FAQ's

What is the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)?

The answer to this question is here.

No.

You can only apply for an ETA when you are outside Australia and if you are a legal passport holder from an ETA approved country.

1. Do I need a travel ticket before I apply for an ETA?

No.

You do not need to arrange your flight to Australia before applying for an ETA. However, please note, that ETA Visas are only valid for 12 months from date of issue.

If you have applied for an ETAthrough this site, you can check via this site to find out the current status of your ETA.

If you have applied via another website, you will have to check via that website.

You will need to provide some data from your passport and the Reference Number displayed by this site when the application was processed.

3. What do I need to make an ETA Visa application?

Providing that you meet the ETA Eligibility requirements, all you need to make an application for an ETA through this site is your valid passport and your credit card (American Express, Diners Club, JCB, Mastercard or Visa).

Airlines have access to the ETA database through their reservation systems. They will make an enquiry to determine your visa status when you check in for your flight.

If you do not hold a valid country passport which may be used to apply for an ETA through this site then you will need to obtain a regular visa at your nearest Australian Embassy. A full list of Australian visa offices can be found by clicking on the link on this site.

Yes, This site abides by the principles outlined in the Privacy Statement. Only the data required to process your application will be collected. It will only be used for that purpose by this site. Limited audit information will be stored on this site. The full data on your application and Australian ETA status will only be permanently stored on secure servers operated for the Australian Government.

Please see the Privacy Statement for further details.

Payments by credit card are processed through third party independant Internet payment gateway which means that none of your private financial details are stored or seen by us.

Your credit card details are encrypted the moment they are transmitted by you and are encrypted as they are transmitted through to the banking network. If your browser does not support the level of encryption required by this site, you will not be able to apply for an ETA.

We will hold your credit card details only for the duration of the transaction. Once payment has been authorised and the application for an ETA has been finalised, your credit card number is deleted from the site.

We are authorised to accept payment by American Express, Diners Club, JCB, Mastercard and Visa.

If you apply for an ETA and the system determines that you already have a current visa or ETA with a longer period of stay than the ETA you are applying for, or the current visa or ETA has work rights or residency rights, the application will not be processed. There will be no charge for this application.

In a small percentage of cases, this site may not be able to evaluate and approve an application. In these cases, you should finalise your application through the nearest Australian visa office. The locations of these offices can be found by clicking on the Australian Embassy visa office link.

If your application is not approved, you will not be charged.

If your application is processed, then you will be charged.

Once an application has been submitted and processed, and the credit card payment has been processed, you cannot cancel the transaction and the payment cannot be refunded.

It is important that you are very careful when you type in your personal details.

You will have an opportunity to review all the details you have provided on your screen and can change the details at any time until you confirm all details as correct.

If you have made an error, it is important that you correct it before proceeding.

Once you have confirmed the details, your credit card will be debited. If you find out later that you have made a mistake, you can either make a new application (and incur another service charge) or contact your nearest Australian visa office.

To ensure the security and privacy of your information, this site uses a secure protocol (HTTPS) for all transmissions of personal data between your browser and the site. This means that your browser must be able to support HTTPS.

The site will attempt to establish a secure session using 128 bit encryption. If the browser does not support this level of encryption, then the session will not be established and you will not be able to submit an application for an ETA.

Specifically, the site will work with the following browsers:

• Firefox 1.0.0 or later
• Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0 or later

If you cannot connect to the 'Apply' or 'Check' components of this system from a site behind a firewall, the firewall may be preventing the establishment of a secure connection. Please speak to your webmaster or Internet Service Provider.

If your browser does not support the secure protocol (HTTPS), you should update your browser. The most recent versions of commonly used browsers can be downloaded free of charge from the web sites of the suppliers listed just above.

You can Check Your Browser here, plus other browser information.

15. Can I apply for a Long Validity Business ETA over the Internet ?

No. To apply for a Long Validity Business ETA, please see your nearest Australian Embassy.

Unfortunately, ETAs for Taiwan passport holders are not available on the Internet at this stage.

Taiwanese passport holders are only able to apply for an ETA through their travel agent or the offices of Australian Visa Services (AVS) located in Taipei, Kaohsiung or Taichung.

Unfortunately, ETAs for holders of Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (GBN) passports are not available on the Internet at this stage.

The good news is that you are able to apply for an ETA through the nearest Australian visa office. Your travel agent or airline office may also be able to arrange an ETA for you.

