Australia visa and entry requirements

Home Affairs says European passport holders may be eligible for an eVisitor (subclass 651) visa, which is free. Holders of an ETA-eligible passport must use the Australian ETA App to apply for an Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601); there is a service charge of AUD 20 to use the app. Home Affairs lists the Visitor visa (subclass 600) for tourists, business visitors or to visit family for 3, 6 or 12 months. For New Zealand citizens, the Special Category visa (subclass 444) is free and is usually applied for each time they enter Australia; an application made on arrival is processed at the airport or seaport.

Every fact on this page verified on or after: Oct 2, 2026· How this site works

Check requirements for your passport

Requirements differ by nationality. Select your passport above, or scan the full table below.

Visas & entry authorisations

Visitor visa (subclass 600)

Fee
250 AUD
Processing
—

Tourist stream (apply outside Australia): Home Affairs says the visa costs from AUD 250.00 for each applicant (concessions apply in limited circumstances), that it generally grants a stay period of 3 months, and that it might grant a stay of up to 12 months in certain circumstances.

Documents the application asks for

  • Passport pages — The pages showing your photo, personal details, and issue and expiry dates
  • National identity card — If you have one
  • Proof of funds — Enough money for your stay and to leave Australia, for example itemised personal bank statements for a 3-month period, pay slips, tax records or credit card statements
  • Invitation letter — From a relative or friend in Australia you are visiting
  • Proof of reasons to return home — For example a letter from your employer, proof of study, immediate family, or a house or other major assets in your home country
  • Birth certificate (applicants under 18) — Showing the names of both parents

Working Holiday visa (subclass 417)

Fee
840 AUD
Processing
—
Stay per entry
365 days

Home Affairs says this visa lets people 18 to 30 years old (or 35 years old for some countries) have their first extended holiday in Australia and work to help fund their trip; they must have a passport from an eligible country or jurisdiction. The stay is 12 months, and you can apply for a second Working Holiday visa if you meet certain eligibility criteria.

Entry requirements

Passport validity

The UK government says that to enter Australia your passport must be valid for the length of your planned stay, and that many countries require at least 6 months' validity remaining on your passport, even if you are just in transit.

Vaccinations

Conditional
  • Yellow fever (International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP)) — WHO's Annex 1 lists Australia as requiring proof of yellow fever vaccination from travellers aged 1 year or over arriving from countries at risk of yellow fever transmission, including travellers who have transited more than 12 hours through the airport of such a country.

Travel insurance

Not officially stated

No official source we could read makes travel insurance a condition of entry for visitors. Home Affairs says you are liable for all your healthcare costs while you are in Australia and strongly recommends adequate health insurance; Visitor visa (600) holders granted a visa valid for more than 12 months must also have made adequate arrangements for health insurance.

Onward or return ticket

Not officially stated

No official source we could read states an onward or return ticket requirement. For the Visitor visa (600), Home Affairs asks for proof you have enough money for your stay and to leave Australia.

Proof of funds

Required

Home Affairs says Visitor visa (600) applicants must have, or have access to, enough money to support themselves while in Australia, and asks for proof of enough money for the stay and to leave Australia. No official source we could read states an amount.

Arrival cards & declarations

Required
  • Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) — The Australian Border Force says an Incoming Passenger Card (IPC) is to be completed by passengers entering Australia, and that it includes declarations relating to customs and quarantine. Non-Australian citizens who refuse to complete it may be penalised and refused immigration clearance, and for them providing false information can affect their visa status. (on board or on arrival) abf.gov.au (opens in a new tab)

Staying past your permitted stay

A re-entry ban, also known as an exclusion period, means a person may not be granted further visas to return to Australia. It can follow if you overstay your visa by more than 28 days. An exclusion period may last for up to 3 years, and some people can be permanently excluded.

Other compulsory government charges

  • Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) — 70 AUD per person per trip. Included in the air ticket.

    The Passenger Movement Charge is an AUD 70 cost for the departure of a person from Australia to another country, whether or not the person returns. It is collected when the ticket is sold and forwarded by the carrier to the Department. Children aged 11 or younger at the date of departure are exempt.

    Exemptions: Persons aged 11 or younger at the date of departure

Verified Oct 12, 2026 · Source: abf.gov.au (opens in a new tab) · Passenger Movement Charge Act 1978; Passenger Movement Charge Collection Act 1978Compare every country: Compulsory government charges beyond the visa, country by country

Customs & currency

AUSTRAC says you must make a report if you enter or depart Australia with monetary instruments with a combined value of A$10,000 or more.

