Visitor
Subclass 651 — eVisitor
Important notice: General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. For advice about your circumstances, book a verified practitioner.
Compiled from official Department of Home Affairs sources — practitioner verification pending.
Free online authority for passport holders of eligible (mostly European) countries to visit Australia for tourism or business visitor purposes, usually granted very quickly.
Eligibility snapshot
In general terms, the eVisitor (subclass 651) is a free short-stay authority aimed at passport holders from a defined group of mostly European countries who want to visit Australia briefly for tourism or business visitor activities. Because eligibility for this stream turns mainly on which passport a person holds, the most important threshold is usually nationality: the visa is open only to holders of passports on the eligible list published by the Department of Home Affairs, and that list is the authoritative source for who qualifies. Country of residence is typically not the deciding factor — what matters is the passport itself, and certain passport types within otherwise-eligible nationalities may be excluded. Beyond passport eligibility, the visa is generally intended for people who are outside Australia when they apply and who plan to visit only temporarily. Applicants are typically expected to meet health and character requirements and to genuinely intend a short visit consistent with the visa's conditions. Tourism covers things like holidays, sightseeing, and visiting family or friends; the business visitor side typically covers activities such as attending meetings, conferences, or trade events and making general business enquiries — not taking up work. Whether a particular person meets every requirement depends on their individual circumstances, current policy, and the eligible-country list at the time of applying. Check the official page for current requirements, and a registered practitioner can advise on a specific situation, including whether a different visitor pathway (such as another visitor subclass) would suit better.
Frequently asked questions
Q: How long can someone stay on an eVisitor? A: In general terms this visa allows short visits — typically up to three months at a time — and is usually valid across a twelve-month period during which a person may enter more than once. The three-month limit generally applies to each separate visit rather than being a total cap across the year. Exact stay periods and conditions are set by the Department, so check the official page for current requirements. Q: Can a person work in Australia on this visa? A: As a rule, the eVisitor is a visitor authority and does not permit taking up employment. Business visitor activities such as attending meetings, conferences, or trade events are generally contemplated, but paid work is not. Anyone whose plans go beyond visiting should look at a different visa, and a registered practitioner can advise on the right pathway. Q: Does the eVisitor put a label or stamp in a passport? A: Typically not — this type of authority is generally linked electronically to the passport rather than being a physical label. Travellers usually rely on the digital grant associated with their passport. The official page explains how the grant works and what to keep as confirmation. Q: What happens if someone wants to stay longer than the permitted period? A: In general, this visa cannot be extended from within Australia, and a longer stay usually means applying for a different visitor visa instead. Because the options depend on individual circumstances and current policy, check the official page and consider speaking with a registered practitioner about alternatives.
Health and character requirements
Applicants for the eVisitor are generally expected to meet Australia's health and character requirements, which the Department of Home Affairs lists as part of the process for this visa. Depending on individual circumstances, some applicants may be asked to complete health examinations so that their health can be assessed. Where examinations are required, the results are assessed by a Medical Officer of the Commonwealth, who looks at the applicant's medical situation rather than other personal circumstances - for example, whether the person holds private health insurance or has enough money to pay for treatment is not something the officer takes into account. Character requirements also apply. Applicants must meet the department's character requirement, which is based on the character test set out in the Migration Act 1958, and they may be asked about any criminal history. The department may request a police certificate (also called a penal clearance certificate) for countries a person has lived in, typically where the person is over 17 and has lived in a country for 12 months or more in the past 10 years. Official guidance also indicates that a person who arrives in Australia on an eVisitor while holding a criminal conviction may be refused entry. These requirements are general and how they apply depends on each person's circumstances, so the official Department of Home Affairs guidance is the authoritative source. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Health cover and Medicare
