:

• Triple Zero (000): for a serious injury or urgent medical need, a threat to life or property, or a serious accident or crime. Calls are free. Say Police, Fire or Ambulance and give your exact location. The Text Emergency Call service is on 106 (Triple Zero Australia).

• 112: works from a digital mobile phone and reaches the same Triple Zero service. It gives no extra priority (Triple Zero Australia).

• healthdirect, 1800 022 222: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for any health concern. If English isn’t your main language, call TIS National on 131 450 and ask to be transferred (healthdirect).

• Lifeline, 13 11 14: 24-hour crisis support, or text 0477 13 11 14 (Lifeline).

• Poisons Information Centre, 13 11 26: any time, from anywhere in Australia (healthdirect).

• How long: five minutes.

Days 1 to 2: get around

3. Sort out your transport card

In most cities you can start by tapping a bank card or phone, then decide whether you want the local card. Tap on at the start of every trip, and tap off where your city asks you to.

• Sydney and NSW: Opal card, a credit or debit card, or a linked device. Tap on and tap off so the right fare is charged (Transport for NSW).

• Melbourne and Victoria: myki, on trains, trams and buses. Tapping on every time gets the lowest fare. Top up online, in the PTV App or at machines and outlets (Transport Victoria).

• Brisbane and South East Queensland: go card, or contactless payment with a debit or credit card. Touch on and touch off (TransLink).

• Perth: SmartRider. Tag on and off. If you forget to tag off, a default fare is taken next time you tag on (Transperth).

• Adelaide: a metroCARD, or tap a debit or credit card or a digital wallet (Adelaide Metro).

• Canberra: MyWay+. Use the same card or device to tap on and tap off (Transport Canberra).

• Tasmania: Metro Tasmania buses are free until 30 June 2027 (Metro Tasmania).

• Darwin: a Tap and Ride card, bought on the bus with cash or at the Casuarina, Darwin and Palmerston interchanges. You don’t need to tap off (NT Government).

• Student fares: concession rules for students differ by state, so check your local transport authority before you apply for a student concession.

Days 2 to 3: money and tax

4. Open a bank account

Banks usually ask for your passport and your Confirmation of Enrolment (eCoE), and many let you open an account online before you arrive. You’ll need to show your passport at a branch before you can use the money you’ve put in (Study Melbourne).

• How long: check with your bank. Most branches are open Monday to Friday, 9:30am to 4pm (Study Melbourne).

5. Apply for your tax file number (TFN)

Your TFN is free. Most newcomers can apply online with the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) once they’re in Australia. When you start a job, give it to your employer so the right amount of tax comes out of your pay.

Applying through the ATO costs nothing. You don’t need a website or agent that charges a fee to apply for you.

• How long: your TFN is posted to your Australian address within 28 days.
• Official source: ATO: apply for a TFN

6. Set up myGov

myGov is the Australian Government’s online account. You create it with a personal email address and a strong password, then link services such as the ATO to manage your tax online.

• Official source: myGov: create an account

Days 3 to 5: health and study

7. Check your health cover

If you’re on a student visa, you must keep Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the period your visa requires, unless an exemption applies (Study Australia). Download your insurer’s app or save your membership number, so you can show it at the doctor or pharmacy.

Australia has Reciprocal Health Care Agreements with some countries. For some of them, student visa holders can also enrol in Medicare (Slovenia is one example). Check the Services Australia page for your country (Services Australia).

While you sort it out, the healthdirect Service Finder can show pharmacies near you (healthdirect), and the healthdirect helpline is there any time on 1800 022 222.

8. Student ID and USI

Your education provider will explain how to get your student ID card, usually during orientation.

Most international students studying in Australia need a Unique Student Identifier (USI) to receive their qualification. You can only create it after you’ve arrived and been through customs, using your passport and your Australian visa (USI Registry).

Days 5 to 7: your address and mail

9. Tell people where you live

Depending on your visa, you may need to give your education provider your residential address within 7 days of arriving (Study Australia). Keep it up to date whenever you move.

Your address matters for more than paperwork: your TFN is posted there, so give the ATO an address where you’ll still be in four weeks.

If you move during your first month, update your address with your provider, your bank and the ATO. Australia Post also offers a paid mail redirection service (Australia Post).

10. If you’re renting

• See it before you pay. Rental scams often use cheap listings, an owner who is overseas and can’t show the place, and a request for money upfront. Inspect the property in person, or ask someone you trust to, before paying (Scamwatch).
• Fill in your condition report. It records how the place looked when you moved in. In NSW, return one completed copy to the landlord or agent within 7 days of moving in and keep the other. Time-stamped photos help if there’s a disagreement later (NSW Government).
• Home internet. Before you sign up, enter your address on the nbn website to see what’s available (nbn co).

Sharing a house? StepWise’s Household tools keep the chores roster and shared expenses in one place.

Your first-week checklist at a glance

1. Prepaid SIM, with your passport.
2. Emergency numbers saved: 000, 112, healthdirect 1800 022 222, Lifeline 13 11 14.
3. Transport: tap on with your card or phone, or get the local card.
4. Bank account.
5. TFN from the ATO: free, posted within 28 days.
6. myGov account, linked to the ATO.
7. Health cover: OSHC sorted, and Medicare if your country’s agreement covers students.
8. Student ID, and a USI if you need one.
9. Your address given to the people who need it.
10. If renting: seen in person, condition report done.

When the basics are sorted, it’s time to think about work. Our guide to writing an Australian CV walks you through it.