Traveling to Australia can really be a memorable experience, but a little confusing if people are not familiar with the visa application process and the documents needed for an Australia ETA.
Here are the requirements that are needed to apply for an Australian ETA through the official mobile application of the Australian government.
At present, foreigners can apply for ETA only the AustraliaETA app.
If they are not able to login to the app, they may not be eligible for an Australia ETA as citizens of only a few countries are entitled to it.
Preparing for the Application
It is important to make adequate preparations before starting the application process as it is time-consuming.
Applicants must ensure that they have a good internet connection and scanned copies of their identity and travel documents in handy.
Before Applying.
An Australian ETA provides passport holders of eligible foreign nations the authorization to enter the country for short-term stays related to tourism and visitor business activities like attending conferences and negotiation meetings.
The Australian ETA does not give permission to work or engage in activities that earn money.
The first step of the application process is downloading the mobile application. The app is available both in the Apple Store and Google Play Store.
As per the reviews, the users have faced a few challenges while downloading the mobile application and during the online process. Reviewers encourage users to close all other apps opened in their cell phones before applying.
In its official website, the Australian ministry of home affairs has uploaded videos giving instructions on scanning the passport and taking a photograph using the mobile application.
Applicants are encouraged to go through the videos as it will make the application process easier and faster.
Applying for the ETA
The Australia ETA App opens to the terms and conditions page. The terms specify that the applicants can use the app only for getting an ETA and checking its status. They have to remove the app from their cell phones after that.
The conditions also state that the home affairs department can remove the app if it finds suspicious activities.
Once the applicant agrees to the terms and conditions, the next page instructs him/her to set a passcode.
Once the passcode is confirmed, they can start applying.
What Are the Conditions For an Australian ETA?
Before asking for travel or personal information, the app once again reinstates the conditions for the ETA. They are as follows.
- As per the ETA conditions, the validity of the Australia ETA is 12 months from the date of issuance.
- Foreigners with an Australia ETA can enter and leave the country multiple times during the visa validity period.
- Applicants should be free of active tuberculosis
- They cannot engage in study or training for more than 90 days
- They cannot work
- They should not have criminal convictions
It also gives details about the refund policy.
Processing fee refunding is allowed in certain situations including technical faults and hardware glitches in the mobile application.
However, the refund is not possible in the cases of ETA denial and if the applicant could not make it to Australia during the validity time.
If the ETA is cancelled due to various issues, the processing fee will not be refunded.
The ETA Application
All applicants can apply for the Australia ETA by themselves through the app. They can also apply through IATA registered travel agencies. The applicant needs to confirm whether he/she is a travel agent at the beginning of the application process.
The agent/agency needs to submit the IATA registration number as well as the date of approval.
Scanning the Passport
All applicants are required to scan the data page of their passport. Before starting, they need to give access to the device’s camera.
They also need to enable the Near Field Communication function of the device and remove the cover if there is any.
How to Scan
- The scan should cover the entire data page including the line at the bottom.
- Align the device with the documents. The red outline that frames the scanning area will turn green if the alignment is correct.
- The applicants should not obstruct the camera.
- No glare and shadow should be on the document.
Reading the eChip
The Australia ETA app can read the eChips attached to the electronic passports of the USA and other eligible countries.
The NFC activated device can scan the chip directly from the passport and copy personal and identity details from it.
The applicants need to keep the mobile device on the data page of the passport. The device should be touching the data page. Move the device up and down until the data is captured by the app.
The applicants can verify it later.
Note that only applicants from the USA need to scan the data page of their electronic passports whereas citizens of other countries can scan the chip on the front/back page of their passport.
Taking a Photograph
All applicants for the Australia ETA have to take a selfie using the app as part of the application process.
This should be a good quality passport size photograph.
Frame the face in the highlighted oval shape.
Applicants need to remove their spectacles if they are wearing any. There should not be any shadow covering the eyes and face.
