Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)
Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601)
Features
Holders of this visa are permitted to enter Australia:
- as tourists, visitors or on business
- as frequently as they wish within one calendar year
- for as long as three months on each individual visit
If you are eligible to apply for this visa online, the Australian government’s service fee is AUD 20.
Eligibility
You may be eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority online providing that you are both:
- currently outside of Australia
- a holder of a passport issued by certain specified countries
Who is an ETA for?
You may be able to apply for an ETA if:
- you are intending to travel to Australia on business, as a tourist or to visit friends or family
- you hold a passport from an eligible country
Reason for stay
Individuals intending to go on holiday/vacation or to see family or friends are usually classified as undertaking tourist activity.
A business visitor might be intending to enter Australia in order to:
- have a meeting or conduct research for their business
- sign, negotiate or otherwise enter into in-person discussions regarding a contract
- undertake activity relating to an official government visit
- attend a conference, seminar or trade fair, providing that the organisers are not paying them to do so
Short-term work, internships or secondments do not count as ‘business activity’, but as work. Individuals wishing to undertake specific, time-limited work in Australia should consider applying for a short-term work visa instead such as the Temporary Work (Short Stay Activity) visa (Subclass 400).
Eligible passports
In order to apply for Electronic Travel Authority, the applicant must hold a valid passport issued by one of the following countries or territories.
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brunei
- Canada
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hong Kong (SAR of China)
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malaysia
- Malta
- Monaco
- Norway
- Portugal
- Republic of San Marino
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan*
- The Netherlands
- United Kingdom—British Citizen
- United Kingdom—British National (Overseas)
- United States
- Vatican City.
*must not purport to be an official or diplomatic passport
Health insurance
Individuals travelling to and entering Australia on Electronic Travel Authority visas are responsible for covering the cost of any healthcare treatment they require while visiting Australia, either via insurance or from their own funds. Some countries have reciprocal healthcare agreements with Australia which may cover certain treatment (usually emergency care), but it is still generally recommended that you have suitable health and travel insurance in place before you travel to Australia.
Good character requirement
Individuals holding a criminal conviction or criminal record in any country should not apply for an ETA, but rather a Visitor Visa (subclass 600). If you arrive in Australia with an ETA having previously been convicted of a criminal offence, you may be denied entry by officials at the border.
Debts to the Australian Government
Applicants for an ETA should not have any outstanding debts to the Australian government.
Family Members
Every family member travelling in a group should have submitted (or had submitted for them) their own ETA application. This includes children under the age of 18.
Once issued, an ETA is valid for up to 12 months, with a limit of three months per individual visit. If you wish to visit Australia for longer than three months at a time, you should instead apply for another visa, such as the Visitor Visa (Subclass 600).
What are you allowed to do on an Electronic Travel Authority visa?
WIth an ETA, you are permitted to:
- visit Australia for a period of no longer than three months per trip
- go on holiday or visit friends and loved ones in Australia
- in some circumstances, study for up to three months
- undertake unpaid volunteer work (reimbursement for meals and accommodation is permitted)
- undertake business activity that does not include selling to the public or working or providing services for an Australian business or organisation
Your obligations
Holders of an ETA must obey Australian law and comply with the conditions of their entry to Australia.
They must not remain in Australia for more than three months per visit.
They must not study for a period longer than three months while in Australia.
They are not permitted to undertake paid work in Australia, unless:
- havinge a meeting or conducting research for their business
- signing, negotiating or otherwise entering into in-person discussions regarding a contract
- undertaking activity relating to an official government visit
- attending a conference, seminar or trade fair, providing that the organisers are not paying them to do so
