Tourist/holiday visa

I would like to visit Australia for a holiday - what visa do I need?

If you wish to visit Australia for the purpose of sightseeing, travel, visiting friends and relatives, caring for dependants who are in Australia on a student visa, or other short-term non-working activities, you will need an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or a tourist / holiday visa.

ETA enables visitors from 33 countries to obtain authority to enter Australia at the same time as they book their travel arrangements. There is no need for the traveller to complete an application form for a visa. The ETA is issued within seconds by computer links between the Department, over 300,000 travel agents, more than 75 airlines and specialist service providers around the world.

The ETA system can also be accessed online, enabling tourists and business travellers intending to visit Australia for three months or less to apply for an ETA at the same time as they make other on-line travel bookings.

If you do not hold an ETA eligible passport you must lodge an application for a tourist / holiday visa at the nearest Australian Diplomatic office overseas.

You may apply for a tourist/holiday visa if you:

• intend to travel to, and remain in, Australia as a genuine visitor (not for work, business, study or medical treatment purposes);

• have access to adequate funds to support yourself during your visit;

• are of good character and health;

• have private health insurance (or equivalent) and a 'fitness to travel' certificate from the doctor if you are over 70 years of age;

• have no debts to the Commonwealth;

• do not intend to work in Australia; and

• leave Australia when (or before) your visa expires.

To apply for a tourist visa to enter Australia you will need to:

• Step One: complete and sign the Application Form 48R Application to Visit Australia for Tourism or Other Recreational Activities (PDF File)

  • answer all questions honestly and completely - false or misleading information may lead to refusal or cancellation of your visa, or other penalties while in Australia;

  • complete the form in English.

Application forms are available:

• online

• overseas: at your nearest Australian diplomatic office,

• in Australia: by telephoning the general inquiry number 131 881;

Only one passport holder can apply on one form. You can include in your application any children on your passport travelling with you. If another adult is included in your passport they should complete a separate application form.

Step Two: pay the application charge. See: Immigration Costs - Information

Step Three: provide supporting documents as listed below and any further as requested by the Australian diplomatic office:

• current passport or valid travel document for each person travelling;

• a recent passport sized photograph of yourself and any children over two years of age included in your passport;

• if your child is travelling with you and custody arrangements exist, evidence of those arrangements and authorisation for the child to travel;

• evidence of funds available to support your stay in Australia (for example, a bank statement, letters from a bank or financial institution concerning your financial position, air tickets that have been purchased);

• if you are over 70, evidence from your doctor that you are fit to travel;

• adequate private health insurance for Australia (unless you are from a country that has a reciprocal arrangement with Australia).

Do not supply original documents with your application, unless we ask for it. You should provide certified copies of original documents. Documents in languages other than English must be accompanied by a certified English translation.

When you lodge your application you must ensure that your application is complete - form, fee and additional documents. If you do not have all the necessary documents, a decision may be made on the information you have provided. It is in your interest to support your application with as much information as possible at the time you apply.

Completed applications can be lodged at the nearest Australian diplomatic office either in person, by a representative or sent by mail. If an application is by sent mail, you need to include a self-addressed, pre-paid envelope for the secure return of your passport.

Australia's Electronic Travel Authority system (ETA) is the most advanced and streamlined travel authorisation system in the world. It is the modern-day replacement for a visa label or a stamp in a passport, although these are still used where the ETA is not yet available.

ETA enables visitors from 33 countries to obtain authority to enter Australia at the same time as they book their travel arrangements. There is no need for the traveller to complete an application form for a visa. The ETA is issued within seconds by computer links between the Department, over 300,000 travel agents, more than 75 airlines and specialist service providers around the world.

The ETA system can also be accessed online, enabling tourists and business travellers intending to visit Australia for three months or less to apply for an ETA at the same time as they make other on-line travel bookings.

Where a visitor visa applicant cannot show that they have enough money of their own to support themselves during their visit, they may provide an undertaking of support from relatives or friends in Australia. There is no form to fill in for this purpose, but if you want to support a person's application to visit Australia, you can send that person a letter or a statutory declaration that should set out two main points:

• that you know the person and that you are willing to fully support them while they are in Australia, including any medical costs; and

• that you have enough money to be able to support them during their visit. As evidence of this, you should include certified photocopies of bank statements, taxation records, pay slips, and other financial records.