Hong Kong
Note, however, that holders of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) passports are eligible to apply through this site.

The ETA will allow you to stay in Australia for a maximum of three months on each visit. more info

You will need to apply for a visa which allows for a longer stay from your nearest Australian visa office.

Or, Plan B is that you may be able to travel to a neighbouring country, like New Zealand, at the end of the 3 month period and then return to Australia using the same ETA Visa so long as (a) your passport is current (b) it is within 12 months since you purchased the ETA visa online.

Some hotels in;
» New Zealand » Hong Kong » Singapore » Fiji

Yes (conditions apply)

Visitor ETAs have a multiple entry facility. You can enter Australia as many times as necessary within the validity of the ETA. Provided you have a valid visa for New Zealand (or are exempt), you can travel to New Zealand from Australia and then return as long as your ETA remains valid.

(Short Validity) BUSINESS ETAs have a multiple entry facility. You can enter Australia for business reasons as many times as necessary within the validity of the ETA. Provided you have a valid visa for New Zealand (or are exempt), you can travel to New Zealand from Australia and then return as long as your ETA remains valid.

21. What conditions apply to my ETA ?

The conditions applying to ETAs are:

• Your passport must be valid
• You hold an ETA-eligible passport.
• You must be outside Australia to apply for an ETA.
• Your visit to Australia is for:
  • Tourism,
  • Visiting relatives,
  • Business meetings, or
  • A convention or conference.
• You will not work in Australia.
• You will not stay in Australia for more than three months.
• You are in good health (including free from tuberculosis).
• You have no criminal convictions.
• You use the ETA within twelve months, or before the expiry date of your current passport (whichever comes first).

See the full list of Australian ETA Eligibility Conditions here.

You should note that you must not overstay your visit to Australia, that is, you must depart Australia before your authorised stay period expires. If you do not, Australian law requires that you be detained and/or removed from Australia. Overstaying may also affect your ability to acquire another Australian visa, including an ETA, in the future.

Where exceptional circumstances arise while you are in Australia, on an ETA, that require you to stay longer than three months, you must obtain another visa from an Australian visa office in Australia at least 2 weeks before the end of the three month visit period.

Failure to do so may leave you an as an illegal alien in Australia.

22. I'm not planning to travel to Australia for 3 months - should I apply for an ETA now?

Yes, the sooner you get your Visa means less things to worry about, remember, they are valid for 12 months* anyway.

The answer depends on your personal circumstances and preferences. Your ETA is valid for travel to Australia for 12 months from the date it is granted or less if your passport is valid for less than 12 months.

You can apply for an ETA at any time and, provided you arrive in Australia within the ETA validity period and you have the same passport you used to apply for the ETA, you may apply for the ETA in advance.

However, you should be aware that you will need to apply for a new ETA if your passport expires and you are issued with a new passport.

You can apply for your ETA before purchasing airline tickets. Make sure you let the airline office or travel agent know that you already have an ETA when booking your tickets.

If you have already purchased tickets and you have not arranged an ETA visa, you can apply for an ETA via this web site, at any time before departure.

23. What is Error 503?

Error 503 is generated by the Credit Card payment gateway when their systems are not functioning correctly. You are not debited the service charge and your ETA cannot be granted at this time.

Please try again in a few minutes.

The error is outside the Internet ETA System. This site will not be aware of the error as the error message is sent directly from the Credit Card payment gateway to you.

24. I am in a country that does not have access to ETAs. I have an ETA-eligible passport. Can I use the Internet to arrange an ETA?

Yes

From the Australian Governments current perspective there is no problem. Click here to buy your ETA Visa online.

Provided you meet the eligibility criteria, you can apply from anywhere in the world that has Internet access. You should, however, check with local authorities to ensure that they do not require a label visa or official stamp in the passport to prove that you have authority to enter Australia.

Child ETA's

Each child MUST have an ETA.

You need to enter the passport details exactly as for the parent, replacing the name, date of birth, sex and country of birth with the children's details as they appear in the passport.

See more info here on the Family ETA's page.

26. Will my visa end when I leave Australia?

In most cases your visa will not end when you leave Australia.

However,
Your visa may cease when you leave Australia if you have used up the last 3 months of the allotted 12 months or your passport has expired.

If you intend to return to Australia, you should check before you leave whether your visa will permit you to return, and the time limit for returning to Australia that applies in your case.