  • Australia's Department of Agriculture says you must complete a declaration and either declare any risk goods, including food, animal products and plant material (including wooden articles), and all footwear, clothing and equipment used in rural areas or near animals, or dispose of any risk goods in the bins at the airport or cruise terminal. False or misleading information can bring an infringement notice of up to $7,280, civil penalty proceedings or prosecution, and your visa may be cancelled.
  • The Australian Border Force says that if you are aged 18 years or over you can bring 2.25 litres of alcoholic beverages duty free into Australia. It says most tobacco products are 'prohibited imports', but as a traveller you can bring tobacco products with you if you are aged 18 years or older, without a permit.
  • For faster border clearance, the Department of Agriculture asks travellers to ensure that footwear and sporting and recreational equipment is dry and clean (free from soil, seeds and grass).

Yellow fever certificate

WHO's Annex 1 lists Australia as requiring proof of yellow fever vaccination from travellers aged 1 year or over arriving from countries at risk of yellow fever transmission, including travellers who have transited more than 12 hours through the airport of such a country.

The 42 countries WHO lists as a yellow fever risk

Requirements normally count any country you have been in shortly before arrival, not only where you boarded.

  • Angola
  • Argentina — Misiones and Corrientes Provinces
  • Benin
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Burkina Faso
  • Burundi
  • Cameroon
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Colombia
  • Côte d'Ivoire
  • Democratic Republic of the Congo
  • Ecuador
  • Equatorial Guinea
  • Ethiopia
  • French Guiana
  • Gabon
  • Gambia
  • Ghana
  • Guinea
  • Guinea-Bissau
  • Guyana
  • Kenya
  • Liberia
  • Mali
  • Mauritania
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Republic of the Congo
  • Senegal
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Sudan
  • Sudan
  • Suriname
  • Togo
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Uganda
  • Venezuela
Compiled Aug 26, 2026 · Source: cdn.who.int (opens in a new tab) · International Health Regulations (2005), Article 36

International Health Regulations (2005), Article 36 and Annex 7; WHO International Travel and Health, Annex 1, 18 November 2022 (revised 3 January 2023)

Country in a nutshell

Currency
Australian dollar (AUD, $)
Safety — Generally safe
Canada's travel advice says violent crime is low, petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag snatching occurs mostly in larger cities, and vehicle break-ins are common. It says riptides are common and can be dangerous. The UK government advises preparing thoroughly if driving in remote outback areas, and says bushfires can occur in any part of Australia and that heavy rain and tropical cyclones can cause flooding.Verified Oct 3, 2026 · Source: gov.uk (opens in a new tab) · archived copy Aug 15, 2026 (opens in a new tab)
Power plugs
I · 230V 50Hz
Emergency numbers
General emergencies: 000
Languages
English
Time zone
UTC+8 to UTC+10:30 (UTC+11 in summer in the south-east)
Driving side
left
International Driving Permit

Australia is a party to the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic (UN Treaty Collection). Austroads, the association of Australia's road transport agencies, says that in many cases overseas visitors who do not hold a permanent visa are regarded as visiting drivers and can use their valid overseas licence to drive: the Northern Territory allows 3 months and New South Wales and Victoria 6 months, while the other states and territories allow visiting drivers to drive indefinitely on a current overseas licence. It says a visiting driver must carry the overseas licence at all times, together with either an international driving permit or an English translation if the licence is not written in English.

Verified Oct 3, 2026 · Source: treaties.un.org (opens in a new tab) · Convention on Road Traffic Compare every country
Tap water
safe to drink

Best time to visit

Canada's travel advice says the rainy season extends from November to April and severe flooding occurs annually, especially in inland parts of New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia; cyclones usually occur from November to April along the coastal areas of Queensland, the Northern Territory and Western Australia; and bush and forest fires are common between October and April.

Tips & warnings

Australia's Department of Agriculture says you must complete a declaration and either declare any risk goods, including food, animal products and plant material (including wooden articles), or dispose of them in the bins at the airport or cruise terminal. Goods that do not pose a biosecurity risk are returned to you; false or misleading information can bring an infringement notice of up to $7,280, and your visa may be cancelled.

Canada's travel advice says riptides are common and can be dangerous, and several drownings occur each year: avoid unsupervised beaches, follow the instructions and warnings of lifeguards and respect the flag warning system. The UK's says rip currents can happen at any beach.

