Tourists  

Tourists are people who visit Australia for holidays, sightseeing, social or recreational reasons, to visit friends and relatives or for other short-term and not work related purposes. To stay in Australia for longer than your visa period allows, you will have to apply for an additional visa. There is no guarantee that this visa will be extended and you will have to leave the country then before the first visa expires.

ETA (Visitor) (Subclass 976)

This visa is for people who are outside Australia and who wish to visit the country for holiday, tourism, recreation and informal studies or training. Only passport holders of the following countries can apply for an ETA visa:

Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Malta, Monaco, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (only if resident and applying there), UK, USA, Vatican City.

It is possible to stay for maximum 3 months on each visit within a period of 12 months from the date of grant. This visa cannot be extended!

There is no charge for the visa, but an application fee of 20 AUD.

Requirements

• You must be 11 years of age or older
• You may not work – only limited voluntary work is accepted
• You may not intend to study for more than 3 months
• You must be in perfect health
• You must not have any criminal convictions
• You may not repeat extended stays in Australia
• You must have valid health insurance.
  

Tourist Visa (Subclass 676)

This visa is for people who wish to go to Australia for the purpose of holiday or recreation, to visit friends and family or to study initially for up to 3 months. It may also be used for other not work related purposes and gives single or multiple entrance. The period of stay that will be granted depends on the purpose of the visit and personal circumstances. If you apply online, while being outside Australia, you can apply for 12 months or shorter. If you are already in Australia, you can extend for maximum 6 months from the date of last entry on the current visa.

There is a fee, which is not refundable in case the application is declined.

As a volunteer you can come on this tourist visa under certain conditions:

However, it is accepted under the conditions of the tourist visa to receive meals, accommodation and/or reimbursement of out-of-pocket living expenses in return for the voluntary work. 

Requirements

• You must undertake a medical exam (depends on different factors as well as the country of origin)  More information can be read under ‘Health Requirements’ 
• You must have health insurance
• You must be of good character (police certificate) You must be able to have sufficient funds to cover the costs of your stay in Australia
  

Working Holiday Makers

Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 417)

This visa is aimed for young people between 18 and 30 years who would like to undertake a working holiday for a maximum period of 12 months in Australia. It allows short-term employment (maximum 6 months with each employer) and is eligible for passport holders of the following countries:

Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Taiwan and the UK.

Online applications can be lodged from anywhere outside Australia. Paper applications cannot be lodged to any authority outside Australia for citizens from Cyprus, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malta and Taiwan.

With this visa it is possible to re-enter Australia, as many times as you want within the 12 months the visa is valid for. It also gives you the opportunity to study for a maximum of 4 months. There is a fee to pay for this visa. It is now also possible to apply for a second working holiday visa.

Working Holiday Visa (Subclass 462)

This visa is aimed for tertiary educated people between 18 and 30 years who would like to undertake a working holiday for a maximum period of 12 months in Australia. It allows short-term employment (maximum 6 months with each employer) and is eligible for passport holders of the following countries:

Chile, Thailand, Turkey, USA

With this visa it is possible to re-enter Australia, as many times as you want within the 12 months the visa is valid for. It also gives you the opportunity to study for a maximum of 4 months. There is a fee to pay for this visa.

Requirements

• You must be between 18 and 30 years old
• You must have a valid passport from the country mentioned above
• You must meet the health and character requirements
• You must have approval from your government (not applicable for USA)
• You must have relevant education qualifications
• You must speak English at a functional level
• If granted a WHV, you must enter Australia within a period of 3 months

Details for the specific requirements can be found on the website of the  Australian Immigration Department.

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