Which visa should you check?
A German passport appears on both short-visit lists and the Working Holiday 417 list. Choose by the trip purpose and exact passport; German residence alone does not make a different passport eligible.
The eVisitor (subclass 651) may fit a short visitor trip. Eligibility depends on your exact circumstances. Home Affairs decides applications.
Explore official visa options · Read the relevant visa page · German Working Holiday 417 → · Compare short-visit visas →
What else should you know?
The Australian Embassy in Germany says Berlin and Frankfurt do not accept visa applications or supporting documents by email or post. Use the current Home Affairs application channel for your chosen visa and follow any request letter.
eVisitor or ETA for a German passport?
Home Affairs lists German passports for both the eVisitor (subclass 651) and ETA (subclass 601). An eVisitor is free and applied for online; an ETA uses the official Australian ETA app, which has a service charge. Each can allow multiple visits over a 12-month travel period, with up to three months after each entry. An ETA can end earlier if the passport expires. Neither visa gives permission to take a job or live in Australia through repeated short visits.
Choose using the passport you will actually travel on. Living in Germany does not make another passport eligible. If you are also an Australian citizen, follow Australian citizen entry guidance. For a longer temporary visit, a criminal conviction or another situation where Home Affairs directs you away from these short-visit visas, compare the overseas Visitor 600 Tourist stream. Longer study and work need their own visa assessment.
Official eVisitor eligibility and conditions · Official ETA eligibility and app · Visitor 600 guide →
Do not add the German passport check digit
- Confirm your trip fits the current rules. Apply for eVisitor through Home Affairs online or, if choosing ETA, through the official Australian ETA app. Each traveller, including a child, needs an individual application.
- Enter the passport number printed at the top right of the German passport's biodata page. The Embassy says not to add the extra check digit that appears before “D” in its machine-readable zone when applying online. Check your name, birth date, email and other answers before submitting.
- Apply while outside Australia and remain outside when Home Affairs decides the eVisitor or ETA. Watch the application channel and your email for requests and the written result. Read the grant dates, stay length and conditions before making non-refundable travel commitments.
If a grant notice shows the extra check digit, the Embassy says this is expected. When checking an existing visa through VEVO, it advises entering the passport number with that extra digit as it appears in the machine-readable zone.
Embassy passport-number guidance · eVisitor online steps · ETA app steps
Use the online channel, not embassy post or email
The Embassy's current visa page says its Berlin office and Frankfurt consulate do not accept visa applications or supporting documents by email or post. Older pages may appear in search results; use the current Embassy and Home Affairs instructions for the visa you choose. For an application that asks for supporting documents, attach them through the channel specified for that application. The Embassy says non-English supporting documents need an English translation alongside the original.
Biometrics are not an automatic step for every visitor. If Home Affairs sends a request, follow its letter and the current overseas-services directory for your location. For an application lodged in ImmiAccount, the Embassy says to attach a written explanation there if you cannot provide requested biometrics; that explanation does not itself waive the requirement. For an ETA app application, follow the app and your individual request. Application-channel note checked 6 October 2026.
Current Embassy application and document advice · Services outside Australia · Biometrics guide →
German passport: check Working Holiday 417
An eVisitor or ETA cannot be used to take a job in Australia. A German citizen with a valid German passport may instead check the Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) for a first extended holiday with short-term work. From 1 July 2026, Home Affairs lists German applicants aged 18–35 inclusive; the application deadline before the 36th birthday uses Australian time. The first 417 must be applied for online from outside Australia. Read the official page for prior Working Holiday Maker history, funds, health, character and dependent-child rules.
A first 417 normally allows a 12-month stay from first entry, work subject to the usual same-employer limit, and up to four months' study. If you later consider a second or third 417, check the separate specified-work and location rules. The UK passport exception described elsewhere on this site does not automatically apply to a German passport. Your own visa grant controls the stay and conditions; do not book non-refundable travel before a written decision.
First Working Holiday 417 · Home Affairs: Germany age update · Compare Working Holiday routes →
Build a clear, consistent application
For eVisitor or ETA, follow the prompts for that visa. The points below are useful preparation questions, especially if you need to consider Visitor 600; they are not a fixed attachment list for a short-visit visa. For a Working Holiday visa, use its own eligibility and evidence page.
- Passport and identity documents that match your application.
- A simple account of your travel dates, purpose and accommodation.
- Evidence that you can fund the trip, or details of a supporter.
- Relevant work, study, family or residence evidence that explains your circumstances.
- Invitation details if you are visiting someone.
- Clear scans and translations where required.
Home Affairs can request additional evidence, biometrics or health checks. See its document preparation advice and our biometrics guide.
Find the issuing steps for Germany
Use the countries and periods named in your visa instructions or individual request. This passport guide does not establish that you need a certificate from Germany; your residence history can involve other countries too.
Germany police-certificate starting checks → · Find another issuing country →
The linked help includes official sources. Check the current issuer instructions before applying, and keep completed identity records in the official process.
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