Travellers using Australia’s convenient online visa system may need to check the status of their visa or travel authorisation. These queries may be for one of the following reasons:
- To check the **status of a visa application** that is in progress
- To find out if a **visa used for a previous trip** is still valid
It is possible to check the ETA status for Australia online while the application is being processed, without having to contact immigration authorities by phone. Please note that it is only possible to complete the check if you obtained your Australia ETA through this website.
How can I check the status of my Australian ETA or eVisitor?
The simplest way to check the status of your Australian ETA or eVisitor visa is to take a look at your emails. As part of the quick online Australian visa application, you must register an email address. All correspondence regarding the status of the ETA will be sent to this inbox. To perform an Australian visa status enquiry, applicants for an ETA can simply check their inbox for emails informing them about the processing status of the electronic authority.
The different Australia ETA and eVisitor application statuses
There are 3 possible statuses of an Australia ETA or eVisitor visa application. According to the stage of processing and the result of the application, you will receive an email indicating that your application is one of the following:
- Pending
- Approved
- Denied
After submitting the ETA form, you can expect to receive an email advising you that your request has been received and that the application is ‘Pending’.
Soon after, you can expect to receive an email stating that the ETA is either ‘Approved’ or ‘Denied’.
If approved, you will then be able to print out a copy of the attached approved Australian ETA to carry with you to present when boarding transportation and at border control upon arrival.
If the ETA / eVisitor is denied, it will be necessary to submit a new electronic application and receive approval before reaching Australia.
Why should I check my ETA status?
You may want to check your status after submitting the eVisitor / ETA application to ensure that processing for the travel authority is underway and you will receive their granted ETA in enough time before your departure for Australia.
It takes up to 2 days for an ETA to be processed (and approved in 90% of cases). In the rare case of any delays, this may take longer, so the traveller may wish to check which stage of the process the application is in.
Why is my Australia ETA /eVisitor application status still “pending”?
It is highly unlikely that an application will be pending for more than 2 days.
Delays in ETA processing may occur because of an issue with the application, such as the following:
- The applicant has not uploaded all the necessary supporting documents according to the Australia visa requirements
- The application form contained small errors in the data provided
In such cases, the applicant will be notified of this by email and prompted to provide the missing documents or information.
Why has my Australia ETA /eVisitor application been denied?
The vast majority of Australian online visa applications are approved without any issues. In the rare case that a visa is denied, it may be for the following reasons:
- Errors or inconsistencies in the data provided
- Failure to meet Australia’s health or character requirements
- Example
Those who plan to travel to Australia but have a criminal record with more than 1 year of jail time served are not likely to have their ETA application approved, as they do not meet the character requirements for the Australian online visa. However, they will be able to apply for an Australia visitor visa or another visa type from an embassy.
How can I check the validity of my Australia ETA authority?
Applicants for an ETA are able to check the validity of the Australian visa authority by checking the expiry date on the PDF copy of the ETA sent to their email inbox upon approval.
What is my Australia ETA online visa expiry date?
The Australian ETA visa waiver is valid for 12 months from the date of approval and issue. Therefore, it will expire exactly one year to the day from the day the traveller receives their approved ETA.
If the passport which they use to apply expires before this time, the ETA will no longer be valid.
This is because an approved ETA is electronically linked to one individual passport, which will be scanned upon arrival in Australia to check the validity of the travel authority.
It is important not to overstay in Australia on an ETA, as this may incur fines or other penalties. The visitor must also inform the Australian Immigration Authority if any of the key information provided on the ETA form changes, including their phone number, email address, or relationship status.
Other ways to verify the eTA Australia status
If, for whatever reason, you do not receive any emails about the status of the Australian ETA within the standard 2-day period of processing time, you can submit a contact form to request an update.
On the form, you must specify the nature of your enquiry, as well as provide the following information:
- Email address
- Full name
- Passport number
- Passport country of issue
Those who submit an ETA contact form can expect to receive a response within 72 hours. However, before submitting a form, applicants are advised to check the spam section of the email inbox in case the eVisitor or ETA status updates have accidentally been sent to this folder.
