General visa requirements:

Anyone who is not an Australian citizen needs a valid visa/Electronic Travel Authority (ETA - see below) to enter and spend time in Australia.

Before travelling to Australia:

With the exception of New Zealand citizens travelling on New Zealand passports, all foreign nationals must obtain a visa/ETA before travelling to Australia. (New Zealand citizens are issued with a visa on arrival in Australia.)

Visas are available from Australian visa offices such as Australian Embassies, High Commissions and Consulates. They are also available, in ETA form, from travel agents and airlines in certain countries.

Please visit the Washington DC Australian Embassy Web site for information on applying for a business visa if you are a citizen of a country not eligible for an ETA. The top portion is about ETA eligible citizens and the bottom section tells what to do if you are ineligible. If you are not in North America, please call or visit the nearest Australian Embassy to apply for an ETA or visa. Visit the official Australian site on immigration at www.immi.gov.au. (Today, October 16, that site is not working, but the link is correct.)

Please note that:

• airlines may refuse to allow travellers to board their aircraft without valid visas/ETAs and passports;
• it is recommended that intending visitors first obtain a visa/ETA before purchasing airline tickets or entering into any other financial commitments dependent upon entry to Australia;
• Visas/ETAs are issued subject to a range of conditions;
• and tourists are not allowed to work during their visit to Australia. Penalties apply to tourists who breach this 'no work' condition.

Types of visas

The type of visa you will need depends on how long you wish to stay in Australia and what you want to do during your stay.

Short Stay Visas (for up to 3 months). Australia provides short stay visas in two forms - the Electronic Travel Authority and the non-electronic 'label' visa, as described below.

Electronic Travel Authority (ETA): An ETA is an electronically stored authority to travel to Australia for a short stay and no visa label is placed in the passport.

ETAs are available from participating travel agencies when making travel arrangements, or though participating airlines, as well as at Australia visa offices overseas.

ETAs are available to holders of the following passports approved for ETA: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, AUK-British Citizen, UK-British National (overseas), USA and the Vatican.

Note that holders of Taiwan passports can only be processed for an ETA if resident in and applying in Taiwan. Holders of UK passports which indicate their nationality to be British National (overseas) cannot be processed for an ETA by a travel agent or airline outside Hong Kong.

ETAs are available for tourism and short stay business purposes. Tourist ETAs and short validity, single entry business ETAs, are free of any Government charge. There is a charge for long validity business entry ETAs.