People who want to go to Australia, for holidays, business trips or to visit a relative, must have a travel authorisation such as a tourist or business visa. Nowadays, there are different types of visas allowing you to go to this country but the simplest and cheapest is the e-visa, also called eVisitor, which we will present to you in detail. In this article, you will discover how to apply for an e-visa for Australia and all the formalities you need to complete in order to obtain one.
Applying for an eVisitor or eTA tourist visa for Australia: Key points
- The eTA or eVisitor allows you to travel to Australia without a traditional tourist visa.
- You can apply for an eVisitor or eTA visa entirely online in just a few minutes
- It is generally possible to obtain an eVisitor or eTA visa in 72 hours or less
- The average price of an eVisitor or eTA visa for Australia is between €60 and €80, including processing fees.
Are you eligible for an e-visa or eVisitor for Australia?
First of all, it is important to make sure that you are eligible for the eVisitor scheme in order to travel in Australia with peace of mind. This eligibility will actually depend on three fundamental elements, including the nationality registered on your passport, the length of your stay in Australia and the activities you wish to carry out in this country.
It is not without reason that tourists prefer to use an eVisitor instead of a traditional visa. Not only is it much cheaper than another type of visa, but it also saves a lot of time as it can be applied for entirely online.
The Australian eVisa will allow you to travel to Australia for up to 3 months. Here are some conditions to benefit from it:
- Be one of the eligible nationalities: if you are a British, Belgian or any other European Union national or even a Swiss or French national, you can use this e-visa application for Australia. If you have a nationality other than those mentioned in the official list, you can also check if you are eligible for the eTA scheme.
- Plan to stay for less than three months: Another criterion for this permission is that you wish to stay in Australia for less than three consecutive months. It is then possible to apply for different visas online. If you wish to stay longer in the country, you will have to apply for a regular visa and will not be able to take advantage of the eVisitor procedure or the eTA.
- The purpose of your stay: Finally, you need to make sure that the purpose of your trip is within the scope of the scheme. If you want to visit the country and do tourism, you will be eligible for eVisitor. This is also the case if you want to go there on a business trip or if you want to visit a relative living in the country. If you plan to work in the country for an Australian employer or study in Australia, you will need to apply for a specific visa. Finally, if you wish to volunteer during your holidays in Australia, this will be possible under certain conditions with an eVisitor.
The different online visas for Australia that you can obtain:
As we have just seen, the eVisitor for Australia is only available under certain conditions but there are also other types of visas for this country. We will review the main ones:
- The eVisitor: Of course, this is the most popular online visa for Australia for tourists and business travellers. It is available to tourists who are nationals of the European Union, the United Kingdom or Switzerland under certain conditions. The visa allows an unlimited number of trips to Australia as it is a multiple entry visa. However, each date of arrival must be within one year of the date the visa is granted. Each stay in Australia cannot exceed 3 consecutive months. One of the great advantages of the eVisitor is that it can be obtained online in just a few minutes and for a very low fee.
- The eTA Australia: This travel authorisation is very similar to the eVisitor as it can also be used as a tourist visa and offers the same conditions of stay and period of validity. The only difference is that the nationalities that can apply for this permit are different from those accepted for the eVisitor. The procedure for obtaining this permit is, however, a little more complex and expensive than that of the eVisitor. It is therefore only recommended if you are not eligible for an eVisitor.
- Visitor Visa: The General Visitor Visa is actually the classic tourist visa for Australia. One of the main differences between this visa and the eVisitor is that the General Visitor Visa allows you to stay in the country for a longer period of time, up to one year, although the maximum length of your stay will actually vary depending on your personal circumstances. It is assessed on a case by case basis by the immigration services. Of course, the cost of this service is higher than the cost of the eVisitor or the eTA but also the processing time is longer. The average fee per visa is €235 and the processing time can be several weeks.
- Working Holiday Visa: This tourist visa is only available to travellers between the ages of 18 and 30. It is particularly popular as it allows you to stay in Australia for up to one year and also, under certain conditions, to work in the country on a paid basis. However, this visa is currently the most expensive, with an average fee of €310 per applicant. In addition, the application procedure for this visa is more complex than for the eVisitor and requires several weeks of processing.
- The Work and Holiday visa: This tourist visa is very similar to the Working Holiday visa for Australia, but is for other nationalities. Check which type of visa you are eligible for before applying.
What is the procedure for obtaining an Australian visa online?
If you have checked that you are eligible for an eVisa for Australia and therefore for the eVisitor, we now suggest that you discover the different steps of the application procedure for this residence permit.
This application must be made online, on the website of a service provider such as the one we are proposing here, which will check and transmit your file to the Australian authorities. All you need to do is fill in some personal details and answer a few simple questions. Here are the details of the steps to follow:
- Prepare the necessary documents: Obtaining an eVisitor eVisa for Australia requires a copy of the identity page of your passport. This is the page that shows your full name, photo and date of birth, as well as your passport number. Remember that this passport must be valid for at least 6 months beyond the date of your departure to Australia. Two blank pages must also be available. One of the advantages of the eVisitor is that the passport is the only official document you will be asked for. You will not need to provide a photo ID, proof of accommodation or a flight ticket or other proof. However, you will need to present your return ticket on arrival in the country. For travellers under the age of 18, the same documents are required, but they will also need an exit permit if they are travelling alone or without a parent.
- Fill in the eVisitor application form online: You can then start filling in the application form by filling in several fields including civil status data such as the applicant's surname, first name and date of birth, passport data including date of issue, expiry date and number, work information including the name of the company or educational institution, job title or position, address and telephone number (put "none" in this field if you are not employed.) You will also need to indicate whether you have ever travelled to Australia and, if so, the visa, eTA or eVisitor number you used for that trip.
- Pay the processing and transfer fee: In order to validate your eVisitor application online and obtain it quickly, you will need to pay the fee for its verification and transfer to the Australian authorities. This payment can be made directly online in a secure area, by credit card or Paypal.
- Wait for the file to be processed: Remember that the time it takes to obtain a visa online is the time it takes for the immigration officers to process the application. This time is generally between 1 and 5 days, although most of the time it is possible to obtain this authorisation in less than 3 days. Note however that we are talking about working days, not including weekends and Australian public holidays. For this reason, we recommend that you apply at least a few weeks or even a month before your departure date.
- Receive and print your eVisa: When your eVisitor application for Australia has been processed and approved, the eVisa is sent to you directly by email to the email address you provided on the form. This email will tell you the status of your application and will contain the visa which you can print out to take with you when you leave.
Some things to know about the online visa for Australia:
Remember that the online visa or eVisitor for Australia is a multiple entry visa that is valid for one year from the date of issue. Thus, for one year, you can use this visa to make several visits to the country.
It should be noted, however, that for this purpose and for each new entry into the country, the maximum duration of stay is 90 days or three consecutive months. If you wish to stay longer in Australia, you will need to apply for a visa other than the eVisitor.
It is also not possible to make further trips to Australia with this eVisitor if you have changed your passport. This is because the eVisitor is linked to your passport number and if your passport number changes, you will need to apply for a new eVisitor. The same applies if your personal details have changed.
