Which visa should you check?
Match the actual passport and travel purpose. Living in Japan does not make another passport ETA or Working Holiday eligible, and an ETA does not allow employment.
The ETA (subclass 601) 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 · Japan Working Holiday 417 → · Compare short-visit visas →
What else should you know?
The Australian Embassy in Tokyo says eligible ETA applicants use the Australian ETA app, while most other online visas use ImmiAccount. Its missions in Japan do not accept applications by mail or in person. Japan has no Australian biometrics collection facility. If Home Affairs asks for biometrics while you are in Japan, follow your own request: for an application lodged in ImmiAccount, attach a statement and evidence of your location there within the deadline; for an ETA app application, follow the app and individual request. An officer considers the evidence.
Use the Japanese passport in the official ETA app
The Australian Embassy in Tokyo confirms that a Japanese passport holder can check an Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) for a tourism, family or permitted business visit of up to three months. Apply from outside Australia through the official Australian ETA app. The app is free to download but the ETA application has a service charge. Check your passport scan, photograph and answers before submission; an ETA does not authorise Australian employment.
The Embassy says it does not accept ETA applications by mail or in person. If the app cannot be used or the trip purpose or stay does not fit, use Home Affairs' visa finder and check Visitor 600 or another relevant visa. If an ETA email asks for more information, read its instructions rather than lodging another application automatically. Japanese residence alone does not make a different passport ETA eligible.
Tokyo Embassy ETA instructions and questions · Home Affairs ETA eligibility and app · If an ETA needs further processing →
What to do if biometrics are requested in Japan
The Australian Embassy in Tokyo says Japan is not currently part of Australia's biometrics collection program and has no Australian biometrics collection facility. That is a local service fact, not a promise that a particular applicant will never receive a request. Read your own Home Affairs request letter and its deadline.
If your application was lodged in ImmiAccount and you receive a biometrics request while in Japan, the Embassy instructs you to attach a statement and evidence of your Japan location, such as a residence card or passport stamps, to that application within the given timeframe. For an ETA lodged in the Australian ETA app, follow the app and your individual request rather than assuming ImmiAccount will contain it. The assessing officer considers the information; there is no automatic waiver. Do not send identity documents through this website. If you live outside Japan, use the current service instructions for your actual location. Application-channel guidance checked 7 October 2026.
Tokyo Embassy visa and biometrics instructions · Tokyo Embassy ETA-app guidance · Current overseas service locations · Understand a biometrics request →
Japanese passport: Working Holiday 417
A Japanese citizen with a valid Japanese passport can check a first Working Holiday visa (subclass 417) for an extended holiday with short-term work. Home Affairs lists Japan's first-417 age range as 18–30 inclusive. Apply before your 31st birthday under its Australian Eastern time deadline, from outside Australia. An ETA is for visiting and cannot be used to take a job.
Check the live first-417 page for prior Working Holiday Maker history, funds, health, character and dependent-child criteria. A first 417 normally allows a 12-month stay from first entry, work subject to the usual same-employer condition and up to four months of study. For a second or third 417, specified work and application-location rules are separate; the UK passport exception does not automatically extend to Japan. The written grant controls your personal entry period and conditions.
Home Affairs first 417 passport and age list · Second 417 criteria · Compare Working Holiday routes →
Build a clear, consistent application
For 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.
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