Do I need a visa?
If you are not an Australian citizen, the short answer is yes, you do need a visa to enter Australia.
For New Zealand citizens, as they enter Australia, they are granted an automatic Special Category Visa for their duration of stay in Australia. When the New Zealand citizen departs Australia, the Special Category Visa that was granted upon their entry into Australia ceases to have effect.
For any other passport holders, you will need to consider what visa you will need to apply for to enter Australia. The type of visa that you will need to apply for will depend on the purpose of your visit to Australia. Do you wish to visit friends and families? Do you wish to travel in Australia on a holiday? Do you wish to study or work?
For example, if you wish to travel to Australia, you may wish to consider one of the below options:
- eVisitor (subclass 651) visa: eligible passport holders will be able to apply for this visa for tourism or business purposes to visit Australia for up to three months at a time within a 12 month period.
- Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) visa: eligible passport holders will be able to apply for this visa to enter and re-enter Australia multiple times, for up to a year, and stay for up to three months per visit.
- Visitor (subclass 600) visa: this visa is designed for people who are not eligible for eVisitor or Electronic Travel Authority visas. The applicants will need to submit their visa applications with application fees.
Regardless of which category of visa you wish to apply for, it is best that you seek advice as:
- Migration law is always changing.
- You may need a plan of attack – whether it be in terms of your budget (as visa application can be quite expensive), study options, career paths and having a realistic timeline in your mind.
