eVisitor (Subclass 651)

An eVisitor is designed for people who are outside Australia and want to visit Australia for tourism or business purposes.

Tourism includes holidays, recreation and seeing family and/or friends.

Business purposes may include attending a conference, negotiation or exploratory business visit.

EVisitor applications are free, there is no application charge or service fee.

You can stay in Australia for up to three months on each visit within a 12 month period from the date of grant.

An eVisitor is an electronically stored authority for travel to Australia. You can apply for an eVisitor online and do not need to visit a departmental office. You will not receive a stamp or label in your passport, however you will be provided with a confirmation email for your records.

Passport details

Your eVisitor is linked to the passport number you use in your application and you must use the same passport to travel to Australia.

If you obtain a new passport, you must advise the department of the new passport details before you travel to Australia. Otherwise, you will experience significant delays at the airport and could be denied permission to board your plane.

Bringing family

A separate eVisitor is required for each family member travelling with you to Australia, including those who are under 18 years of age and are included on your passport.

Extending your stay

An eVisitor cannot be:

• granted while the holder is in Australia
• extended to allow a longer stay period in Australia.

If you intend to extend your stay after arriving in Australia, you should allow at least two weeks before your eVisitor expires to apply for a different type of visa. A visa may be granted if you:

• have complied with the conditions of your eVisitor
• meet all the eligibility criteria for the grant of the visa for which you are applying.

If you apply for a further visa to remain in Australia, you may be required to undergo a health examination.

To be eligible to apply for an eVisitor, you must:

• be outside Australia
• hold an eVisitor eligible passport.

eVisitor Eligible passports

Holders of a passport from the following countries must apply for an ETA through a travel agent, airline, specialist service provider or an Australian visa office outside Australia.

• Andorra
• Austria
• Belgium
• Brunei
• Canada
• Denmark
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hong Kong (SAR)
• Iceland
• Ireland
• Italy
• Japan
• Liechtenstein
• Luxembourg
• Malaysia
• Malta
• Monaco
• The Netherlands
• Norway
• Portugal
• Republic of San Marino
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Taiwan*
• United Kingdom - British Citizen
• United Kingdom - British National (Overseas)**
• United States of America
• Vatican City

eVisitor conditions

You must comply with your eVisitor conditions while in Australia. A breach of these conditions

may result in your eVisitor being cancelled and you may have to leave Australia.

• You must not engage in any studies or training for more than three months.
• You must be free from tuberculosis at the time of travel to, and entry into, Australia.
• You must not have any criminal convictions, for which the sentence or sentences are for a total period of 12 months duration or more (whether served or not), at the time of travel to, and entry into, Australia.

If you apply for an eVisitor for business purposes, you must not:

• work in Australia except in strictly limited circumstances, for example if the work is highly specialised and non ongoing
• undertake work in Australia that can be done by an Australian citizen or permanent resident

If you apply for an eVisitor for tourist purposes:

• You must not work whilst in Australia. Limited volunteer work may be acceptable.

Volunteer work tourism schemes

In general terms, you may be able to work as a volunteer whilst on an eVisitor if:

• your main purpose in visiting Australia is tourism, and any voluntary work remains incidental to tourism
• the work involved would not otherwise be undertaken, in return for wages, by an Australian resident
• the work is genuinely voluntary and no remuneration is received in return for the activities

Note: It is acceptable, under the conditions of an eVisitor, to receive meals, accommodation and or reimbursement of out-of-pocket living expenses in return for voluntary work.

Criminal convictions

If you have had any criminal convictions in any country, you may wish to consider applying for a Tourist visa (subclass 676), rather than an eVisitor. If arriving on an eVisitor with criminal convictions, you could be refused entry into Australia.

Repeat visits

An eVisitor is not designed to allow repeated extended stays in Australia. If you wish to spend long periods in Australia for tourism or business purposes, you may wish to consider applying for a Tourist visa (subclass 676) or an alternate visa that suits your purposes.

Health insurance

It is recommended that you take out health insurance for yourself and your family members each time you travel to Australia. You will not be covered by Australia´s national health scheme, unless your country has a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia. Reciprocal medical arrangements exist with some countries.

Note: Holders of a British National Overseas (BNO) passport are not eligible to apply for an eVisitor. For information on an appropriate visa:

• If you are granted a different visa, it will cease your eVisitor and its entitlements.
• If a decision has not been made on your application before your eVisitor expires, you will be able to remain lawfully in Australia until the visa application is finalised.
• If your visa application is refused, and you have not appealed this decision, you must depart Australia before the expiry date of your authorised stay period.

Apply for an 'eVisitor' Visa »