The Australian ETA takes a few minutes to apply for, which encourages people to click through the declarations. Those declarations are the part of the application that matters.
ETA and eVisitor are not the same thing
Two separate short-stay authorisations exist for visa-exempt travellers. The Electronic Travel Authority, subclass 601, is available to passport holders of a defined list of countries and is applied for through the official app or, for some nationalities, through other channels. The eVisitor, subclass 651, is available to passport holders of a different list, largely European, and is applied for online with no fee beyond any published charge.
Both allow short visits for tourism or business visitor activity, typically up to three months per entry within a twelve-month validity. Neither permits work for an Australian employer, and both carry conditions.
Check which one applies to your passport rather than assuming. Applying for the wrong one wastes time, and third-party sites that offer to handle either for a substantial fee are charging for a submission you can make on the official platform.
The health declaration
You will be asked whether you have tuberculosis or have been in contact with someone who has, and whether you have any condition that could be a public health risk or result in significant healthcare costs in Australia. Answer honestly.
A yes answer does not mean automatic refusal. It means the matter is assessed, and you may be asked for medical information or examination. What causes real problems is a no answer that turns out to be untrue, because that is a matter of integrity rather than health.
If you have a chronic condition requiring ongoing treatment, or have recently had significant medical care, consider whether the visitor authorisation is the right instrument or whether a full visitor visa application allowing proper explanation is more appropriate.
- Tuberculosis history or contact must be declared
- Conditions with significant treatment costs must be declared
- Criminal convictions must be declared regardless of age or severity
- Previous visa refusals or cancellations must be declared
The character declaration
The character question asks whether you have any criminal convictions. The threshold is lower than people expect and the question is not limited to recent or serious matters. Spent convictions, matters dealt with without a formal conviction in some jurisdictions, and offences committed as a young person may all need declaring depending on the exact wording.
If you answer yes, you will generally not be able to complete the quick authorisation and will be directed to apply for a visitor visa where the matter can be assessed with police certificates and an explanation. That is the correct path, and it takes longer.
Answering no to avoid that outcome is the worst available choice. Australia takes character and integrity seriously, cancellation at the border is a real possibility, and a finding of providing false information can affect applications for years.
Passport linkage and practical care
The authorisation is linked electronically to the passport you applied with. Renew the passport and you need a new authorisation, even if the old one has months to run. Travelling on a different passport from the one linked leaves you without valid permission at check-in.
Check your name, date of birth and passport number on the confirmation you receive. A typographical error in a passport number means the authorisation does not attach to your document and airline systems will not find it.
Save the confirmation and carry a copy. You do not need it printed, as the record is electronic, but having it available resolves any question at check-in in seconds.
When to use a full visitor visa instead
Apply for a visitor visa rather than an ETA or eVisitor if you have a criminal record, a health issue that needs explaining, a previous refusal or cancellation, an intended stay beyond three months, or a purpose that needs describing in detail such as extended family care.
The visitor visa is also the route if you want the possibility of a longer stay per entry, since some grants allow up to twelve months at the department's discretion. The trade-off is a fuller application, published fees and a longer processing time.
We help with both and the advice is often simply that your circumstances take you out of the quick route. Alif Visa is a private assistance service, not part of the Australian Department of Home Affairs, and the assessment of any declaration you make is entirely theirs.
Alif Visa is a private visa assistance service. We are not a government department, embassy or visa application centre, and decisions are made solely by the issuing authority. Rules and fees change without notice, so confirm the requirements that apply to your circumstances before you travel.