There is no separate government health charge built into the eVisitor, but the Department of Home Affairs states that holders are personally liable for their healthcare costs while in Australia. For this reason the department recommends taking out health insurance to help limit that financial liability, and holding adequate health or travel insurance is commonly suggested for visitors. Australia has reciprocal health care agreements with a number of countries - Services Australia lists agreements with 11 countries, including several European countries, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Where an agreement applies, eligible visitors may be able to access medically necessary care under Medicare, which can include medically necessary care out of hospital, medically necessary care as a public patient in a public hospital, and some subsidised prescription medicines. These arrangements have limits and differ by country: they do not apply to people who travel to Australia specifically to obtain medical treatment, and some visitors need to enrol in Medicare to access services, while short-stay visitors who do not need care may not need to enrol. Visitors who are not covered by a reciprocal agreement are generally not eligible for Medicare and cannot claim Medicare benefits for treatment in Australia, so arranging private health or travel insurance is commonly suggested. Coverage details and eligibility are set out by Services Australia and the Department of Home Affairs. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Costs and the Visa Application Charge
There is no Visa Application Charge from the Australian Government for the eVisitor - the Department of Home Affairs states the eVisitor is free - and applications are made online. This departmental charge is a separate concept from any service, agent, or platform fee that a third party might charge to assist with an application; those are not government costs. Even where there is no application charge, applicants can still incur other out-of-pocket costs in certain situations. For example, if health examinations or a police or penal clearance certificate are requested, the applicant generally arranges these and meets the cost separately, paying the relevant clinic or authority directly. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Validity, length of stay and processing
The eVisitor is generally granted as a multiple-entry visa that is valid for travel to Australia for 12 months from the date it is granted. Within that period, holders can typically leave and re-enter Australia as often as they wish. Each visit is usually limited to a stay of up to three months after each entry. The three-month limit applies to each separate visit rather than to the total time across the 12-month validity period. Applications are made online, and applicants must be outside Australia when they apply and when a decision is made. Processing times vary from case to case. The Department of Home Affairs publishes indicative global visa processing times, which it updates regularly, and complete applications are generally finalised more quickly than those needing further checks. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Conditions that generally attach to an eVisitor (subclass 651)
When the eVisitor is granted, the Department of Home Affairs notifies the holder and lists the conditions that apply. The department's own conditions list shows that the following conditions may attach to this visa. Holders can always check the exact conditions on their own grant through VEVO (Visa Entitlement Verification Online). Condition 8115 (limited activities): the eVisitor is not a work visa. Holders may take part only in the limited business-visitor and tourist activities the visa allows. Holders generally cannot work for, or provide services to, a business or organisation based in Australia, and cannot sell goods or services directly to the public. Condition 8201 (maximum three months study): study or training is limited to no more than three months in total during the stay. Where study is the main reason for travel, the official material points to a student visa as the more appropriate option. Condition 8527 (free from tuberculosis): the holder is required to be free from tuberculosis. Condition 8528 (no criminal convictions for which the sentence is 12 months or more): this relates to not having criminal convictions for which a sentence of 12 months or more has been imposed. The official material directs applicants with a criminal conviction toward the Visitor visa (subclass 600) instead. Breaching a visa condition can have consequences, including possible cancellation of the visa or refusal of entry at the border. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Eligibility in detail
The eVisitor is a single visitor product (there are no separate streams within subclass 651). It is designed for short visits to Australia for tourism or business-visitor purposes. The applicant must be outside Australia both when they apply and when the decision is made. Australian citizens are not eligible to apply. A core requirement is holding an eligible passport. The eVisitor is only open to passport holders from a particular set of countries specified by the department; applicants who do not hold one of those passports are directed to other visitor options. Unlike skilled or family visas, the eVisitor has no points test, no English-language test, no skills assessment or occupation list, and no sponsorship or nomination requirement. Instead, decision-makers focus on a small set of general criteria. Those criteria are, in general terms: being a genuine visitor who intends only to stay temporarily and to obey the visa's conditions and stay period; having enough money to support the stay and to leave at the end of it; meeting the health requirement; meeting the character requirement (the official material directs applicants with a criminal conviction to the Visitor visa subclass 600 instead); and having repaid, or arranged to repay, any outstanding debts owed to the Australian Government by the applicant or their family members. Where an applicant is under 18, the decision-maker also considers the best interests of the child. These points describe the eligibility framework in general and are not an assessment of any individual's circumstances. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Family members and what the visa allows after grant