Canada's travel advice says that, due to the great distances between settlements and the isolation of many outback areas, you should plan your overland route carefully and carry sufficient fuel, water and food supplies. It advises caution when driving in rural areas at night, and says roaming animals and road trains pose further hazards.

Home Affairs says the eVisitor is free, and that there is a service charge of AUD 20 to use the Australian ETA app and no other charge payable for an ETA.

Visa requirements by nationality

Visa requirements by nationality. Stay lengths are for ordinary tourist visits. Click a nationality for its full guide.
PassportsVisas & entry authorisationsMax stay
AfghanistaneVisa—
AlbaniaeVisa—
AlgeriaeVisa—
AndorraETA90 days
AngolaeVisa—
Antigua and BarbudaeVisa—
ArgentinaeVisa—
ArmeniaeVisa—
AustraliaFree movement—
AustriaETA90 days
AzerbaijaneVisa—
BahamaseVisa—
BahraineVisa—
BangladesheVisa—
BarbadoseVisa—
BelaruseVisa—
BelgiumETA90 days
BelizeeVisa—
BenineVisa—
BhutaneVisa—
BoliviaeVisa—
Bosnia and HerzegovinaeVisa—
BotswanaeVisa—
BrazileVisa—
BruneiETA90 days
BulgariaeVisa90 days
Burkina FasoeVisa—
BurundieVisa—
Cabo VerdeeVisa—
CambodiaeVisa—
CamerooneVisa—
CanadaETA90 days
Central African RepubliceVisa—
ChadeVisa—
ChileeVisa—
ChinaeVisa—
ColombiaeVisa—
ComoroseVisa—
Costa RicaeVisa—
Côte d'IvoireeVisa—
CroatiaeVisa90 days
CubaeVisa—
CypruseVisa90 days
CzechiaeVisa90 days
Democratic Republic of the CongoeVisa—
DenmarkETA90 days
DjiboutieVisa—
DominicaeVisa—
Dominican RepubliceVisa—
EcuadoreVisa—
EgypteVisa—
El SalvadoreVisa—
Equatorial GuineaeVisa—
EritreaeVisa—
EstoniaeVisa90 days
EswatinieVisa—
EthiopiaeVisa—
FijieVisa—
FinlandETA90 days
FranceETA90 days
GaboneVisa—
GambiaeVisa—
GeorgiaeVisa—
GermanyETA90 days
GhanaeVisa—
GreeceETA90 days
GrenadaeVisa—
GuatemalaeVisa—
GuineaeVisa—
Guinea-BissaueVisa—
GuyanaeVisa—
HaitieVisa—
HonduraseVisa—
Hong KongETA90 days
HungaryeVisa90 days
IcelandETA90 days
IndiaeVisa—
IndonesiaeVisa—
IraneVisa—
IraqeVisa—
IrelandETA90 days
IsraeleVisa—
ItalyETA90 days
JamaicaeVisa—
JapanETA90 days
JordaneVisa—
KazakhstaneVisa—
KenyaeVisa—
KiribatieVisa—
KosovoeVisa—
KuwaiteVisa—
KyrgyzstaneVisa—
LaoseVisa—
LatviaeVisa90 days
LebanoneVisa—
LesothoeVisa—
LiberiaeVisa—
LibyaeVisa—
LiechtensteinETA90 days
LithuaniaeVisa90 days
LuxembourgETA90 days
MacaueVisa—
MadagascareVisa—
MalawieVisa—
MalaysiaETA90 days
MaldiveseVisa—
MalieVisa—
MaltaETA90 days
Marshall IslandseVisa—
MauritaniaeVisa—
MauritiuseVisa—
MexicoeVisa—
MicronesiaeVisa—
MoldovaeVisa—
MonacoETA90 days
MongoliaeVisa—
MontenegroeVisa—
MoroccoeVisa—
MozambiqueeVisa—
MyanmareVisa—
NamibiaeVisa—
NaurueVisa—
NepaleVisa—
NetherlandsETA90 days
New ZealandVisa-free—
NicaraguaeVisa—
NigereVisa—
NigeriaeVisa—
North KoreaeVisa—
North MacedoniaeVisa—
NorwayETA90 days
OmaneVisa—
PakistaneVisa—
PalaueVisa—
PalestineeVisa—
PanamaeVisa—
Papua New GuineaeVisa—
ParaguayeVisa—
PerueVisa—
PhilippineseVisa—
PolandeVisa90 days
PortugalETA90 days
QatareVisa—
Republic of the CongoeVisa—
RomaniaeVisa90 days
RussiaeVisa—
RwandaeVisa—
Saint Kitts and NeviseVisa—
Saint LuciaeVisa—
Saint Vincent and the GrenadineseVisa—
SamoaeVisa—
San MarinoETA90 days
São Tomé and PríncipeeVisa—
Saudi ArabiaeVisa—
SenegaleVisa—
SerbiaeVisa—
SeychelleseVisa—
Sierra LeoneeVisa—
SingaporeETA90 days
SlovakiaeVisa90 days
SloveniaeVisa90 days
Solomon IslandseVisa—
SomaliaeVisa—
South AfricaeVisa—
South KoreaETA90 days
South SudaneVisa—
SpainETA90 days
Sri LankaeVisa—
SudaneVisa—
SurinameeVisa—
SwedenETA90 days
SwitzerlandETA90 days
SyriaeVisa—
TaiwanETA90 days
TajikistaneVisa—
TanzaniaeVisa—
ThailandeVisa—
Timor-LesteeVisa—
TogoeVisa—
TongaeVisa—
Trinidad and TobagoeVisa—
TunisiaeVisa—
TurkeyeVisa—
TurkmenistaneVisa—
TuvalueVisa—
UgandaeVisa—
UkraineeVisa—
United Arab EmirateseVisa—
United KingdomETA90 days
United StatesETA90 days
UruguayeVisa—
UzbekistaneVisa—
VanuatueVisa—
Vatican CityETA90 days
VenezuelaeVisa—
VietnameVisa—
YemeneVisa—
ZambiaeVisa—
ZimbabweeVisa—

