Which visa is best for visiting Australia?

Two visas are available for visiting Australia:

• The eVisitor visa (subclass 651) is free of charge. You must hold a valid passport and your country must be validated by the Australian authorities.
• the electronic travel authorization visa (subclass 601) is subject to a fee of AUD 20. You must hold a valid passport and your country must be validated by the Australian authorities.

You may be able to obtain one of these visas if you are going to Australia as a visitor, to work (under certain conditions), or to visit your family or business.

Please note that visitors from the People's Republic of China are subject to certain conditions.

The eVisitor visa, subclass 651

This visa allows you : - enter Australia for up to three months on each visit within 12 months of the eVisitor grant date - vacation or visit family and friends in Australia - study in Australia for three months in certain circumstances

- to participate in business visitor activities in Australia. However, you cannot work for a company or provide services to a company or organization, or sell goods or services.

The activities of business visitors include: - conducting general employment or business inquiries - investigating, negotiating, signing or reviewing a business contract - activities carried out as part of a government-to-government visit

- take part in conferences, trade fairs or seminars, if the organizers do not pay you for your participation.

In general, an eVisitor does not allow you to work in Australia except as a volunteer tourism worker (tour guide) and you are not paid for this (except for meals, accommodation or living expenses).

Cost: free of charge.

Electronic travel authorization visa, subclass 601

Your ETA allows you to enter Australia for up to three months as a tourist or business visitor. You are also authorized to study in Australia for up to three months in certain circumstances.

The activities of business visitors include: - conducting general employment or business inquiries - investigating, negotiating, signing or revising a business contract - activities carried out as part of a government-to-government visit

- take part in conferences, exhibitions or seminars, if the organizers do not pay you for your participation.

This visa is valid for 1 year. You must leave Australia for at least 1 week at the end of the 3-month period, before returning for a further 3 months. However, immigration authorities may question you at the end of the second entry to request another visa.

Cost: there is no visa application fee for an ETA. However, a service charge of AUD 20 applies for online applications only.

The eVisitor visa (subclass 600) is valid for 10 years for stays of between 3 and 12 months. The basic fee for this visa ranges from AUD 140 to AUD 1045. You must hold a valid passport, and it is now valid only for nationals of the Republic of China. This visa, introduced on an experimental basis in 2016, may be extended to other passport holders in the future.