The eyes should be open and looking at the camera.
Ensure that the photo is taken in front of a light background without any disruptions and in a well-lit area.
Personal Details
Every traveler needs to enter a number of personal and identity details while applying for the ETA for Australia.
Nationality: All applicants should declare their citizenship. According to international laws, nationality is the legal identification of a person. It establishes the traveler as a subject of a sovereign nation and thus provides legal protection on international borders.
Given name: This is the legal first name of the applicant. It should reflect the given name in the passport.
Family name. This is the legal second/third name of the applicant.
Date of birth: The day the applicant was born as appeared in the passport. This will typically have the day, month and year he/she was born.
Gender: The gender of the applicant as given in the passport.
Passport Details
Passport number: The number as appeared in the data page of the passport
Date of issue: The date from which the passport is valid
Date of expiry: From this date the passport will be deemed invalid. Note that the Australian ETA is electronically linked to the passport.
The ETA expires when the passport validity ends. If the passport validity is less than three months, it is advised to get a new passport before applying for an ETA.
Country of issue: The country that issued the passport.
All applicants need to apply separately for an Australia ETA. After scanning the eChip attached to the electronic passports of the eligible countries, the applicants have to verify the information.
Also, if the applicant holds passports of any other country, he/she must declare the same. This is required for applicants with dual citizenship.
Travel Details
All applicants also need to provide their contact and accommodation details in Australia.
If they know the address of the place that they are going to stay in the country, they need to enter that.
They have to inform the officials if there are any changes in this information during their stay in the country
Travelers With Other Australian Visas
Applicants can check the details of other Australian visas that they already have. It is to be noted that the validity of the new ETA begins only after the expiry of the existing visas.
Applicants will have to submit the following information to check the details of an existing visa:
Country of birth: The foreign country in which he/she was born. This can be different from the country of their nationality.
Alias: If the applicant is known by some other name.
If yes,
Then the applicant needs to enter personal information like the first name, family name, gender and the reasons for the name change.
Home address: This should not be a post box address. The home address typically has the apartment/house number, the name of the city/ country and post office number.
Mobile phone number: The contact number of the applicant. There is an option to enter more than one phone number.
Email address: A valid and functioning electronic mail address. This will have the name of the applicant and domain name. The applicants will receive a code in this address. If they enter a wrong email ID, they will not receive this code and cannot proceed further.
ETA Type and Location
Here the applicants have to declare the purpose of applying for an Australia ETA.
This visa waiver is only granted for short-term stays for business and tourism. The Australian ETA allows multiple entries for a period of 12 months and travelers can stay for a maximum of 90 days on every visit.
Criminal Conviction
Applicants must submit if they have ever been convicted of a crime including domestic violence.
Australia does not grant an ETA to foreigners with a criminal record.
They have to apply for a visitor visa subclass 600 at an Australian embassy or consulate. The home ministry officials will conduct character verification checks on such applicants and if satisfied will issue a visa.
Declaration
All applicants should declare that they will leave the country once the ETA validity expires and they do not possess any other visa.
If they fail to give correct information about their dual citizenships, dual passports or criminal convictions, they may be refused entry and their ETA may be cancelled.
All applicants must verify the information given before submitting. Note that information entered cannot be altered after submitting.
Location While Applying
Before proceeding to make the payment, all applicants are required to enable the location of the cell phone. This is to ensure that they are applying from outside Australia.
Foreigners can apply for an ETA for Australia only outside the country. They have to declare this during the online application process.
At present, only citizens of New Zealand are eligible for a visa on arrival in Australia.
Payment
Applicants can make the payment through valid credit cards.
The Australian ETA will be delivered to the applicant’s email address within the minutes of applying.
The mail will have the visa grant number, its date of expiry and specific conditions attached to it.
If an applicant is denied an ETA for Australia, the email will detail the reasons for the decision and whether he/she can apply for a review.