Stay lengths are for ordinary tourist visits. Click a nationality for its full guide.

New Zealand2 of 199 passports visa-free · 197 eVisa/ETAIndonesia20 of 199 passports visa-free · 94 eVisa/ETASingapore164 of 199 passports visa-freeThailand79 of 199 passports visa-free · 117 eVisa/ETA

Frequently asked questions

Do US citizens need a visa for Australia?

Yes — an electronic one. United States of America is on Home Affairs' list of ETA-eligible passports, and you must use the Australian ETA App to apply for an ETA if you hold an ETA-eligible passport. There is a service charge of AUD 20 to use the app; Home Affairs says that in most cases it will tell you the result immediately. You can visit as often as you wish in a 12-month period and stay up to 3 months each time you enter.

What is the difference between the eVisitor and the Australian ETA?

Home Affairs says both let you visit Australia as often as you wish in a 12-month period and stay up to 3 months each time you enter, to visit family or friends, have a holiday or undertake business visitor activities ("some" business visitor activities on the ETA). The eVisitor (subclass 651) is free, and European passport holders may be eligible for it. The ETA (subclass 601) is for holders of an ETA-eligible passport, who must apply through the Australian ETA App; there is a service charge of AUD 20 to use the app.

Do New Zealanders need a visa for Australia?

Home Affairs says the Special Category visa (subclass 444) allows New Zealand citizens who meet the eligibility criteria to visit, study, stay and work in Australia, and is usually applied for each time they enter Australia. It is free, and an application made on arrival is processed at the airport or seaport. It lets them enter and stay in Australia for as long as they are a New Zealand citizen; when they leave Australia the visa ceases.

Can I bring food into Australia?

Yes, if it is a risk good. Australia's Department of Agriculture says you must complete a declaration and either declare any risk goods, including food, animal products and plant material, or dispose of them in the bins at the airport or cruise terminal. Declared risk goods are inspected by a biosecurity officer, who may direct them for treatment, export or destruction; goods that do not pose a biosecurity risk are returned. False or misleading information can bring an infringement notice of up to $7,280, civil penalty proceedings or prosecution, and your visa may be cancelled.

Can I stay in Australia longer than 3 months as a tourist?

Not on an eVisitor or ETA: Home Affairs says you can stay in Australia for 3 months after each entry, you can't stay longer by extending either visa, and if you want to stay longer than 3 months at a time you must apply for a different visa. For the Visitor visa (subclass 600) Tourist stream, Home Affairs says it generally grants a stay period of 3 months and might grant a stay of up to 12 months in certain circumstances.

Sources & verification

Every fact on this page is compiled from and periodically re-checked against these official sources:

Something wrong or out of date? Tell us, with the official source