Asylum seekers
Apply for a Gold Opal Card and Transport Concession Entitlement Card.
Introduction
If you're an eligible asylum seeker, you can apply for both the Transport Concession Entitlement Card and the Gold Opal card, which allow access to concession fares on public transport.
Eligibility
To be eligible, you must:
- Reside permanently in NSW, and
- Receive aid from a recognised asylum seeker support agency in NSW (see below), while applying for or holding a bridging visa as an asylum seeker, or
- Be appealing a determination of your asylum seeker status.
Apply for a Transport Concession Entitlement Card and Gold Opal
An asylum seeker support agency (‘Designated Agencies’) will assist you with your online application and provide a certification form to upload.
Important: You must apply through one of the designated agencies, and the cards can only be sent to a NSW address.
You will need:
- to be registered with a designated support agency
- the name and email address of the designated agency (PDF, 126.8KB)
- your completed certification form. (PDF, 166.1KB)
Please note:
- If your application is approved you will receive a Gold Opal card and a Transport Concession Entitlement Card (for each applicant) in the post. Your cards will take approximately 2 - 3 weeks to be processed and delivered.
- The Transport Concession Entitlement Card is free, but you will need to add value to your Gold Opal card to be able to travel.
- Both cards expire after 12 months, and you can renew them if you're still eligible.
- Children aged three years and under travel free. All other family members are required to travel with valid tickets or Opal cards.
- You must carry the Transport Concession Entitlement Card when travelling with a Gold Opal card or you may be fined.
Asylum seeker support agencies (Designated Agencies)
- Asylum Seeker Program (ASP), St Vincent De Paul Society
- Asylum Seekers Centre
- Australian Red Cross
- House of Welcome
- Jesuit Refugee Service
- Life Without Barriers
- NSW Refugee Health Service
- NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS)
- Serco SRSS
- Settlement Services International
To contact one of the Designated Agencies, see the complete contact details list (PDF, 126.8KB).
Renew or replace a card or update details
Where you can travel
Multilingual Opal fact sheets for asylum seekers
The Gold Opal card for Asylum Seekers Fact Sheet (PDF, 168KB) has been translated into eight languages including: