Tourist Visa

Tourist Visa

For people to visit Australia for a holiday, sightseeing, social or recreational reasons, to visit relatives, friends or for other short-term non-work purposes.

People who intend to visit for medical treatment or to transit through Australia, should not apply for a visitor visa online. A Medical Treatment Visa or a Transit Visa maybe more appropriate.

Visa Options

For people visiting Australia for holidays, tourism, recreation or to see family and friends. If you are an Australian Citizen or have obtained Australian Citizenship by descent, you are not able to apply for, or be granted an Australian visa.

ETA (Visitor) (Subclass 976)

An electronically stored authority for short-term visits to Australia of up to 3 months. Available to passport holders from a number of countries and regions, who are outside Australia. An ETA (Visitor) (subclass 976) visa is designed for people who are outside Australia and want to visit Australia for holidays, tourism, recreation or for informal study. There is no visa application charge. A service charge of $20 applies.

You can stay for up to three months on each visit within the validity of the visa. ETAs are valid for 12 months from the date of grant, or for the life of the passport if the passport expires less than 12 months from the date the ETA was granted. An ETA is not designed to allow repeated extended stays in Australia. If you want to spend long periods in Australia for tourism purposes, you may want to consider applying for Tourist visa (subclass 676) or an alternate visa that suits your purposes.

eVisitors (Subclass 651)

An electronically stored authority for visits to Australia for tourism or business purposes for up to three months. Available to passport holders from the European Union and a number of other European countries, who are outside Australia.

An eVisitor is designed for people who are outside Australia and want to visit Australia for tourism or business purposes. Tourism includes holidays, recreation and seeing family and/or friends. Business purposes may include attending a conference, negotiation or exploratory business visit. People who intend to visit for medical treatment or to transit through Australia, should not apply for an eVisitor online. The following visas maybe more appropriate. eVisitor applications are free, there is no application charge or service fee.

You can stay in Australia for up to three months on each visit within a 12 month period from the date of grant. An eVisitor is not designed to allow repeated extended stays in Australia. If you want to spend long periods in Australia for tourism or business purposes, you may want to consider applying for a Tourist visa (subclass 676) or an alternate visa that suits your purposes.

Tourist visa (Subclass 676)

A temporary visa allowing a stay in Australia of up to three or six or 12 months. Applicants can apply from both outside and in Australia. Some tourists are eligible to lodge an online application for an e676 Tourist visa. This visa allows people to visit Australia for a holiday or recreation, or to visit family and friends. This visa may also be used for other short-term non-work purposes including study for less than three months. This visa is available to all passport holders who are:

• outside Australia and want to apply for a visa to visit Australia
• in Australia and want to extend your stay as a visitor.

Certain tourists are also eligible to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or an eVisitor. This visa is designed only to allow temporary travel to Australia for tourism purposes or to visit family and friends. It cannot be used for long-term stays or residence. To be eligible for a further Tourist visa in the future, you must maintain extended periods of time outside of Australia. If you would like to migrate or spend longer periods in Australia, you should explore more appropriate visa options which may be more suitable. You may be required to pay a visa application charge. This charge is usually not refunded if your application is unsuccessful. If granted, this visa will allow you either a single or multiple entry to Australia for a stay period of up to three, six or 12 months. The period of stay and number of entries granted will depend on the purpose of the visit and your personal circumstances.

Sponsored Family Visitor visa (Subclass 679)

For people seeking to visit family in Australia for a stay period of up to 12 months. Formal sponsorship by an Australian citizen or permanent resident is required. This visa allows people to travel to Australia to take a holiday or visit their family. The applicant must have an eligible relative in Australia or an Australian Government official willing to sponsor them. The sponsor provides a guarantee that their visitor will leave Australia before the visa expires. Support from the sponsor is taken into account by the visa decision-maker

This visa is for you if you want to visit your family in Australia or to holiday in Australia for reasons other than business or medical treatment. You must be outside Australia when you apply for this visa. A non-refundable visa application charge must be paid when your visa application is lodged. Your sponsor will make the payment on your behalf when they lodge the application in Australia. In some cases a financial security bond may also be requested.

You can visit Australia once, usually to stay for a period of up to three months or six months, but in certain circumstances a stay of 12 months may be granted. While in Australia you can:

• visit family and friends
• engage in tourist activities
• study for up to three months.

A Security Bond, of up to AUD$15,000 may be required before the visa is granted. If the visa holder fails to depart Australia prior to the expiry of the Subclass 679 Visa, this Security Bond will be forfeited, even if the visa holder is permitted to remain in Australia after the expiry of their visa

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