Subclass 601 — Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)

Eligibility snapshot

General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. In general terms, the subclass 601 Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) is a short-stay travel authority designed for people who hold a passport from one of the countries or regions the Australian Government has designated as ETA-eligible. It is intended for short visits as a tourist (for example holidays, cruises, or seeing family and friends) or to take part in business-visitor activities such as attending a conference or meeting. It is not a work visa, and paid work in Australia is typically not permitted under it. Who it is broadly shaped for, described at a high level: - Holders of an eligible passport. The list of eligible passports is set by the Department and changes from time to time, so the official page is the only authoritative source for whether a particular passport qualifies. Travellers from certain European countries are often directed instead toward a different short-stay authority (the eVisitor, subclass 651) — a registered practitioner can advise which pathway fits a person's circumstances. - People who intend only a genuine short, temporary visit, and who are typically outside Australia both when they apply and when the authority is granted. - People who can meet the standard health and character expectations that apply to visitor pathways. Where a person has matters such as prior criminal history, the ETA may not be the appropriate pathway and another visitor pathway may need to be considered — this is exactly the kind of personal assessment a registered practitioner should make. Each traveller generally needs their own ETA, including children, even where a child is listed on a parent's passport. Validity, the maximum length of each stay, and total period of validity are set by the Department; in broad terms the ETA typically supports multiple short visits across a fixed validity window rather than a single long stay. For the current rules, eligible-passport list, stay limits and conditions, always check the official page, and a registered practitioner can advise on individual circumstances.

Common questions

Health and character

Most people who apply for an Australian visa are expected to meet a health requirement, which supports public health and helps manage pressure on Australia's health care and community services. Whether a short-stay visitor is actually asked to complete health examinations depends on individual circumstances - for example the visa applied for, how long and why a person plans to stay, the country they apply from, and any public-health concerns such as certain communicable diseases. Where examinations are needed, applicants are advised during processing. When health examinations are required, the person applying is generally responsible for the cost of any examinations. Examination results are generally treated as valid for around 12 months. Visa applicants are also assessed against the character requirements, which are set out under section 501 of the Migration Act 1958. As part of this, applicants must truthfully declare any criminal history and may be asked to provide a police or penal clearance certificate. The Department indicates that a person who has a criminal conviction in any country should apply for a Visitor visa (subclass 600) rather than an ETA, and a registered practitioner can advise on individual circumstances. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Health insurance and Medicare

Overseas visitors who hold a temporary visa are generally not eligible to use Australia's public Medicare system for their medical or hospital costs. This means that, without cover, a visitor could be responsible for the full cost of any treatment needed while in Australia, which can be substantial - even in a public hospital, fees can exceed AUD 1,000 a day. Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with a number of countries. Residents of those countries may be able to access limited, medically necessary treatment in the public system, but these agreements do not cover treatment as a private patient and are not a substitute for travel or health insurance. Overseas Visitors Health Cover (OVHC) is a form of private health insurance designed for visitors who do not have access to Medicare, to help meet medical and hospital expenses during a stay. The Australian Government generally encourages overseas visitors to hold adequate health or travel cover for the duration of their visit. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs

The ETA does not attract a Visa Application Charge, which is the government charge payable for many other visa applications. Instead, an application service charge of AUD 20 is payable to use the official Australian ETA app when an application is made. This departmental service charge is separate and conceptually distinct from any Visa Application Charge, and is also separate from any additional fee that a third-party website or service provider might add. Each person must submit a separate application - family members, including children listed on a passport, cannot be included in one application - so the service charge generally applies for each individual applicant. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Validity, stay and processing

Once granted, the ETA is generally granted with multiple entry, allowing a person to travel to and from Australia as many times as they wish. It is generally valid for either 12 months, or for as long as the passport is valid, whichever is shorter, with the 12-month period usually starting on the date it is granted. Each individual visit is generally limited to a maximum stay of three months. The authority is designed to support multiple short visits rather than a single long or continuous stay, and it cannot be extended - a person who wishes to stay longer needs to apply for a different visa. Applicants are generally outside Australia both when they apply and when the authority is granted, and in most cases the result is provided immediately. Because processing can take longer in some circumstances, the Department suggests not making travel arrangements until the ETA has been granted. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Conditions that generally apply to an ETA (subclass 601)

The Electronic Travel Authority is a short-stay visitor visa, and the conditions attached to it limit what a holder may do while in Australia. The exact conditions placed on any individual grant are shown by the Department of Home Affairs through its "Check visa details and conditions" tool, which is the authoritative record for a specific ETA. Work is restricted. The department states the ETA is not a work visa and holders cannot undertake paid work for an Australian employer. Holders may generally take part only in business visitor activities, such as making general business or employment enquiries, investigating, negotiating, entering into or reviewing a business contract, taking part in a conference, trade fair or seminar (where the organisers do not pay the holder to take part), or conducting activities as part of an official government visit. This work limitation corresponds to Schedule 8 condition 8115 (limited activities). Working outside these limits can lead to the visa being cancelled. Study is limited. Holders may generally study or train for no more than three months in total, which corresponds to Schedule 8 condition 8201. Anyone whose main reason for travelling is to study is directed to apply for a student visa. Stay and departure are controlled. The ETA is a multiple-entry visa that generally allows stays of up to three months on each entry within a 12-month validity period; it cannot be extended, and a holder must not remain in Australia after the visa ceases. To stay longer, a separate visa must be applied for. Health insurance is recommended by the department but is not imposed as a mandatory condition on the ETA (the adequate-health-insurance condition 8501 is not applied to this visa). Holders must comply with all conditions on their visa and obey Australian laws. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Who is generally eligible for an ETA (subclass 601)

