Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Tourist/Business/Electronic visas
The following information has been provided by the Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs.
Please note that all travellers to Australia must have a valid visa before boarding their plane. Travellers to Australia cannot apply for a visa on arrival. However, because Australia has special visa arrangements with NZ, NZ passport holders will be visaed on arrival in Australia and do not need to lodge a visa application prior to their departure from NZ.
Event participants, other than New Zealanders, should read the following information carefully. Information on "visitor visa processing and requirements" can be found on the department's website: www.immi.gov.au.
Two important pages on the above website are:
Information about attending an event in Australia can be found at: www.immi.gov.au/business/iecn.htm ("persons wishing to attend events").
Details for contacting the appropriate visa office closest to the applicant's place of residence can be found at: www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas.htm.
There are currently two possible visa options for event participants to Australia and the appropriate visa to apply for will depend on the event participant's country of passport.
(1)The electronic short stay validity Business visa (ETA 977):
Some event participants (Greece, Austria) are eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) visa. The ETA is an electronic (invisible) visa that can be applied for online and is usually issued the same day, but this visa is not available for all travellers. There is no Australian Government fee for this electronic visa but the server provider does charge a fee of AUD20. The ETA can also be applied for through many travel agencies and they may choose to impose a fee to travellers, for this service.
Event participants with passports from any of the following countries or locations can apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA):- Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece , Hong Kong SAR, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Republic of San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan*, United Kingdom - British Citizen, United Kingdom - British National (Overseas)**, USA, Vatican City
* Taiwan passport holders can be processed for an ETA only if resident in, and applying from, Taiwan. ** UK passport holders whose nationality is British National (Overseas) can be processed for an ETA only if resident in, and applying from, Hong Kong SAR. ***Please be aware that Taiwanese passport holders and BNO passport holders cannot apply for an ETA online. Such passport holders must contact their closest visa office for information about how to obtain their ETA.
Following, is a guide for the ETA-eligible visa applicants on how to apply for a short stay Business visa online:
When the website www.eta.immi.gov.au is accessed, the visa applicant will see the following heading: "Welcome to the Australian Government's Electronic Travel Authority System" At the top left hand side of that screen, the visa applicant will see a tab suggesting that they "Apply for ETA". The visa applicant should click on that tab and then proceed to lodge their visa application online. When asked to choose the kind of ETA for their needs, they should indicate that they are applying for a short stay validity Business ETA. Once processing is complete, the visa applicant will be provided with a personalised reference number to keep. There will be no visible visa in their passport but their visa will exist electronically and will be visible when read at passport control, on their arrival in Australia.
ETA visa holders are permitted to attend an event (or several) and to partake in general tourism activities.
(2) The short stay validity Business visa (subclass 456):
Event participants who do not hold a passport from one of the ETA eligible countries listed above (Slovenia, Poland, Macedonia, Hungary) will need to apply for a short stay Business visa (456) at the closest Australian visa office to their current place of residence. If visa grant occurs, a visa label will be attached to the traveller's passport. There is a fee of AUST$70 for 456 visa processing, to be paid at the time of lodgement of the visa application. Contact details for the appropriate visa office closest to the applicant's place of residence can be found at: www.immi.gov.au/contacts/overseas.htm.
The application for the subclass 456 visa (11 pages) can be downloaded from the department's website at: www.immi.gov.au/allforms/pdf/456.pdf.
Subclass 456 visa holders are permitted to attend an event (or several) and to partake in general tourism activities. Subclass 456 visa holders are also advised to note any visa conditions, as may be stipulated on their visa label.