Australia Visa Requirements

Eligible citizens who meet the online Australia visa requirements can save time and stress by applying for either the eVisitor Australia for Europeans or the Australia ETA.

Travel documents required for Australia

Australia's entry requirements state all foreign citizens are required to have:

The type of Australian visa required will depend on the nationality of the applicant, and the duration and purpose of the stay. New Zealanders are automatically given a Special Category Visa on arrival. All other foreign nationals must apply in advance.

To apply for the Australia visa online (either ETA or eVisitor), the traveller must be visiting for either tourism or business purposes.

The online visa for Australia allows for a stay of up to 90 consecutive days (3 months) in Australia, with multiple entries allowed and a total validity of 12 months from the date of issue. Those who wish to stay in Australia for longer, or to study, work, or live in the country, will be required to apply for a different Australia visa type.

Requirements to get an online visa for Australia

When applying for an Australian ETA or eVisitor, you are required to provide the following items:

To meet Australia’s passport requirements for the online visas, your passport must be:

Personal information requirements

As part of the online Australia visa requirements, applicants are required to fill in personal information and all the data from their passport information page.

Contact details such as address and phone number will be required, as well answering some security questions about criminal and health history.

It’s important to double-check all the data provided, in order to avoid any delays or rejection of the visa application.

Australia Visa eligible countries

There are 45 countries eligible to apply for either the eVisitor or Australian ETA visa online. Citizens of all other countries may apply for the Australia Visitor Visa in person.

Passport holders from countries who can apply for the Australian ETA online are:

Citizens from countries who can apply for the Australian eVisitor online include :

Am I required to provide my biometric information for Australia?

Visa applicants requesting certain types of Australian visas or coming from specific countries may be required to participate in the biometric screening program.

Not all foreigners need to provide the same information — for example, some may be asked to have their photograph and fingerprints taken, others may have to give just one of the two.

What are biometrics?

Biometrics are unique physical data about an individual. The characteristics most used as biometric information to identify a person are:

Who needs to provide their biometric information?

Those applying for the following types of visas will have to provide their biometric information:

** Government Agreement, Foreign Government, Domestic Worker (Diplomatic/Consular), and Privileges and Immunities streams.

*** Invited Participant, Australian Government endorsed event, exchange, sport, religious worker, domestic worker (executive) and research activity types.

Biometric program exemptions

The below individuals are exempt from having their data collected:

Minors will have their photograph taken regardless of their age. However, children under the age of 5 don’t need to provide their fingerprints. If the applicant is younger than 16 years of age, a guardian must be present at the time of data collection.

How the Australian authorities use biometrics

For what concerns foreign nationals, the Australian authorities collect and store biometrics (usually, a face photograph and fingerprints) in secure databases following the requirements of the Migration Act and the Privacy Act. This is done in order to:

The information gathered by immigration and diplomatic officers may be checked against the one stored by Australian and international agencies to confirm the visitor’s identity, criminal record, and/ or protection status.

Health requirements for travellers to Australia

Australia entry requirements include meeting certain health standards. These include having the necessary vaccines for Australia.

In order to meet the Australia visa requirements for health, applicants may be required to have a health examination, which will be assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth (MOC).

Those who have a significant health condition will need to sign an agreement with the Australian health authorities to monitor progress with an onshore health provider, especially if the applicant:

Depending on the type of visa, the applicant’s family members might also have to meet Australian entry requirements for health, even if they are not migrating to Australia.

Character requirements

Travellers must meet a number of character requirements to be approved for an Australian visa.

Most eligible individuals with no history of lawbreaking usually receive their online visa quickly and without incident. However, the chances of approval can be affected by having a criminal record when traveling to Australia.

If there is a perceived risk the applicant will engage in criminal conduct, then they will not meet the entry requirements for Australia.

Sailing to Australia: Australia’s ports of entry

The above Australian visa and immigration policies apply to all foreign passengers, whether they visit Australia on a cruise, yacht, or pleasure craft. Similarly, the same rules apply to guests of boats arriving at all Australian ports of entry.

The following is a list of Australian ports of entry by state: