Australia is known for its extremely beautiful or amazing landscapes, rich cultural heritage and thriving cities. It is a popular location for tourists from all over the world. You may travel to cosmopolitan cities like Sydney and Melbourne as well as immaculate beaches. The Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) makes it possible for you to travel to Australia for work or pleasure. Australia created ETA, which enables hassle-free entry for brief visits. 

It is ideal for traveling and attending business meetings and conferences. Because it is quickly linked to your passport, having an ETA eliminates the need for time-consuming paperwork and standing in line at the office. In this blog, we are going to discuss what ETA is and why this system is so popular and in the end, you will understand why millions of tourists or professionals opt for ETA. 

1. What is ETA Australia? 

The ETA is an Electronic Travel Authority that allows people to visit Australia for tourism or business purposes for short-term stays. It is like a visa but the process of ETA is much faster and more efficient. The ETA system was introduced by Australia in 1996 to replace the traditional visas for citizens from eligible countries. 

It is automatically linked to your passport which means you do not need paperwork or travel documents while traveling to Australia. Once your ETA is approved, your ETA is valid for multiple entries over a 12 month period,  so you can stay up to three months for tourism or business purposes without any difficulty. 

According to the 2024 report, there were 79,70,000 short-term visitor arrivals, which is high compared to last year. 

Important Highlights: 

• Valid for business purposes and tourism.
• Permit more than one entry throughout a 12-month period. 
• Maximum 3 months stay limit.
• ETA visa is automatically linked to passport. 

2. Which Countries are Eligible or Not Eligible to enter Australia for Tourism or Business?

Australia has a selective list of countries that are eligible for eta visa. These country citizens can easily enter Australia for short term visits because they have a low risk of overstaying. ETA for Australia has some eligible countries and other countries are divided into other categories. 

List of ETA eligible countries (Subclass 601): 

• United States
• Canada
• Japan
• South Korea
• Singapore
• Malaysia
• Brunei
• Hong Kong 

List of eVisitor eligible countries (Subclass 651): 

• All European Union Nations
• United Kingdom
• Andorra
• San Marin
• Norway
• Switzerland
• Iceland

Countries that are not eligible for ETA/eVisitor: 

• Afghanistan
• Iraq
• Iran
• Syria
• North Korea
• Yemen

Most visited country citizens are: 

• New Zealand
• United States
• United Kingdom
• India 
• Singapore
• Japan
• South Korea

Due to the valuable number of visitors from these nations, Australia's tourism sector now contributes billions of dollars a year to the country's economy.

3. What are the Required documents and Application process for ETA Australia? 

The process of applying for an eta visa is very simple, but before applying eta you need to know about which documents are required to upload during the online application form. 

Required documents are: 

• You need to have a current passport from a nation that qualifies. 
• Your criminal record shouldn't exist, So bring a police certificate. 
• Sufficient fund to manage expenses during your stay in Australia. 
• National identity card and Detailed Itinerary.
• A confirmed return ticket.
• When you apply for the ETA, you have to be outside of Australia.
• You should have a health certificate. 

Application process: 

• Before applying, you need to check eligible countries.
• You can fill the application form through an online portal, and upload documents such as passport information, digital passport size photo, name, email, contact information, purpose of visit, etc. 
• Once details are filled, submit your application.
• After that pay the application fees using credit or debit card.
• Processing time of eta visa is fast and secure.
• Once approved, your eta visa is automatically linked to your passport, and a confirmation mail is sent to your valid email. 

4. Important key points: 

• All information must be correct, especially email.
• Processing time of application is fast, but it sometimes takes time because of rush.
• Australia ETA does not permit any kind of paid work, you have to apply for a different kind of visa for work.
• ETA visa is approved within 24 hours but sometimes takes 2 weeks for additional inquiry. 
• Once you pay the fee for eta visa, then you do not cancel it or request a refund. 
• You do not need a physical stamp on your passport, eta is automatically linked to your passport number.