Australian Visitor Visas - On this Page:

• Australian Tourist Visas
• Australian Business Visitor Visas
• Australian Working Holiday Visas
• Australian Medical Treatment Visas
• Australian Transit Visa
• Australian Event Organiser & Participant Visa

Visitor visas are temporary visas, suitable for people who want to come to Australia as travelers, tourists, holiday-makers, to visit family or friends, to access specific medical treatment, training, etc.

The Australian Visitor Visa program allows people to enter into and stay in Australia for a short and definitive period of time, usually up to 12 months.

Generally, applicants for an Australian Visitor Visa must demonstrate that they are genuine temporary visitors to Australia, and that they intend to return to their home country after their temporary stay in Australia. They must also demonstrate that they possess adequate finances to support themselves during their visit to Australia.  

Australian Tourist Visas:

Australian Tourist visas are suitable for people who wish to visit Australia for holiday, sightseeing, social or recreation reasons, to visit family and friends, or for other short-term non-work reasons.

Australian Tourist Visas are sought under the following categories;

• eVisitors (Subclass 651) – This visa is available to passport holders from the European Union and a number of other European countries, who are outside Australia. This visa type is an electronically stored visa permit which allows the holder to enter and visit Australia for tourism or business purposes for a period of up to three months. There is no fee to apply for an eVisitor Visa online.

• Tourist visa (Subclass 676) - A temporary visa allowing the holder to remain in Australia for a period of up to three, six or 12 months. Applicants can apply from both outside and from within Australia. Some applicants for an Australian Tourist Visa are permitted to lodge an online application for an e676 Tourist visa.
• Sponsored Family Visitor visa (Subclass 679) – A temporary visa suitable for people seeking to visit family living in Australia. This visa allows the holder to stay in Australia for a period of up to 12 months. An applicant for this visa is required to be formally sponsored to Australia by an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
• ETA (Visitor) (Subclass 976) – This visa type is available to passport holders from a number of eligible countries and regions, who are outside Australia. An ETA visa is an electronically stored visa permit which allows the holder to enter and remain in Australia for a short-term visit of up to 3 months.

Australian Business Visitor Visas:

Australian Business Visitor visas are suitable for business people who want to visit Australia for business purposes for a period of up to three months. For example, applicants for this visa type may wish to attend an Australian conference or training session, to conduct business with an Australia-based organisation, to conduct business negotiations with an Australian organisation, or for an exploratory business visit.

Australian Business Visitor visas fall under the following categories;

• eVisitor (subclass 651) – This visa type is suitable for passport holders from the European Union and a number of other European countries who are outside Australia. This visa is an electronically stored visa permit which allows the holder to enter and visit Australia for business purposes for a period of up to three months. There is no fee to apply for an eVisitor Visa online.

• ETA (Business Entrant) (subclass 977 and 956) - These ETA visas are designed for business people who are outside Australia and want to visit Australia for short-term business purposes. This visa type is available to passport holders from a number of eligible countries and regions, and is an electronically stored visa permit which allows the holder to enter and remain in Australia for a period of up to 3 months. Note that short term work while in Australia under these visas is only permitted under very limited circumstances.
• Business (Short Stay) (Subclass 456) – This visa is suitable for overseas business people who are not eligible to apply for an ETA or an eVisitor visa. This visa allows business people to make a short business visit to Australia for a period of up to three months during their visa validity period. No sponsorship is required for this visa type.
• Sponsored Business Visitor (Short Stay) (subclass 459) - This visa is suitable for business people who have an approved sponsor in Australia and are not eligible to apply for an eVisitor or ETA visa. This visa allows a business person who has an approved sponsor in Australia, to make a short business visit to Australia for a period of up to three months. An applicant for this visa is required to be formally sponsored to Australia by an Australian citizen or permanent resident.

Australian Working Holiday Visas:

Australian Working Holiday visas are appropriate for persons aged between 18 and 30 years old, who are citizens of countries with which Australia has a reciprocal arrangement. This visa type encourages cultural exchange and closer ties between arrangement countries by permitting young people to enjoy an extended holiday in Australia supplemented by short-term employment in Australia. This program places high emphasis on helping Australian employers in regional areas to meet short-term employment needs.

The visa categories for Australian Working Holiday Visas are;

• Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417) – This visa is suitable for people from the United Kingdom, Canada, Belgium, France, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Republic of Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Taiwan.

• Work and Holiday Visa (Subclass 462) – This visa is suitable for applicants from Bangladesh, Chile, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey and the USA.
  

Australian Medical Treatment Visas:

Australian Medical Treatment visas allow eligible applicants to travel to Australia for the purposes of accessing medical treatment, for a period of up to 12 months.

Medical Treatment visas fall under two subclasses;

• Medical Treatment Short Stay Visa (Subclass 675) – This visa is suitable for people who intend to travel to Australia for medical treatment or medical consultations for a period of up to three months.
• Medical Treatment Long Stay Visa (Subclass 685) – This visa is suitable for people who intend to travel to Australia for medical treatment or medical consultations for a period of three to 12 months.

Australian Transit Visa:

Transiting through Australia visas are relevant to persons needing to transit through Australia for a period of 72 hours or less.

Note: non-Australian citizens from certain countries are eligible to transit through Australian without a visa. This is true also if you will depart from Australia by air 8 hours or less after arrival, and you do not leave the transit lounge at the airport.

If you do not qualify for transit without a visa, you will need to apply for the following;

• Transit visa (subclass 771) – this visa is for those who do not qualify for transit through Australia without a visa.  This visa is free of charge. Any non-Australian citizen intending to join a ship as crew must apply for this visa subclass.  

Australian Event Organiser & Participant Visa:

Australian Event Organiser and Participant visas are relevant to people who are organizing an international event, conference or meeting in Australia, or have been invited to speak at, perform in, compete in or attend an international event held in Australia.

Australia’s International Event Coordinator Network (IECN) Service provides free advice and assistance to event organisers and participants regarding business or academic meetings, conferences and seminars, sporting tournaments, championships and games, trades shows and fairs, cultural festivals and religious events which are held in Australia.

The IECN is able to offer free advice on which Australian visa subclass will meet your particular requirements as an event organiser or participant in an international event to be held in Australia.