Which visa should you check?
Check the passport you will travel on and the real purpose. eVisitor and ETA are short-visit visas, not Australian work permission. For first Work and Holiday 462, check Spain’s live cap, age, education and Functional English evidence before planning an application.
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 · Compare short-visit visas →
What else should you know?
The Australian Embassy in Madrid does not process visa applications or answer individual visa enquiries. Use the channel on the chosen Home Affairs visa page: eligible ETA applications use the official Australian ETA app, while other online visas use ImmiAccount when instructed. The Embassy asks for required supporting documents and English translations when lodging. If biometrics are requested while you are in Spain, follow your individual letter and the current overseas-services directory. Application-channel note checked 6 October 2026.
Compare free eVisitor with app-based ETA
Home Affairs lists Spain on both its eVisitor (subclass 651) and Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) passport lists. For a holiday, family visit or permitted business visitor activity, check the eligibility and application channel for each. The eVisitor is free and is requested online through Home Affairs. An ETA is requested in the official Australian ETA app, which currently has an app service charge. Both generally allow multiple visits during a 12-month validity period and up to three months after each entry. Neither permits employment.
Apply while outside Australia and wait for a written grant before travelling. Each family member needs a separate visa. Spanish residence, a Spanish ID card or a residence permit with another passport does not make that other passport eligible; use the nationality and type of the travel passport. If you need a longer stay or a different purpose, compare Visitor 600 or another suitable visa rather than trying to extend an eVisitor or ETA.
Official eVisitor passport list and online steps · Official ETA list, app and charge · Compare eVisitor and ETA →
Recheck Spain’s open cap before an application
Education source difference checked 29 September 2026: the Home Affairs web table groups this passport under a tertiary qualification or two undergraduate years, while Schedule 1 of current LIN 26/072 specifies at least two successfully completed years of higher education. Do not assume a shorter qualification meets the requirement. Clarify the evidence for your qualification with Home Affairs or the relevant Australian mission before lodging; this guide does not decide equivalence or eligibility.
Current instrument: section 9 and Schedule 1 · Compare the Home Affairs education table
For an extended holiday with short-term work, a Spanish passport holder can check the first Work and Holiday visa (subclass 462). Home Affairs' country-cap table showed Spain open against an annual first-visa grant cap of 3,400 on 29 September 2026. Open means applications are currently open; it does not reserve a place or establish individual eligibility. A paused cap can reopen in the same program year; a closed cap does not. Home Affairs says changes can take up to 48 hours to appear in the table. Check the live status before attempting to apply. Spain is on the cap path, not the China, India and Vietnam ballot.
The first-462 age range is 18–30 inclusive when applying, using Home Affairs' Australian Eastern time deadline. Its education table groups Spain with countries requiring a tertiary degree, graduate certificate or diploma, or two completed years of undergraduate university study. Functional English evidence is also required. A Spanish passport alone is not on the passport-based English exemption list. Home Affairs says Spanish applicants do not need a government-support letter; the education and English checks still apply.
A first 462 application is online and must be made while outside Australia; Home Affairs must decide it while you are outside. Check previous Working Holiday Maker entries, funds, health, character and dependent-child criteria on the live page. If granted, the 12-month stay begins when you first enter Australia, even if you also hold a short-visit visa; read the written grant and entry deadline before booking. Second and third 462 visas have separate specified-work rules and no first-visa country cap.
Live Spain first-462 cap · First-462 eligibility and Spanish evidence · Compare Working Holiday Maker routes →
Use Home Affairs, not the Embassy counter
The Australian Embassy in Madrid does not process visa applications or give individual visa advice. Use Home Affairs for an eVisitor or Work and Holiday application, and the official ETA app if choosing an ETA. The Embassy says to attach required supporting documents and English translations at lodgement. Keep the original and an endorsed translation together when a document is not in English.
Biometrics are not automatic for every application. If Home Affairs asks for them while you are in Spain, read the individual letter and the current overseas-services directory. Spain is not on the current Australian Immi App location list; do not assume an AUI-numbered letter can be completed with the app from Spain. For an application lodged in ImmiAccount, the Embassy says to attach a written explanation there if you cannot provide requested biometrics. For an ETA app application, follow the app and your individual request. Application-channel note checked 6 October 2026. If you live outside Spain, use instructions for your actual location.
Madrid Embassy application and translation guidance · Current Australian Immi App locations · Overseas services and biometrics
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.
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