Some Australian citizens or permanent residents may wish to consider formal sponsorship. Their relative may apply to visit under the Sponsored Visitor visa program.

If you have a visa label in your passport, the label will indicate the length of time you are allowed to stay in Australia, for example:

HOLDER(S) PERMITTED TO REMAIN IN AUSTRALIA UNTIL�..(DATE) If the until date has passed you are unlawfully in Australia and should contact DIMA immediately.

If you are the holder of an Electronic Travel Authority and do not have a visa label, you are allowed to stay in Australia for three (3) months from the date of your most recent arrival in Australia.

If you are unsure as to the type of visa you hold you should contact the Department immediately on the general enquiry number 131881.

How do I extend my stay as a visitor in Australia?

You may be able to apply for an extension of stay in Australia if:

• you do not have the condition 8503 (no further stay) on your current visa,

• the application is lodged before the expiry of your current visa;

• you continue to be a genuine visitor;

• you have abided by the conditions of your previous visa;

• you have the financial mean to support yourself during your stay; and

• generally, your total period of stay has not exceeded twelve months.

If you hold a sponsored visitor visa you are not able to extend your stay in Australia.

Completed applications for a further stay as a visitor can be lodged at the nearest regional office of the Department in Australia, either online, in person, or sent by mail. If an application is by sent mail, you need to include a self-addressed pre-paid envelope for the secure return of your passport.

See also:
Application Form 601 Application for Further Stay as a Visitor (PDF File)

Holders of a visitor visa DO NOT have permission to work in Australia.

You may apply for permission to work by lodging an application for a Temporary Residence Visa. Temporary Residence visas allow Australian employers, who are unable to fill highly skilled positions from the local labour market, to sponsor overseas personnel for up to four years. You cannot start work until the Department has approved your application.

Working without permission is an offence that attracts a fine of up to $10,000. It can also result in your visa being cancelled and your holiday cut short.

See also:
FAQs - Work rights/permission to work

You will need to make an application for another relevant visa before your current visa expires. If your remain in Australia once your visa expires you will become unlawful and may be liable for detention and removal from Australia. You should also be aware that by becoming unlawful your right to apply for or be granted a visa may be restricted.

You must contact the Department immediately on the general enquiry number 131881.

At this point, the news for you is not good. Under the Migration Act 1958, if your visa expires while you are still in Australia you become an "unlawful non-citizen". The Act requires that you must be detained immediately and removed from Australia as soon as practical.

Compliance staff locate people who overstay their visas and become "unlawful non-citizens" and ensure that they depart Australia, if there is no legal reason for them to remain. If you made an oversight, as soon as you become aware that you are an "unlawful non-citizen" you should make immediate arrangements to depart and contact the Compliance Section of the regional office closest to your location with evidence of your departure booking.

Depending on your circumstance, a Departmental officer may decide to grant you a bridging visa, rather than detain you. The bridging visa will give you lawful status for a short time and the opportunity to organise your personal affairs before departing or to lodge an application for a new visa, if you are eligible for one.

You have made the wrong decision.

Your problem is not going to go away. Sooner or later you will be caught. Under the law, when you are caught you will be detained and removed. That means that you can be held in an Immigration Detention Centre until the day of your removal. Your departure will take place under immigration supervision.

If you approach the Department voluntarily to discuss your circumstances you could be granted a bridging visa, but your chances of being granted a bridging visa are much less favourable if you are located by a compliance officer.

As an unlawful non-citizen you are not entitled to Medicare, social security, education and most other services available to lawful residents. You also have no right to employment.

When you chose to remain unlawfully in Australia you made a conscious decision to commit an offence against the Australian Migration Act.

If you have overstayed your visa by more than 28 days you are subject to an 'exclusion period'. That means that you will not be permitted to come back to Australia for a period of up to three years.

If you are detained and removed at government expense you will be charged these costs. If you have valuables and assets in Australia these can be confiscated to recover the amount spent for your detention and removal. If you are unable to repay these costs before your removal, the Department will keep a record of your debt and, if in future, even in 10 or 20 years time, you will not be allowed to travel to Australia unless your repay the outstanding debt.

If you are an unlawful non-citizen, it is in your best interest to contact the Compliance Section in a regional office to discuss your personal circumstances.

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