Australia Visa and Passport Requirements
| Passport required | Return ticket required | Visa Required | |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | Yes | No | Yes |
| EU | Yes | No | Yes |
| Australian | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Canadian | Yes | No | Yes |
| British | Yes | No | Yes |
Passports
To enter Australia, a valid passport is required by the nationals referred to in the chart above. There is no minimum passport validity required to enter Australia.
Passport Note
Incoming Passenger Card: It is mandatory for arriving passengers to fill out an Incoming Passenger Card.
Visas
Unless you are an Australian citizen, all nationals, regardless of age, must apply for a visa before leaving home. The only exception is New Zealand passport holders – they can apply for a visa upon arrival.
Visa Note
All foreigners need a visa to enter Australia and there are two main types of visa – ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) and Tourist Stream – for tourism purposes.
ETA (Electronic Travel Authority)
ETA allows you to visit Australia as often as you wish in a 12-month period. Stay up to 3 months each time you enter Australia. Nationals of these countries are eligible 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, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (excluding official or diplomatic passports), United Kingdom (including British National Overseas), United States of America, and Vatican City.
Tourist stream
The Tourist stream visa allows you to visit Australia as a tourist, go on a cruise, see family and friends and for purposes other than business or medical treatment.
Important note: if you have a criminal conviction in any country, you should apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) and provide evidence about your criminal convictions.
Types and Cost
ETA: free, but a A$20 service charge applies.
Tourist stream: A$150 for each applicant, and you may also have to pay for health checks, police certificates and biometrics.
Validity
ETA: 12 months from the date of issue or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.
Tourist stream: varies according to one’s circumstances.
Transit
A transit visa is required even if you stay in the transit lounge and do not leave the airport.
However, some nationals can transit without a visa in Australia provided that:
• You will arrive in Australia by aircraft.
• You have a confirmed ticket to leave Australia to travel to a third country by aircraft within eight (8) hours of arriving.
• You have a valid travel document to enter the country of destination.
• You must not need to clear immigration or leave the airport transit lounge for any reason before boarding your onwards flight. If you need to clear immigration, for example to collect baggage or to board an onwards flight, you will need an Australian visa.
• You are from one of these eligible countries: Andorra, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kiribati, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Uruguay, Vanuatu and Vatican.
Application to
ETA and Tourist stream: create an ImmiAccount on https://online.immi.gov.au/lusc/login and proceed from there.
Working days
ETA: ETA applications are usually processed immediately. However, your application may take longer to process if you don't fill in the form correctly or if the authority requires more time to verify your information.
Tourist stream: from 1 day to 37 days.
Sufficient Funds
All visitors must have sufficient funds to support their holidays in Australia.
Extension of stay
ETA and Tourist stream: you can't stay in Australia longer by extending your ETA or Tourist stream visa. You must apply for another visa.
Entry with children
All travellers, regardless of age, require a visa to visit Australia. If your children have their own passport, you should apply for a separate ETA or Tourist stream visa for each child.
Entry with pets
All cats and dogs being imported to Australia, whether it be for the first time or returning, must meet strict import conditions set by the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (www.agriculture.gov.au/cats-dogs).
This page reflects our understanding of current rules for the most common types of travel to the said country. However, please note that each authority sets and forces entry rules, hence we strongly recommend that you verify critical information with the relevant embassy before travel.
Embassies and tourist offices
Embassy of Australia in the USA
Telephone: +1 202 797 3000.
Website: http://www.usa.embassy.gov.au
Address: NW, 1601 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC, 20036,
Opening times:
Mon-Fri 0830-1700 (embassy); Mon-Fri 0900-1200 and 1400-1600 (visa office hours).
Australian High Commission in the UK
Telephone: +44 20 7379 4334.
Website: http://www.uk.embassy.gov.au
Address: , Australia House, Strand, London, WC2B 4LA,
Opening times:
Mon-Fri 0900-1700 (general); Mon-Fri 0930-1130 (notarial and document services); Mon-Fri 0900-1600 (passport services).
British High Comission in Australia
Telephone: +61 2 6270 6666.
Website: http://www.ukinaustralia.fco.gov.uk
Address: Yarralumla, Commonwealth Avenue, Canberra, 2600,
Opening times:
Mon-Fri 0845-1230 and 1330-1700.
