Compare the three short-visit routes
This is a starting comparison for an applicant outside Australia. Check the exact passport list, stream and current conditions before applying.
| Question | eVisitor 651 | ETA 601 | Visitor 600 Tourist, overseas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passport | Only listed eligible passport types | Only listed eligible passport types | Check Tourist stream criteria; no ETA or eVisitor passport list |
| Apply | Home Affairs online application | Official Australian ETA app | Usually ImmiAccount |
| Charge | No application charge | No visa charge; app service fee | Check the current visa charge |
| Stay | Up to 3 months per entry | Up to 3 months per entry | Read the stay and entry terms of your own grant |
These overseas routes have application and decision or grant location rules. A short-visit visa is not permission to take a job.
Official eVisitor 651 · Official ETA 601 · Official overseas Tourist 600 · Current visa charges
Eligibility is about the exact passport, not where you live
The eVisitor (subclass 651) is for citizens who hold a passport on its eligible-country list, mainly European countries. For the United Kingdom, it lists British Citizen passports and excludes several other British passport types. The ETA (subclass 601) has a different eligible-passport list, including Canada, the United States, Japan and both British Citizen and British National (Overseas) passports. A German passport is listed for both. Check the full current lists before choosing.
If you are an Australian citizen, you cannot use an eVisitor or ETA to enter as a foreign visitor; follow the Australian citizen entry guidance. New Zealand citizens should check their separate entry and Special Category visa pathway. Your residence still matters for any local biometrics or other follow-up Home Affairs requests.
eVisitor passport list · ETA passport list · UK passport example → · Canadian passport example → · New Zealand citizen SCV guide → · Dual citizenship and other travel documents →
Online eVisitor application or official ETA app?
The eVisitor application is free and made online through Home Affairs. An ETA application uses the official Australian ETA app; the visa has no application charge, but the app has a service charge. The app needs a suitable phone to scan your passport and take a live photo, plus an email address and a payment method. You must check the scanned details and declare other passports, prior names and relevant history accurately.
If you cannot use the ETA app, Home Affairs directs you to consider another suitable visa through ImmiAccount. A Visitor 600 Tourist stream application is generally lodged there and has its own visa charge; check the current pricing estimator instead of relying on a fixed figure. Each traveller, including a child, needs a separate visa application.
How to apply for eVisitor · ETA app instructions · Current visa pricing
If the passport scan or decision takes longer
Home Affairs has short videos for taking the live photo, scanning the passport data page and reading the passport chip from different positions. Follow those current instructions if the app cannot complete a scan; confirm that the details it reads match the passport you will use to travel. If you cannot use the app, check another suitable visa rather than using an unofficial ETA website.
Most ETA results are given quickly, but Home Affairs says a result may take longer if more information is needed. The ETA app has a Visa check function for application status, while VEVO can show details and conditions of a current visa. Do not treat payment or an app confirmation as a grant. If the passport used for an ETA expires or is replaced, Home Affairs says that ETA ceases and a new application is needed.
Official ETA app photo and passport-scan videos · ETA status and passport-change guidance · Check a current visa in VEVO
The app did not approve my ETA immediately. What next?
Check the ETA app's Visa check function and read any letter sent to the email address in your application. Home Affairs says an ETA that cannot be processed or approved without more information comes with a letter explaining the next steps. Use the link in that letter to open its online form in ImmiAccount, answer the questions and attach the evidence it requests. Home Affairs also directs applicants in this situation to complete and attach Form 1554, ETA Request for further processing, to that online form.
Do not lodge another ETA through the app while the first request is being assessed; Home Affairs says further app applications will give the same result. A paid app submission is not a grant. If you consider a different visa for your travel needs, check its criteria and the current status of your ETA request first. Do not buy an “expedited ETA” from a third-party website.
Official ETA further-processing instructions · High Commission referral warning · Follow-up and decision guide →
Three months per entry is different from twelve months of travel validity
Both eVisitor and ETA are usually multiple-entry short-visit visas. An eVisitor is valid for travel for 12 months from grant; an ETA is valid for 12 months or until the passport expires, whichever is shorter. Each permits a stay of up to three months after an entry. Repeated entries do not turn either visa into permission to live or work in Australia.
These visas allow tourism, visits with family or friends and limited business visitor activities. They are not work visas. Study or training may be possible for up to three months in some circumstances, but if study is your main purpose, check the Student 500 pathway. For a longer visit, compare the Visitor 600 Tourist stream; the stay and entry terms of a grant depend on your own decision notice.
eVisitor stay and conditions · ETA stay and conditions · Visitor 600 guide →
Use the actual trip purpose and circumstances
The overseas Visitor 600 Tourist stream may be appropriate for a longer temporary holiday or family visit, an ineligible passport, or circumstances for which Home Affairs directs people away from eVisitor or ETA. Its eligibility includes being a genuine temporary visitor, having enough money for the stay and meeting health and character requirements. A criminal conviction is one example where the eVisitor and ETA pages advise considering Visitor 600 instead.
Visitor 600 is not a work visa either. Work, longer study, medical treatment or joining family to live in Australia may require a different visa category. Use Home Affairs' options finder and the full page for the route you choose. Do not submit a more convenient application that describes a different purpose from your real trip.
Wait for the written grant and read its conditions
- Check the exact passport type, trip purpose, eligibility list and application channel on the official visa page.
- Apply truthfully while outside Australia. For eVisitor, ETA and the overseas Visitor 600 Tourist stream, you must also be outside Australia when the visa is decided or granted.
- Watch the application channel and email for a request or written outcome. Follow any biometrics or health instructions for your own application.
- Before booking non-refundable travel, check the grant notice for validity, permitted stay, entries and conditions. Keep the passport used in the application available for travel.
The official processing-time guides describe past decisions, not a guaranteed date for yours. If Home Affairs asks for more information, follow its specific instructions and deadline.
What happens after you apply → · Biometrics guide → · Processing-time guide
Make this comparison relevant to you
Choose the citizenship on the passport you will travel with and where you currently live. The planner gives a starting route and local follow-up sources.