Electronic visas (Australia)
Electronic visas are issued by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship to some foreign nationals for entry into Australia. Unlike ordinary visas, when electronic visas are issued, no stamp or other documentation is affixed inside the traveller's passport; instead, the computer-based system links the passport number to the electronic visa and is accessible by immigration officials and airline carriers.[1]
Holders of 44 different passports are eligible for the Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) and/or eVisitor, which is a subset of the ETA for European nations:[2][3] Most New Zealand citizens entering Australia are granted a Special Category Visa on arrival, permitting an unlimited length of stay as well as work, and do not need to apply for electronic visas in advance.
As of June 2007, more than 23 million people had been granted ETAs and ETAs accounted for almost 80% of all Australian tourist and short-term business visas granted worldwide.[1]
[edit] Electronic Travel Authority
An Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is an authorisation for entry to Australia available to holders of certain passports. Established in 1996 to remove the need for some people to apply for full visas, they can be applied for over the Internet, through travel agents and through airlines. Unless there is some problem with the application, the ETA is granted immediately.
ETAs are issued by the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship in three different types:
- short validity tourist ETA (subclass 976)
- short validity business entrant ETA (subclass 977)
- long validity business entrant ETA (subclass 956) - this can only be obtained through a travel agent, airline, specialist service provider or an Australian visa office outside Australia, not online
The short validity tourist and business entrant ETAs are each valid for 1 year or until the date of expiry of the passport (whichever is sooner). The long validity business entrant ETA is valid for the life of the holder's passport.[4] All three types allow entry as often as desired during the validity of the ETA for stays of up to three months (and for a stay up to three months beyond the expiration of the ETA provided entry is during the validity period).
All ETAs permit the holder to study or engage in training in Australia for up to 3 months. Holders of the short validity tourist ETA (subclass 976) are not allowed to work, although limited volunteer work is acceptable. Holders of the short validity and long validity business entrant ETA (subclasses 977 and 956 respectively) are generally not allowed to work, although they are allowed to engage in limited work if, for example, it is highly specialised and not ongoing (generally less than 6 weeks).
At the time of travel to, and entry into, Australia, all holders of an ETA (regardless of which subclass) must be free from tuberculosis and must not have any criminal convictions for which the sentence or sentences (whether served or not) total 12 months or more.
An application for the short validity ETAs (subclasses 976 and 977) attracts a service charge of AU$20. An application for a long validity business ETA (subclass 956) has an application fee of AU$105.[5]
[edit] Eligible passports
Brunei
Canada
Hong Kong
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passport holders
British National (Overseas) passport holders (cannot apply online and must apply in person)
Japan
Malaysia
Singapore
South Korea
Republic of China (Taiwan) (must be resident in Taiwan)
United States
[edit] eVisitor (subclass 651)
The eVisitor (a subset of ETA for European nationals) is free of charge.
[edit] Eligible passports
[edit] Exceptions
Holders of 
British National (Overseas) passports cannot apply for an eVisitor, however they can apply for an ETA (see above). They are subject to additional requirements (they cannot apply online and must apply in person at a travel agent or consulate). Holders of British Subject, British Overseas Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen and British Protected Person passports are not eligible for any electronic visas and must apply for an ordinary tourist visa.
[edit] Electronic Tourist Visa (subclass e676)
An Electronic Tourist Visa (e676) application attracts a fee of AU$110, except for foreign government representatives, who have their fee waived.
The holder of an e676 visa can study or engage in training in Australia for up to 3 months. Whilst an e676 visa does not permit work in Australia, its holder can do genuine unpaid voluntary work as long as the main purpose of visiting Australia is for tourism (and volunteering is incidental to this) and it would not otherwise have been done, in return for wages, by an Australian resident. The holder is permitted to be provided meals and accommodation or reimbursement for out-of-pocket living expenses connected to the voluntary work.
