Yes, almost everyone needs a visa to enter Australia. Only New Zealand citizens are exempt. The visa you need depends on your passport: an ETA (Subclass 601) for US, Canadian and Japanese passports, an eVisitor (Subclass 651) for European passports, or a Subclass 600 visitor visa for everyone else.
- Yes, almost everyone needs a visa. The only exception is New Zealand citizens, who receive an automatic visa on arrival
- Your passport determines your visa type: ETA (601) for USA, Canada, Japan and others (AUD $20); eVisitor (651) for Europeans (free); Subclass 600 for everyone else (from AUD $200)
- Not just visiting? Australia has separate visas for working holidays (417/462), study (500), partners (820/801), skilled migration (189/190), and employer-sponsored work (482/186)
- Common misconception: UK and European citizens still need a visa. It's just free and usually approved instantly
- Check your situation: Use our Visa Time Checker to see estimated processing times based on your passport
It's one of the most searched questions about travelling to Australia, and the answer catches a lot of people off guard: yes, you almost certainly need a visa. Australia requires virtually every foreign national to hold a valid visa before arrival, no matter how short the trip.
The good news? For many nationalities, getting one is fast, cheap (or free), and reasonably straightforward. How straightforward depends on your passport and your comfort level: Europeans and some Asian passport holders often get approved in minutes through a simple online form, while others need to navigate the government's ImmiAccount portal, which is English-only and not the most intuitive system to set up. The process you'll follow depends entirely on your passport and what you're planning to do in Australia, whether that's a two-week holiday, a gap year, a university degree, or a permanent move.
This guide walks you through every scenario. Find your passport, find your purpose, and you'll know exactly which visa to apply for.
Who does not need a visa for Australia?
New Zealand citizens are the only nationality that can enter Australia without applying for a visa in advance. When a New Zealand passport holder arrives at the border, they are automatically granted a Special Category Visa (Subclass 444), which allows them to live, work, and study in Australia indefinitely.
There are a few conditions: you must hold a valid New Zealand passport, meet basic health and character requirements, and not have a "No Further Stay" condition on a previous visa. But for the vast majority of New Zealanders, arriving in Australia is as simple as getting off the plane.
Everyone else, regardless of nationality, needs to arrange a visa before they travel.
Which visitor visa do I need? A decision tree by passport
If you're coming to Australia for tourism, visiting family, or a short business trip, one of three visitor visas will apply to you. Which one depends on your passport.
Which Australian visa does my passport qualify for?
ETA-eligible passports (Subclass 601): Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (SAR), Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom (British Citizen and BNO), United States, Vatican City.
eVisitor-eligible passports (Subclass 651): All of the above European countries, plus Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.
Most European passport holders qualify for both the ETA and the eVisitor. The eVisitor is free; the ETA costs AUD $20. For Europeans, the eVisitor is usually the better choice.
Everyone else: You'll need to apply for a Subclass 600 Visitor Visa.
What's the difference between the ETA, eVisitor, and Subclass 600?
The ETA and eVisitor are essentially express lanes: quick, cheap (or free), and designed for straightforward trips. If your passport qualifies, these are the ones to use. The Subclass 600 is the catch-all for everyone else, and also for anyone who needs a longer stay, is applying from inside Australia, or has circumstances (like a criminal record) that require a more detailed assessment.
Tern Tip
Holding an ETA or eVisitor-eligible passport but need more than 3 months? You can still apply for a Subclass 600 instead, which allows stays of up to 12 months. You don't have to use the ETA or eVisitor just because you're eligible.
For a deeper look at each option, including evidence requirements and refusal risks, see our complete visitor visa guide.
What are the most common misconceptions about Australian visas?
A few myths come up repeatedly, and each one can derail a trip if you act on it. Let's clear them up.
"UK citizens don't need a visa for Australia." They do. The eVisitor (651) is free and usually granted instantly, which is why it feels like no visa at all. But you must apply and receive it before you travel. Arriving without one means being denied boarding by your airline.
"I can just get a visa on arrival." Australia does not offer visa-on-arrival for any nationality except New Zealand. Every other passport holder must have a valid visa before reaching the border. Airlines check this at the gate.
"A tourist visa lets me work." A visitor visa (ETA, eVisitor, or Subclass 600) does not allow you to work for an Australian employer. Remote work for an overseas employer is a grey area: incidental work (checking emails, attending a few calls) is generally fine, but relocating to Australia to work remotely full-time is not the intended purpose of a visitor visa.
"If my visa is refused, I can just apply again." You can reapply, but a refusal stays on your immigration record permanently and makes future applications harder. Every subsequent visa application for Australia (and often for other countries) will ask whether you've ever been refused. Getting it right the first time matters far more than people realise.
"I need to book flights before applying." You don't need confirmed flights to apply. A planned itinerary with approximate dates is enough for most applications. Many experienced applicants book refundable flights to show intent without financial risk.
How long does it take to get an Australian visa?
Processing times for Australian visas range from instant (ETA and eVisitor for low-risk nationalities) to 18+ months (partner and some skilled visas). Your wait depends on the visa subclass, your nationality, whether you apply from inside or outside Australia, and the completeness of your application.
Based on FOI data covering 4.5 million visa decisions, here are median processing times for common visitor visa scenarios:
- ETA/eVisitor (low-risk passports): Same day, often within minutes
- Subclass 600 (UK, Netherlands): Approximately 1 day
- Subclass 600 (India): Approximately 10 days
- Subclass 600 (Pakistan): Approximately 22 days
- Subclass 600 (Vietnam): Approximately 27 days
- Subclass 600 (Nigeria): Approximately 33 days
Your nationality sets the baseline, but a well-prepared application can speed things up. Incomplete applications or inconsistent information trigger requests for more documents, adding weeks or months to the timeline.
Use our Visa Time Checker for a personalised estimate based on your passport and visa type, or read our deep dive on processing times for the full analysis.
How do I check which Australian visa I need?
Start with your passport, define your travel purpose, and check your country's risk profile. If you're still not sure which visa applies to your situation, here's the simplest approach:
- Start with your passport. Use Australia's official Visa Finder to check which visas you're eligible for based on your nationality and purpose
- Define your purpose. Tourism, work, study, family, or permanent migration each have different visa pathways
- Check your country's risk profile. Use our Country Risk Tool to understand how your nationality affects processing times and evidence requirements
- Get a personalised estimate. Our Visa Time Checker gives you realistic timelines based on millions of real visa decisions
When you start an application with Tern, we ask a few questions about your passport, travel purpose, and circumstances, then recommend the right visa and walk you through every step. Our platform flags missing documents and inconsistencies before you submit, so a case officer doesn't find them first.
