ETA Subclass 601 Visa | Who Can Apply

ETA Subclass 601 Visa or Electronic Travel Authority Class UD Subclass 601 Visa

ETA Subclass 601 visa allows visitors or tourists from the following countries to visit Australia for 3 months each time and is valid for 12 months from the date of grant:

1. Andorra
2. Austria
3. Belgium
4. Brunei
5. Canada
6. Denmark
7. Finland
8. France
9. Germany
10. Greece
11. Hong Kong SAR
12. Iceland
13. Ireland
14. Italy
15. Japan
16. Liechtenstein
17. Luxembourg
18. Malaysia
19. Malta
20. Monaco
21. Norway
22. Portugal
23. Republic of San Marino
24. Singapore
25. South Korea
26. Spain
27. Sweden
28. Switzerland
29. Taiwan (excluding official or diplomatic passport holders)
30. The Netherlands
31. UK (British citizen and British Overseas national)
32. USA
33. Vatican City

You cannot apply for ETA visitor visa if you applied with a non-citizen passport or certificate of identity or other travel document.

You can only apply for the ETA Subclass 601 visa via the internet (online) or through participating travel agents and airlines.

The ETA visitor visa allows you to travel to Australia multiple times, each time you may stay up to 3 months for a period of 12 months or within the life of your passport, whichever is shorter.

The ETA Subclass 601 visa is not designed for you to stay in Australia for an extended period of time. For example, to live with your partner or to work. If you wish to spend long periods in Australia for tourism or other non-work related purposes, you should consider applying for a Visitor Subclass 600 visa (click here to learn more) or other alternative visa that is better suited for their purposes. If you intend on spending long periods in Australia on an ETA visitor visa, the Department of Immigration (Department of Home Affairs) will consider you as maintaining a de facto residence and you risk having your visa refused or cancelled.

There are 2 streams in the ETA Subclass 601 visa:

1. Tourist – this allows genuine tourists to holiday or visit family and friends in Australia. Tourism is defined as “participating in activities of a recreational nature” and may include amateur sporting activities, informal study courses, relaxation, sightseeing and travel.
2. Business visitor – this allows people to visit Australia for business activities. “Business activity” is defined as making general business enquiries or investigating or negotiating and reviewing contracts with Australian organisations, or investigating or negotiating or entering into a personal business agreement, for example, investment or enquiring about employment opportunities, or participating in conferences, trade fairs or seminars but cannot be paid by the organisers for participating, or making an official government to government visit

If you are applying for an ETA Subclass 601 visa under the Business visitor stream, you cannot supply a service to, or undertake work for, an organisation or an individual in Australia, or selling goods or services to the general public.

You will not be able to apply for an ETA Subclass 601 visa while you are in Australia. However, if you have arrived in Australia but you have not cleared immigration clearance (that is, have not presented your passport to an immigration officer or kiosk), you can still apply for an ETA Subclass 601 visa. Other than not being able to apply for this visa in Australia, you can apply anywhere else.

Immigration clearance is where a person (for example, you) is with an officer or at an authorised kiosk and has not been refused immigration clearance. You are not immigration cleared if your visa is cancelled or unable to satisfy the officer that your passport is a genuine travel document or unable to satisfy your personal identification or you are an Australian citizen.

ETA Subclass 601 visa is 1 of the very few visas you can apply when you arrived in Australia but before clearing immigration.

When applying for an ETA Subclass 601 visa, you can provide your passport details in person or by telephone or by written communication or by electronic transmission or by any other manner approved.

If you have a relative living in Australia, he or she may be able to sponsor you for another visa (click here to learn more about bringing family to Australia).

Australian migration law is complex and difficult to understand, contact our immigration lawyer for a consultation (fee applies) to help you decide if this visa is the best visa for you (click here to find out how an immigration lawyer or registered migration agent can help you) or click here to learn more. You may also refer to our FAQs for answers regarding visa application or visa cancellation by clicking here.

This article is not intended to be or taken as migration legal advice. The author of this article disclaims any liability for any action or omission on the information provided or not provided in this article. You should always consult an immigration lawyer or a registered migration agent to form an informed opinion on your immigration matter.