eVisitor Australia: Complete Guide for Travelers

The Australian government does not charge a visa fee for the eVisitor (subclass 651) — that's $0 to the Department of Home Affairs. Evisa Rocket adds a $20 service fee that covers form pre-validation, character/health pre-check, multi-language support, and 24/7 chat assistance, so the total cost to you is $20 per traveler. There are no hidden charges or recurring billing.

Most eVisitor applications are granted automatically within minutes after submission. A small percentage are referred to manual review by the Australian Department of Home Affairs and answered within 24 hours, occasionally up to 5 working days for character or health follow-up. We recommend applying at least 5 working days before departure.

The eVisitor is valid for 12 months from the date of grant or until your passport expires — whichever comes first. During that period you can enter Australia as many times as you wish, with each individual stay limited to 3 months from the date of arrival. The 3-month limit cannot be extended on the ground.

No. The eVisitor strictly prohibits paid employment by an Australian company, paid freelance work for Australian clients, journalism for hire, performing for compensation, paid academic enrolment, and any work paid in AUD by an Australian source. You can attend business meetings, conferences, negotiate contracts, do paid speaking events for non-Australian audiences, and provide short consulting paid by your foreign employer. For paid Australian work, apply for a Working Holiday (subclass 417) or a Skilled Worker visa.

Both visas grant the same on-the-ground privileges (12-month validity, 3-month stays per visit, multiple entries, tourism and short business). The difference is purely about which countries can apply. The eVisitor (651) is for European Union member states, the UK, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, and Vatican City — 35 countries total. The ETA (601) is for US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Brunei and a few others. Your nationality determines which one you must apply for.

If you stay airside in the international transit zone the whole time, no eVisitor is needed. If you change airports (e.g., Sydney to Melbourne), exit the airside zone, or your layover requires you to clear immigration (some airline policies), then yes, an eVisitor is required.

If refused, you cannot enter Australia under the eVisitor scheme for that trip. You must apply for a Visitor Visa (subclass 600) at an Australian Visa Application Centre — paperwork-heavier and a fee of around $190 AUD. Common refusal reasons: prior Australian refusals, criminal records, prior immigration violations, suspicion of intent to settle. We help diagnose the cause and re-apply or pivot to subclass 600.

No. The 3-month limit on each eVisitor entry is firm and cannot be extended in-country. If you need to stay longer, you must leave Australia before your 3 months expire and apply for a Visitor Visa (subclass 600) from outside Australia. Repeatedly visiting for 3 months at a time can be flagged by Australian Border Force as 'living in Australia' and result in refused re-entry.

Yes. Every traveler — including newborns, infants, toddlers, and minors — must have their own valid eVisitor linked to their own passport. The fee is the same as for adults ($20 service fee, $0 government fee). Children traveling without both parents should also carry a notarized authorization letter from the absent parent.

You must apply for a new eVisitor. The eVisitor is digitally linked to a specific passport number — when that passport is replaced, lost, stolen, or expires, the old eVisitor becomes invalid and a fresh application is required. The fee is the same as a first-time application: $20 service fee, $0 government fee.

No. The eVisitor must be granted before you board your flight — airlines verify it digitally at check-in and will deny boarding if it is missing or invalid. There is no on-arrival service at any Australian airport for the eVisitor. Apply at least 5 working days before departure.

Yes. The eVisitor is accepted at all 8 major international airports (Sydney SYD, Melbourne MEL, Brisbane BNE, Perth PER, Adelaide ADL, Cairns CNS, Gold Coast OOL, Darwin DRW), at all international sea ports for cruise arrivals (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Fremantle, Cairns, Hobart, Darwin), and at the regional ports that handle international flights occasionally. Australia has no land borders.

Yes. The eVisitor covers all of Australia's external territories: Norfolk Island, Christmas Island, the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Heard Island, McDonald Islands, and the Australian Antarctic Territory. The same 3-month stay and 12-month validity apply. Note that Antarctic and sub-Antarctic visits typically require additional permits from the Australian Antarctic Division — but the underlying visa is still your eVisitor.

Australia's seasons are reversed compared to the Northern Hemisphere. The best windows are shoulder seasons: September to November (spring — flowers blooming, mild temperatures everywhere) and March to May (autumn — comfortable, less crowded). December to February is peak summer in the south (Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania) but wet season in the tropical north (Cairns, Darwin). June to August is dry season in the north — perfect for the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru — but cold in the south.