The ETA is a single visa with no separate streams. Unlike skilled or points-tested visas, it has no age limit, no English-language test, no skills assessment or occupation list, no points test and no sponsorship or nomination requirement. It is designed for short visits for tourism, to see family or friends, or for business visitor activities. Applicants are generally required to hold an eligible passport. The department maintains the definitive list of ETA-eligible passports, and travellers are directed to check that list rather than rely on a summary. European passport holders may instead be eligible for the eVisitor (subclass 651), and Australian citizens cannot apply for an ETA. Applications are made only through the Australian ETA app, and applicants must be outside Australia both when they apply and when the visa is decided. Applicants are generally assessed as genuine visitors, meaning they intend only to stay temporarily and to comply with the conditions and period of stay attached to the visa. Applicants generally must meet the department's health requirement. The department notes that people who have previously failed the health requirement, or who intend to enter health-care or hospital environments, to study to be a doctor, dentist, nurse or paramedic, or to train at a childcare centre, should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa rather than an ETA. Applicants generally must meet the character requirement. The department advises that anyone with a criminal conviction in any country should apply for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa and provide evidence about their convictions, rather than an ETA, and that providing incorrect information can lead to the visa being cancelled. Applicants and their family members (including family members who do not apply for the visa) generally must have repaid any outstanding debt to the Australian Government, or arranged to repay it, and decision-makers also consider the best interests of any applicant under 18. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Family members and what the ETA allows after grant

Family members cannot be combined into one ETA application. There are no dependant places on this visa: each traveller, including each child and anyone listed on a passport, must separately meet the eligibility criteria and lodge their own ETA application. After grant, the visa generally lets the holder travel to Australia as a tourist (for example to cruise or holiday), to visit family or friends, or as a business visitor. It is granted as a multiple-entry visa, so the holder can leave and re-enter Australia as many times as they wish while it remains valid, generally staying up to three months on each entry. The visa is generally valid for travel to Australia for 12 months from grant, or for the period of the passport's validity if that is shorter. Study or training of up to three months in total is generally permitted. The ETA does not permit paid work for an Australian employer; only business visitor activities are allowed. It is a temporary visitor visa and does not provide a pathway to permanent residence. A holder who wants to stay longer than three months at a time, or to live in Australia, must apply for a different visa that suits their purpose. The ETA is a digital visa linked electronically to the holder's passport, with no label placed in the passport. If the passport expires or the holder obtains a new passport, the ETA ceases and a new ETA must be applied for. On health cover, the department recommends that ETA holders take out health insurance to cover any unforeseen medical treatment, noting that holders are personally liable for their healthcare costs while in Australia. Some countries have a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, administered by Services Australia, which may give access to some medically necessary care. Holders must meet all visa conditions and obey Australian laws. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Common refusal reasons and review of ETA decisions

Based on official material, applications of this type are commonly refused or found ineligible where an applicant does not hold an eligible passport, is inside Australia at the time of application or decision, is not assessed as a genuine visitor, does not meet the health requirement, does not meet the character requirement (for example, because of a criminal conviction), or has an unpaid debt to the Australian Government. Providing incorrect or misleading information can also lead to refusal, or to cancellation after grant. In several of these situations the department suggests applying for a Visitor (subclass 600) visa instead, for example where there is a criminal history, where health examinations are needed, or where the traveller will enter health-care settings. Merits review at the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) is not available for every visa decision; the ART can review some, but not all, visa decisions made by the department. Whether a refused applicant can seek review depends on the type of decision and on the Migration Act. For many offshore visitor-type refusals, where the applicant was outside Australia and there is no sponsor or nominator, there is generally no merits-review right for the applicant. The department's decision notification states whether the decision can be reviewed and who is entitled to apply. Where review is available, strict statutory time limits apply to lodging an application and a fee is generally payable (a reduced fee or a refund can apply in limited circumstances). This is general, factual information about the review process and is neutral; it is not a prediction about any particular case. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.

Costs for an ETA (subclass 601)

The ETA is unusual in that there is no Visa Application Charge (VAC). Instead, the department applies an application service fee of AUD20 to use the Australian ETA app, and states that there is no other charge payable for an ETA. Because family members cannot be included in one application, there are no additional-applicant charges, no second-instalment VAC, and no subsequent-entrant charge for this visa. Each traveller, including each child, lodges a separate ETA and pays the AUD20 service fee individually. Payment of the service fee is made through the official Australian ETA app. This official charge should be kept clearly separate from any fee that a third-party website, travel agent or assistance platform may charge for help with an application; those are additional service fees and are not government charges. Other departmental costs are situational rather than standard for this visa. If the department requests health examinations or a police or character check, those costs are met by the applicant and paid to the relevant provider. The ETA has no skills-assessment or English-test cost. Government charges can change over time, and the department's fees and charges pages are the authoritative source for current amounts. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.