Temporary residents departing Australia

If you are a temporary Australian resident there are restrictions for accessing your super. But if you have permanently departed the country you can apply for special payment of your balance. Find out how you can access your super.

Temporary residents can access super if they:

• Are diagnosed with a terminal medical condition
• Suffer temporary or permanent incapacity
• Have died (funds will be paid to a beneficiary or estate)
• Permanently depart Australia.

If you have permanently departed Australia

To access your super, you will need to apply to have it paid to you as a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment (DASP) after you leave.

You will need to meet the following eligibility criteria to claim your DASP:

• Accumulated your super while working in Australia on a temporary resident visa (excluding Subclasses 405 and 410)
• Visa has expired
• Left Australia (and don't hold any other active Australian visa)
• Not an Australian or New Zealand citizen.

Before you apply for your DASP, it's a good idea to check that your previous employer has paid you all of the super contributions they are required to.

You need to apply to Media Super for your DASP within six months of leaving or your visa expiring.

If you don't apply to Media Super within six months, we will transfer your benefit to the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) as unclaimed super. You will no longer be a Media Super member, meaning you will not earn investment returns and your insurance cover will cease. You will need to claim your super directly from the ATO.

The Trustee is not obliged to notify or give an exit statement to a member who was a temporary resident. This applies when we transfer their superannuation to the ATO following their departure from Australia.

New Zealand citizens leaving Australia permanently may be able to transfer their super to New Zealand under the Trans-Tasman Retirement Savings Portability scheme.

To apply for a Departing Australia Superannuation Payment, please call the Helpline on 1800 640 886 or +61 2 8571 6500 if you're already overseas.