Do I need a visa for Australia? A simple guide for every 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 mostly painless. 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.

Step 1: Check your passport

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.

Step 2: Understand the differences

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.

For a deeper look at each option, including evidence requirements and refusal risks, see our complete visitor visa guide.

How much does an Australian visa cost?

Australian visa costs range from free (eVisitor 651) to over AUD 9,000 (partner visas), depending on the visa type and your circumstances. Here's a quick reference for the most common visa categories:

These are base application fees for the primary applicant. Additional charges often apply for family members, biometrics, health examinations, and police checks. For a detailed breakdown, see our visa cost guide.

What if I am not just visiting?

If your plans go beyond tourism, Australia has a visa for almost every purpose. Here's a brief overview of the main categories, each linking to a more detailed guide.

Working Holiday visas (Subclass 417 and 462)

Australia's Working Holiday Maker program lets young people (typically aged 18-30, or 18-35 for some nationalities) work and travel for up to 12 months, with the option to extend for a second and third year by completing specified regional work. The Subclass 417 covers 19 countries including the UK, Germany, and Japan. The Subclass 462 covers 30 countries including the USA, China, and India.

Key things to know: you must apply from outside Australia for your first visa, you need at least AUD 5,000 in savings, and some 462 countries have annual caps that fill quickly.

Read our complete Working Holiday guide | Start your application

Student visa (Subclass 500)

If you have an offer of enrolment at an Australian educational institution, the Subclass 500 covers everything from English language courses to PhDs. It allows part-time work during term and full-time work during scheduled breaks. You'll need to meet financial requirements (evidence of AUD 29,710 per year for living costs), health insurance, and potentially English language requirements.

Processing times vary significantly by nationality. Based on our FOI data, offshore student visas take a median of 18 days, but onshore applications average 135 days.

Partner visas (Subclass 820/801 and 309/100)

If you're in a genuine relationship (married or de facto) with an Australian citizen or permanent resident, a partner visa provides a pathway to permanent residency. The process has two stages: a temporary visa first, then permanent after roughly two years. These are among the most evidence-intensive visas Australia offers, requiring extensive proof of your relationship.

At AUD $9,365, this is also one of the most expensive visa categories. Processing times for the temporary stage range from 4 to 18+ months depending on your nationality.

Read our complete partner visa guide | Start your application

Skilled migration visas (Subclass 189 and 190)

If you have skills on Australia's occupation lists, sufficient points, and relevant qualifications, the skilled migration program offers permanent residency. The Subclass 189 (Skilled Independent) doesn't require state sponsorship. The Subclass 190 (Skilled Nominated) requires nomination by an Australian state or territory, which gives you additional points.

Both require a skills assessment, English proficiency testing, and a competitive points score. The process typically takes 6-18 months from expression of interest to decision.

Employer-sponsored visas (Subclass 482 and 186)

If an Australian employer wants to hire you, the Subclass 482 (Skills in Demand) visa allows temporary work for up to 4 years, with a pathway to permanent residency through the Subclass 186 (Employer Nomination Scheme). Your employer handles the sponsorship and nomination, but you're responsible for the visa application itself.

Minimum salary thresholds apply (rising to AUD 79,499 from 1 July 2026), and you must work in an eligible occupation.

Common misconceptions about Australian visas

A few myths come up repeatedly. 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 to check which visa you need

If you're still not sure which visa applies to your situation, here's the simplest approach:

1. Start with your passport. Use Australia's official Visa Finder to check which visas you're eligible for based on your nationality and purpose
2. Define your purpose. Tourism, work, study, family, or permanent migration each have different visa pathways
3. Check your country's risk profile. Use our Country Risk Tool to understand how your nationality affects processing times and evidence requirements
4. 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.