For people to visit Australia for a holiday, sightseeing, social or recreational reasons, to visit relatives, friends or for other short-term non-work purposes.

Extending Your Stay
To remain longer in Australia than your original visa allows, you are required to obtain another visa. If you want to remain in Australia for tourism or recreational purposes or to visit family or friends, you may apply for a Tourist visa.

If you are refused a further visa, you must leave Australia before the expiry of your original visa.

Visa Options

For people visiting Australia for holidays, tourism, recreation or to see family and friends. If you are an Australian Citizen or have obtained Australian Citizenship by descent, you are not able to apply for, or be granted an Australian visa.

ETA (Visitor)

An electronically stored authority for short-term visits to Australia of up to 3 months. Available to passport holders from a number of countries and regions, who are outside Australia.

Who is this ETA (Visitor) for?
An ETA (Visitor)  visa is designed for people who are outside Australia and want to visit Australia for holidays, tourism, recreation or for informal study.

How much will this ETA cost?

Maximum stay in Australia: 90 days

What does this ETA let me do?

You can stay for up to three months on each visit within the validity of the visa. ETAs are valid for 12 months from the date of grant, or for the life of the passport if the passport expires less than 12 months from the date the ETA was granted.

Repeat visits
An ETA is not designed to allow repeated extended stays in Australia. If you want to spend long periods in Australia for tourism purposes, you may want to consider applying for Tourist visa (subclass 676) or an alternate visa that suits your purposes.

An ETA is an electronically stored authority for travel to Australia. ETA information is accessible by airlines, travel agents and Australian border agencies. You do not need to visit a departmental office to submit an application and you will not receive a stamp or label in your passport. However, you will be provided with a confirmation for your records.

Passport details
Your ETA is linked to the passport number you used in your application and you must use the same passport to travel to Australia.

If you obtain a new passport and are outside Australia, you must obtain a new ETA, or another type of visa, before traveling to Australia, otherwise you will experience significant delays at the airport and could be denied permission to board your plane.

If you obtain a new passport and are in Australia, you do not need to make an application for another visa so long as the ETA is still valid.

If you leave Australia within the validity of your ETA you may travel on your new passport, however keep your old passport with you as your ETA is attached to that passport. If you do not intend to leave Australia within the validity of your ETA you will need to obtain another type of visa. Please contact the nearest office of the department to discuss your options.

If you leave Australia on your ETA, you will not be able to re-enter until you have obtained a new ETA, or another type of visa, on your new passport.

Bringing family
A separate ETA is required for each family member traveling with you to Australia, including those who are under 18 and are included on your passport.

Extending your stay
An ETA cannot be granted while the holder is in Australia. ETA(s) cannot be extended.

If you intend to extend your stay after arriving in Australia, you should allow at least two weeks before your ETA expires to apply for a different type of visa. A visa may be granted if you:

• have complied with the conditions of your ETA
• meet all the eligibility criteria for the grant of the visa for which you are applying.

Notes:

• If you are granted a different visa, it will cease your ETA and its entitlements.
• If a decision has not been made on your application before your ETA expires, you will be able to remain lawfully in Australia until the visa application is finalized.
• If your visa application is refused, and you have not appealed this decision, you must depart Australia before the expiry date of your authorized stay period.

Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for an ETA, you must:

• be outside Australia
• hold a citizen passport of an ETA eligible country.

This is the list of eligible passports

Eligible passports - apply for an ETA online

This is the list of eligible passports to apply for an ETA online. These are citizen passports issued by the following countries.

You must only intend to visit Australia temporarily for tourism purposes and you must not work.

ETA (Visitor) conditions
You must comply with your ETA conditions while in Australia.  A breach of these conditions may result in your ETA being cancelled and you may have to leave Australia.

• You must not work whilst in Australia. Limited volunteer work may be acceptable.
• You must not engage in any studies or training for more than three months.
• If you are at least 11 years of age and you intend to study in a class-room environment for a period greater than four weeks, you may be required to pass a chest x-ray examination before commencing your studies.
• You must be free from tuberculosis at the time of travel to, and entry into, Australia.
• You must not have any criminal convictions, for which the sentence or sentences (whether served or not) are for a total period of 12 months duration or more, at the time of travel to, and entry into, Australia.

Note: ETA holders are no longer required to pass a chest x-ray examination even if they intend to study in a classroom environment for a period greater than four weeks.

