Yes, you do need a visa to visit Australia. If you are planning an Aussie holiday you are going to need to organise a visa. Which visa you should get will depend on why you are visiting and how long you want to stay. Below we will share some basic information and give you links to the official sites so you can start the process.

Please note: It is illegal for anyone who is not a qualified immigration agent to provide specific advice so the advice that follows in very general.

Before we consider specific visas it is important to know that visitors to Australia are required to have a minimum of six months validity remaining on their passports to enter the country.

Visas for visiting Australia

Visas are required for most visitors. The most important advice I have is that you do not take visa advice off anyone other than a registered agent or the official Australian Government website. This is the only website you need. Ignore any other sites and get your application done of the official page only.

There are 3 main visitor visas available to people wanting to visit Australia. Which one you apply for basically depends on which passport you hold.

eVisitor (subclass 651)

This visa is free, and 90% of applications are processed in less than two days. You can entry Australia as often as you like in 12 months and stay for up to three months each time you enter. The visa starts on the day it is granted.

You can apply for this visa if you hold one of these passports:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Republic of San Marino, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom – British Citizen, Vatican City

Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) Subclass 601

If you wish to stay in Australia for less than three months you can apply for a ETA. This visa is free but there is a $20 processing fee (so it’s not really free!) 

You can apply for an ETA if you hold a passport from:

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 (excluding official or diplomatic passports), The Netherlands, United Kingdom—British Citizen, United Kingdom—British National (Overseas), United States of America, Vatican City.

Countries bolded in the list above are also eligible for the E-visitor (subclass 651) above.

Tourist Stream Visitors Visas

If you wish to stay in Australia for more than three months or hold a passport from a country not listed above, you will need to apply for a standard visitor visa. These visas take 3-4 weeks to process and cost from $145. 

Find out more about Visitor Visas here

Transit Visa (subclass 771)

If you will be in Australia for less than 72 hours en-route to another country or to board a cruise ship you can apply for a Transit visa.

If you will be in Australia for eight hours or less and have an onward confirmed ticket, you may not require a visa at all.

You can find out more about the requirements for Transit visas here

Please note that this advice is provided to help you begin to understand your requirements and should not substitute the official information on the Department of Home Affairs website.

If you are planning on driving in Australia we highly recommend you read over our tips before you take to the road.

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