Do you need a visitor visa to Australia? If so, in most cases you will need to apply for an Australian visitor visa before you arrive.
The type of visitor visa that you apply for will depend on your country of passport.
eVisitor Visa (subclass 651)
This visa allows you to visit Australia as many times as you wish within a 12 month period. The maximum period of stay for each visit is 3 months.
This visa is free and is typically processed within 2 days.
To be eligible to apply for this eVisitor visa, you must hold a passport from one of the following countries.
- 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 (subclass 601)
This visa is $20 and is usually processed in under a day (pre-COVID). It allows you to come to Australia as a visitor as many times as you like within a 12 month period, for a maximum stay of 3 months each visit.
To be eligible to apply for this Electronic Travel Authority, you need to hold a passport from one of the following countries:
- 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
Visitor Visa (subclass 600)
The purpose of this visitor visa is for either:
- Tourism
- To visit family
- Business visitor
The most common streams for the subclass 600 are:
- Tourist stream (maximum of 12 months)
- Business stream (maximum of 3 months)
- Sponsored family stream (maximum of 12 months)
Offshore applications for these streams cost $145.
Australian Visitor Visa Requirements
To be successfully granted an Australian visitor visa you will need to meet the following requirements:
- Health
- Character
- Financial (have enough money to support yourself during your stay and to pay for plane tickets)
- Be a genuine visitor (which means that you’ll leave Australia at the end of your visa)
- Have health insurance
If you are applying for the family sponsored stream, you may also need to provide a bond.
How to Apply for an Australian Visitor Visa
All of Australia’s visitor visas can be applied for online.
To apply for an Australian visitor visa online, you will first need to create an ‘Immi Account’. You can do that here: https://online.immi.gov.au