Criminal convictions
If you have had any criminal convictions in any country, you may want to consider applying for a Tourist visa , rather than an ETA. If arriving on an ETA with criminal convictions, you could be refused entry into Australia.

Health insurance
It is recommended that you take out health insurance for yourself and your family members each time you travel to Australia. You will not be covered by Australia's national health scheme, unless your country has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia. Reciprocal medical arrangements exist with some countries. Additional information on health care for visitors to Australia is available.

If you already hold an ETA
If you already have a current ETA, and you intend to apply for another ETA of the same subclass, if the new ETA is granted, it will:

• come into effect as soon as it is issued
• cancel (or cease) your existing ETA.

If you already hold another visa
If you already have a current visa, and you intend to apply for an ETA, if the ETA is granted, it will not necessarily:

• come into effect when the ETA is issued
  or
• cancel (or cease) your existing visa.

In this case:

• if the current visa is still in effect when you next enter Australia, you will enter Australia on the current visa, not the new ETA
• if you enter and remain in Australia on the current visa for longer than three months, then the ETA will cease three months from the date you entered Australia
• if you do not enter Australia within the expiry date of the ETA, the ETA will then cease.

Working Holiday visa holders
If you wish to travel to Australia on an ETA but already hold a Working Holiday visa which you have not yet used for travel to Australia, you will need to have your Working Holiday visa cancelled before making an ETA application. Otherwise, if you in arrive in Australia holding both visas, your Working Holiday visa will be activated. You should cancel your Working Holiday visa before making the ETA application because cancelling your Working Holiday visa will also automatically cancel the ETA. To have your Working Holiday visa cancelled, contact the Working Holiday visa processing centre.

How to apply for an ETA (Visitor)
You are advised to apply for your ETA at least two (2) weeks before your proposed date of travel.

If your ETA is approved
If your ETA is approved, you will be provided with a confirmation for your records.

If your ETA is not approved
If your ETA is not approved, you will be advised to visit your nearest departmental office to discuss your visa options for your proposed visit to Australia.

eVisitors
An electronically stored authority for visits to Australia for tourism or business purposes for up to three months. Available to passport holders from the European Union and a number of other European countries, who are outside Australia.

Tourist visa
A temporary visa allowing a stay in Australia of up to three or six or 12 months. Applicants can apply from both outside and in Australia. Some tourists are eligible to lodge an online application for an e676 Tourist visa.

Sponsored Family Visitor visa

For people seeking to visit family in Australia for a stay period of up to 12 months. Formal sponsorship by an Australian citizen or permanent resident is required.

Maximum Stay in Australia : 90 days

Please, note that the processing time is calculated from the next business day following the receipt of
your documents.

All Visa Processing is in business day(s), the shipping doesn’t count towards your Visa Processing time,
please keep this in mind and plan accordingly.

A letter of intent addressed to the Australian Embassy outlining the applicant's purpose of travel, the length of intended stay, name of places to be visited, contact information, and accommodation information in Australia in support of the Australia visa application. 8 Complete online application. You must include a copy of this form with all other supporting documents. (NOTE: Consular fees are NON-refundable. If visa is rejected and resubmitted new consular fees will apply).

Australia Visa Validity: Australian visas are usually valid for up to five months based on the consulate's discretion. Australian Visa Processing Time: Australia visa applications are usually processed in 3 to 4 weeks. Rush service may be available for additional fees. In order to ensure that visa applications for most embassies/consulates are submitted on the day that we receive them, they should be shipped to us via FedEx Priority Overnight (not First Overnight or Standard Overnight). Non-refundable tickets or reservations should not be purchased until all visas and passports are secured and in your possession.

A letter of intent addressed to the Australian Embassy outlining the applicant's purpose of travel, the length of intended stay, name of places to be visited, contact information, and accommodation information in Australia in support of the Australia visa application. 8 Complete online application. You must include a copy of this form with all other supporting documents. (NOTE: Consular fees are NON-refundable. If visa is rejected and resubmitted new consular fees will apply).

Australia Visa Validity: Australian visas are usually valid for up to five months based on the consulate's discretion. Australian Visa Processing Time: Australia visa applications are usually processed in 3 to 4 weeks. Rush service may be available for additional fees. In order to ensure that visa applications for most embassies/consulates are submitted on the day that we receive them, they should be shipped to us via FedEx Priority Overnight (not First Overnight or Standard Overnight). Non-refundable tickets or reservations should not be purchased until all visas and passports are secured and in your possession.