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Travelling to
Australia
 Apply
for a visitor or business visa -
click
here.
General visa
requirements
Anyone who is not an
Australian citizen needs a valid visa/Electronic Travel Authority (ETA - see
below) to enter and spend time in Australia.
Before travelling to
Australia
With the exception of New Zealand citizens travelling on New Zealand
passports, all foreign nationals must obtain a
visa/ETA before travelling to Australia. (New Zealand citizens are
issued with a visa on arrival in Australia.)
Visas are available from Australian visa offices such as Australian
Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates. They are also available, in ETA
form, from travel agents and airlines in certain countries.
Please note that:
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airlines may refuse to allow travellers to
board their aircraft without valid visas/ETAs and passports; |
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it is recommended that intending visitors
first obtain a visa/ETA before purchasing airline tickets or entering
into any other financial commitments dependent upon entry to Australia; |
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Visas/ETAs are issued subject to a range of
conditions; and |
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tourists are not allowed to work during
their visit to Australia. Penalties apply to tourists who breach this
'no work' condition. |
Types of visas
The type of visa you will
need depends on how long you wish to stay in Australia and what you want to
do during your stay.
Short Stay Visas (for up to 3 months). Australia provides short
stay visas in two forms - the Electronic Travel Authority and the
non-electronic 'label' visa, as described below.
Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)
An ETA is an electronically stored authority to
travel to Australia for a short stay and no visa label is placed in the
passport.
ETAs are available from participating travel agencies when making travel
arrangements, or though participating airlines, as well as at Australia visa
offices overseas.
ETAs are available to holders of the following passports approved for
ETA: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France,
Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan,
Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway,
Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, AUK-British
Citizen, UK-British National (overseas), USA and the Vatican.
Note that holders of Taiwan passports can only be
processed for an ETa if resident in and applying in Taiwan. Holders of UK
passports which indicate their nationality to be British National (overseas)
cannot be processed for an ETA by a travel agent or airline outside Hong
Kong.
ETAs are available for tourism and short stay business purposes. Tourist
ETAs and short validity, single entry business ETAs, are free of any
Government charge. There is a charge for long validity business entry ETAs.
Non-electronic 'label' visas
If you do not hold a passport approved for ETA, you
will need to apply for a 'label' visa. There are two main types of short
stay 'label' visas.
Tourist visas - usually provide for a stay of up to 3 months on
each visit. However, in limited circumstances it is possible to obtain a
tourist visa for a stay of more than 3 months. A tourist visa does not
permit you to work in Australia. A non-refundable Australian Government
application fee is charged.
Short stay business visas - provide for a stay in Australia of up
to 3 months for business purposes. This visa allows you to take part in
meetings or conferences on behalf of your business in your home country, and
also allows you to take part in some short-term projects or events. If in
doubt, the purpose of the visit should be discussed with the Australian visa
office overseas. A non-refundable Australian Government application fee is
charged.
Temporary residence visas
The business ETA and visa is available to people
intending to come to Australia temporarily to undertake some highly-skilled
activities involving very short term projects or events. This applies only
to visits of up to 3 months.
For people wanting to come to Australia for more than 3 months, there is
a range of temporary residence visas available. Sponsorship from an
Australian organisation or prospective employer may be required. There are
temporary residence visas available to cover the following:
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sport - for amateur
or professional sport people with an established reputation in their
field of sport, who have been invited to take part in competitions or
training programs or undertake coaching; |
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media and film staff
- for correspondents and other professional media staff posted to
Australia by overseas news organisations, and photographers and film and
television teams making documentaries or commercials exclusively for
overseas markets; |
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entertainment/cultural
- for people involved in the entertainment industry and in cultural
events and activities. The need to protect the employment of Australians
in the industry is taken into account when visa grant is considered; |
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study - for people
who want to undertake registered courses on a full-time basis; |
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working holiday maker (WHM)
- for young people from countries with which Australia has reciprocal
WHM agreements, who wish to holiday in Australia for an extended period
and to supplement their funds through incidental work; |
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employment - for
employers to recruit key personnel and overcome temporary skilled labour
shortages.
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For further
visa and entry information, please contact an Australian visa office
or visit the website www.immi.gov.au.
Visa expiry
Don't overstay your visa! If your visa is
about to expire, you should leave Australia or seek advice from a Department
of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs
office.
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