Passport holders of Australian Electronic Travel Authority eligible countries can apply for a short-stay tourist visa online. The electronic travel authorization (ETA) will be linked electronically to your passport number. Electronic travel authorization is instant and costs £20 as of 2010.
To apply for a short-stay ETA visa, you have to be a citizen of certain countries (see Resources).
If you are older than 11 and plan to study in Australia in a classroom, you will be required to undergo a chest X-ray procedure.
You have to be tuberculosis-free when visiting Australia and have no criminal convictions to your name.
Long-stay tourist visas are granted to people who are not ETA-eligible passport holders or who want to visit Australia for a period longer than three months. The long-stay tourist visa will allow you to stay in Australia for up to 12 months and to enter Australia multiple times. The long-stay tourist visa can be applied for online and takes about 20 days (from date of application) to be processed.
To apply for a long-stay tourist online visa, you are required to be a passport holder of an online tourist-visa eligible country (see Resources).
On a tourist visa, you will not be allowed to study in Australia for a period exceeding three months. You may be required to undergo a health examination should you wish to study for longer than four weeks.
If you are planning to stay in Australia for longer than six months or are from a country considered a risk, you will be required to pass a chest X-ray and medical examination. You will be required to provide evidence of health insurance during your stay in Australia. A medical examination certificate needs to accompany your application to prove you are fit to travel to Australia. You must provide evidence in the form of personal bank statements, audited accounts, taxation records or pay slips to prove you have access to sufficient funds to cover your expenses during your stay in Australia
The electronic travel-authorized business visa allows you to visit Australia for up to three months to conduct business. Business activities include negotiations, attending conferences or exploratory business visits. Other application requirements are exactly the same as for the Short-Stay Instant Tourist Visa (ETA).
Requirements for application for an ETA Long-Validity Business Visa are exactly the same as for the ETA Short-Stay, but allow you to stay in Australia up to three months at a time for the life of your passport. The processing fee for this class visa is higher.