[edit] Eligible passports
Argentina[6]
Bahrain
Brazil[7]
Chile
Croatia
Kuwait
Maldives
Oman
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Turkey (only Special, Service and Diplomatic passport holders)
United Arab Emirates
[edit] New Zealand citizens
Citizens of 
New Zealand can enter Australia without giving any notice and can live and work in Australia indefinitely if they present a valid New Zealand passport, have no criminal convictions, have no untreated tuberculosis and have not been deported, excluded or removed from any country. Qualifying New Zealand citizens are issued with a Special Category Visa on arrival in Australia, unless they already hold another type of Australian visa, and do not need to apply for any of the above electronic visas prior to travel.
[edit] Reciprocity
Some countries regard the ETA as being equivalent to visa-free travel when deciding whether to grant the same to Australians wishing to enter their territory. The United States, for example, offers their Visa Waiver Program to Australian passport-holders,[8] and one of the conditions for joining this scheme is that "Governments provide reciprocal visa-free travel for U.S. citizens for 90 days for tourism or business purposes)".[9] Japan has also granted visa-free access to Australians.[10] United States require from January 2009 similar ETA from citizens of Australia and some more countries. This system is not called visa, but Electronic System for Travel Authorization, therefore the USA still allows visa-free travel for Australians.
Whilst all countries in the European Union have access to the ETA system, not all of them regard it as being visa-free travel.[11] As a matter of EU policy, however, none of them impose reciprocal requirements on Australian nationals for short-term stays.[12][13] (The United Kingdom and Ireland are exempt from this particular EU policy, but still do not impose any short-term visa requirements on Australians.)[14][15]
[edit] See also
- Immigration
- Immigration to Australia
- Tourism in Australia
- Australian passport
- Special purpose visa
- Permanent Resident of Norfolk Island visa
- Electronic System for Travel Authorization
[edit] External links
- Department of Immigration & Citizenship
- Tourism Australia
- ETA:
- eVisitor:
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Australian Immigration Fact Sheet 55: Electronic Travel Authority". Department of Immigration and Citizenship. http://www.immi.gov.au/media/fact-sheets/55eta.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/tourist/976/eligibility.htm
- ^ http://www.immi.gov.au/visitors/tourist/evisitor/eligibility.htm
- ^ "ETA (Business Entrant)(Subclass 956 and 977)". Department of Immigration and Citizenship. http://www.immi.gov.au/skilled/business/956-977/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ [1]
- ^ http://www.investinaustralia.com/news/australian-immigration-launched-online-tourist-visas-brazil-and-argentina-46b9
- ^ http://www.investinaustralia.com/news/australian-immigration-launched-online-tourist-visas-brazil-and-argentina-46b9
- ^ "Visa Waiver Program (VWP)". U.S. Department of State. http://www.travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html#2. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ "Visa Waiver Program - How a Country Qualifies". U.S. Department of State. http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1255.html. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ "Visa Free Entry to Japan for Short-term Visitors from Australia". Department of Immigration and Citizenship. 1998-11-05. Archived from the original on 2007-06-09. http://web.archive.org/web/20070609151446/http://www.minister.immi.gov.au/media/media-releases/1998/r98145.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ "Report from the Commission to the Council - on visa waiver reciprocity with certain third countries, COM(2006) 3 final" (.doc). Commission of the European Communities. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2006:0003:FIN:EN:DOC. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ "Same visa policy for all European Union Member States". EUROPA. http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/fsj/freetravel/visa/fsj_freetravel_visa_en.htm. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ Office for Official Publications of the European Communities (2001-03-21). "Council Regulation (EC) No 539/2001" (subscription required). Official Journal of the European Communities 44 (L 81): 1–7; Article 1(2) and Annex II. http://eur-lex.europa.eu/pri/en/oj/dat/2001/l_081/l_08120010321en00010007.pdf.
- ^ "Visa and Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV) nationals". UK Visas. http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1020786334922. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
- ^ "Do I need a visa to come to Ireland?". Department of Foreign Affairs, Government of Ireland. http://193.178.1.205/services/visa/01.asp. Retrieved 2007-08-31.
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