All you need to know about the Australia Travel Visa
If you wish to travel to Australia, you require a Travel Visa, no matter where you are from. Getting an Australian tourist visa will be straightforward if you visit Australia for travel purposes. Depending on the country you come from, the visa application process varies. The most common Australian travel visas are the ETA Australia (Electronic Travel Authority) and the Australia Tourist Visa from the Australian embassy.
What is ETA Australia, and who is this Australian Visa for?
The ETA Australia is an Australian Travel Visa issued electronically, allowing you to stay for three months. The Australia tourist visa is valid for three months and can be extended for the same period up to a maximum stay of 12 months, but you need to exit Australia to renew it for three months each time.
Australia Eta Visa for US citizens
As a US citizen, you need a tourist visa to enter Australia. The ETA is the online travel visa you can get fast and with no fuss. The cost is 20 dollars. The next ETA Travel visa for US citizens is for more nationalities, except Europeans applying for a free e-visitor visa.
Many Australian travel visas also allow multiple entries, i.e. you can stay in Australia for three months. After three months, you must leave the country and go to New Zealand or another country to enter again for three more months. You can do this within a period of max. Twelve months allows you to stay in Australia as long as your tourist visa expires.
You can start here your ETA application Online from the US.
What is the e-visitor visa?
If you are from the EU, you must apply for an eVisitor Visa; this link will take you directly to the Australian Immigration website. First, check whether you are eligible for a free eVisitor Visa.
EU citizens can apply for an evisitor visa by filling in a form online; here is the link to the eVisitor application form.
On this page, you can read about what the e-Visitor Visa lets you do and who can apply for it. If unsure, check out the Visitor Visa Option Page to get insight into all types of visas for Australia and go through the FAQ.
The evisitor visa is a free visa for all European Citizens.
The eVisitor Visa is valid for a three-month trip, but you will receive one that is valid for 12 months, which means you can enter Australia as many times as you want within the 12 months from the date of issue, as long as you are not staying longer than three months on each visit.
If you wish, you can also apply for your e-visa to Australia through a service company that will look after your online application and deliver the e-visa to you.
If you travel for an extended period, i.e. between 3 and 12 months, you may want to check out the subclass 600 visa, which is aimed at travellers visiting Australia for more than three months.
Australia Visitor Visa Subclass 600 for long-term travel in Australia
This visa is for travellers who want to travel for an extended period between 3 and 12 months and for tourists who intend to do business visitor activities and visit family. The difference between subclass 600 and eVisitor visas is that subclass 600 allows you to stay longer than three months per entry. The Subclass 600 visa is usually issued with 3, 6 or 12 months of validity. It is usually a multiple-entry visa.
Another essential function of the subclass 600 visa is extending your current visa by applying for this visa type. With this type of visa, you cannot work in Australia. But it is OK with limited volunteer work if you do not receive any income. The most important thing the visa officers consider is your financial ability to support yourself during your stay in Australia.
What else do you need to know about Travel Visa for Australia?
If you want general information about how to work in Australia and the relevant type of work visa you need, check out work visas for Australia online.
If unsure of what type of travel visa you want to apply for, consult this guide about Australia Visitor Visas.
Travel Visa Applications for multiple destinations
What if you are planning a long-term trip with various destinations? You will need to apply for a travel visa for each country, so it may make sense to consult an online visa application service that looks after all applications.
This could be the right choice if you visit more destinations, like South East Asia countries and India, where the application is not so straightforward and tricky. In this case, having a trusted service guarantees the visa is processed seamlessly and you get it before travelling makes sense.
Find out how you can apply for an Australian Holiday Visa Online.
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How to Plan Your Trip To Australia
Go Back to Australia Travel
First published in Nov 2012, last updated in January 2024
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