Australia ETA and eVisitor: electronic travel authority explained

The ETA is limited to passports from a published list of countries and jurisdictions, among them Canada, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, the United States and several European states. A non-citizen passport, certificate of identity or refugee travel document cannot be used. The eVisitor covers the European Union member states and a few other European countries.

Holders of passports on neither list, including dual citizens travelling on such a passport, apply for the Visitor visa (subclass 600). A dual national can use an eligible second passport, but must travel on that same passport.

You must be outside Australia when you apply and when it is granted, be a genuine visitor, and meet the health and character requirements. Anyone with a criminal conviction in any country, or who previously failed the health requirement, is told to apply for a Visitor visa 600 instead. The same applies to people who will train or work in childcare or health care settings.

The ETA is requested only through the Australian ETA smartphone app, which reads the passport chip and takes a live photo. The AUD 20 service fee is paid in the app and the result is usually shown at once. The eVisitor is requested online through ImmiAccount without a charge. Both are linked electronically to the passport.

Neither authority can be extended. A longer stay requires a different visa; anyone who stays after the ETA ends without another visa becomes an unlawful non-citizen and may be removed. Frequent or long visits may lead to questions about the purpose of travel at the border.