TIS National: free telephone interpreter service in Australia

What is TIS National?

TIS National (Translating and Interpreting Service) is a service operated by the Australian Government’s Department of Home Affairs that provides telephone and on-site interpreting for people who do not speak English and for the organisations that serve them. TIS National operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year and covers more than 160 languages, including Vietnamese.

The service is designed to remove language barriers for migrants and humanitarian entrants who are navigating Australian services — health, government, legal, and community.

Is it free?

For individuals: Immediate Phone Interpreting (IPI) is free for eligible migrants calling from their own phone, provided you are calling a service provider (a doctor’s clinic, hospital, Centrelink, a school, a bank, or another organisation) that is registered with TIS National. You do not pay for the interpreter — the service provider’s account or a government-funded arrangement covers the cost.

For service providers: Many Australian government agencies — including Medicare, Centrelink, and state health services — are TIS National clients. These agencies can request an interpreter through TIS on your behalf at no charge to you.

Pre-booked interpreting: Available for planned appointments. Clients (usually organisations) book in advance; the interpreter joins the call at the scheduled time. This is commonly used for medical consultations, legal appointments, and Centrelink interviews.

How to use TIS National

Option 1: Individual calling a service provider

Call 131 450 (from anywhere in Australia — local call rate)
Say or select your language — “Vietnamese” / “Tiếng Việt”
An interpreter is connected, usually within a few minutes
Tell the interpreter the number of the organisation you want to call (for example, your GP’s clinic, Medicare, or Centrelink)
The interpreter calls the organisation on a three-way connection and interprets the conversation

Option 2: Organisation calls on your behalf

If you are already with a service provider (a hospital, clinic, or Centrelink office), the staff member can call TIS National and arrange an immediate interpreter while you are present. You do not need to organise this yourself.

Option 3: The organisation pre-books

For planned appointments, the service provider pre-books a TIS interpreter. An interpreter is connected at the start of your appointment.

What services can TIS National be used for?

TIS National can be used when communicating with:

GPs, hospitals, and health services — discussing symptoms, test results, treatment plans, and hospital admission
Centrelink and Services Australia — applying for payments, reporting income, discussing claims
Medicare — enrolling, checking benefit eligibility, resolving billing issues
Emergency services — while 000 operators can also access TIS National in emergencies, identifying your language immediately is important
Schools and education departments — enrolment, parent-teacher meetings, welfare concerns
Legal aid and courts — accessing legal advice or appearing before tribunals (note: for formal court proceedings, in-person court interpreters are usually required — TIS is for pre-appointment conversations and community legal services)
Community organisations and banks

What TIS National does not cover

TIS National interpreters are telephone (or in some cases video) interpreters — they are not available for in-person appointments arranged by individuals directly. For in-person interpreting, speak with the organisation you are visiting.
For formal legal proceedings, court-accredited interpreters are required. TIS National can be used for pre-court legal advice consultations.
Written translation of documents is not provided through TIS National — for certified translation of Vietnamese documents, a NAATI-certified translator must be engaged separately.

Vietnamese language availability

Vietnamese is one of the most widely used languages in TIS National’s service portfolio. Wait times for Vietnamese interpreters are generally short at any hour. If you are calling in the middle of the night for a medical emergency, interpreters are still available.

Other government interpreting services

NAATI (National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters): a directory of accredited translators and interpreters available for document translation and in-person appointments
State health service language services: most major state hospitals maintain their own in-house or on-call interpreting services for clinical settings