Family members cannot be included in an eVisitor application. A separate application must be made for each family member, including any who are listed on the same passport. Each application is assessed on its own. After grant, the eVisitor is valid for travel to Australia for 12 months, starting from the date it is granted. It is a multiple-entry visa, so the holder may leave and re-enter Australia as many times as they wish while it remains valid, and may stay for up to three months on each entry. The visa is digitally linked to the passport, so no label is placed in the passport. During a stay, the visa generally allows tourism (such as a holiday, a cruise, or visiting family and friends) and business-visitor activities (such as making general business or employment enquiries; investigating, negotiating, entering into or reviewing a business contract; taking part in an official government visit; or attending a conference, trade fair or seminar where the organisers do not pay the holder to take part). Study or training is allowed for up to three months in total. The visa is not a work visa: the holder cannot work for or provide services to a business based in Australia, or sell goods or services directly to the public. The eVisitor is a temporary visa and cannot be extended. To stay longer than three months at a time, or to remain for other reasons, a person must apply for a different visa that suits their circumstances. A person who stays after the visa ceases, without holding another visa, becomes an unlawful non-citizen. Visitors generally do not have access to Medicare. The department recommends holders take out health insurance because they are personally liable for their healthcare costs in Australia; some countries have a reciprocal health care agreement with Australia, which Services Australia administers. Holders are also expected to 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 at the Administrative Review Tribunal
Because the eVisitor turns on a small set of general criteria, applications of this type are commonly refused where the decision-maker is not satisfied that one of those criteria is met. Typical factual reasons include not being satisfied that the applicant is a genuine visitor who intends only a temporary stay, not being satisfied that the applicant has enough money to support the visit and to leave at the end, or the applicant not meeting the health or character requirement (for example, an unresolved criminal conviction). Outstanding debts to the Australian Government that have not been repaid or arranged can also be a barrier. Separately, even where a visa is held, a person can be refused entry at the border or have the visa cancelled if the department later concludes they are not a genuine visitor or have breached a condition. If a decision is unfavourable, merits review by the Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) may be available, but the ART can review some, but not all, visa decisions. Whether a particular refusal can be reviewed depends on the type of decision. The written decision record from the department states whether review is available, who may apply, and the time limit for applying. Where review is available, a fee applies. The ART's application fee for reviewing a migration decision made under Part 5 of the Migration Act 1958 is $3,727, reduced to 50% of the full fee in cases of financial hardship. The ART refunds 50% of the fee paid if the decision is set aside or varied, or the application is remitted to the Department of Home Affairs. This section is a neutral description of how refusals and review generally work; it is not a prediction about any application and not advice. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Costs breakdown
The government charge for the eVisitor is nil. The eVisitor has no Visa Application Charge (VAC): the department describes the visa as free, so there is no first-instalment and no second-instalment VAC. Applications are made online. Because family members cannot be included and each person applies separately, there are no additional-applicant charges (for applicants aged 18 and over or under 18) and no subsequent-entrant charge for this visa; each separate eVisitor application is itself free. It is important to keep the government's charge separate from any third-party or service fee. Applying directly through the Australian Government's official system costs nothing; some agents, websites or platforms may charge their own service fee to prepare or lodge an application, and that fee is not a government charge. Other costs are the applicant's own and are separate from the visa itself. The department recommends health insurance because the holder is personally liable for healthcare costs in Australia. Depending on circumstances, an applicant may also have costs for obtaining or renewing a passport or travel document, and, if the department requires a health examination, the applicant generally pays for it. As the visa carries no application charge, there is no VAC to pay or to refund. This is general information only and is not immigration assistance or legal advice.
Official forms associated with this visa
Departmental forms that commonly come up for subclass 651, linked to the department’s own files. Whether a form applies to you depends on your circumstances — the note beside each is general only.
- 1022.PDF — Form 1022 - Notification of changes in circumstances ↗To notify a change in circumstances after lodgement.
- 1023.PDF — Form 1023 - Notification of incorrect answer(s) ↗To correct an incorrect answer after lodgement.
Official information and lodgement
Applications are lodged through your own ImmiAccount on the Department of Home Affairs website — never through this platform.
Visit the official Home Affairs page ↗Important notice: General information only — not immigration assistance or legal advice. For advice about your circumstances, book a verified practitioner.
Compiled from official Department of Home Affairs sources — practitioner verification pending.